7 Myths About Creating Websites Dispelled

In my regular morning exploration of blogs and web forums I came across yet another post about how easy it is to create a “specific” type of website using the common WordPress platform and I decided that I can no longer remain silent on this. I think that it’s time to dispel a few common myths about building websites. It's undoubtedly true that it's really easy to get started with your own website.  Afterall, it's one of the main reasons behind the creation of this website! But it's also not true to say that creating more complicated sites (membership sites is a great example) is just as easy (unless you were computer science major). If you know what you’re doing, then, it indeed just might be easy for you. But let’s not get carried away with this misguided understanding that any website is “easy”.

Too many times I have come across folks who misunderstand what’s involved in creating and maintaining a solid website. They get started with their site thinking it’s just a matter of installing WordPress and finding an easy plug-in to use and - voila! There it is! But they also often end up disillusioned and discouraged too. It’s a common thought that you can just “plug-and-play” your way to an awesome site that’s going to generate all this traffic, be super-successful, and generate a ton of money for you. Again, while it may be easy for some it’s definitely not easy for all. Good websites take work - nothing more nothing less. So it’s time to dispel a few myths.

False: E-commerce, membership, and other kinds of sites that require customization are easy.
True: E-commerce and membership sites require a little more know-how and are not quite as easy as they may seem.

Do yourself a favor, if you're in over your head with a project that is a little more complicated than simply getting your WordPress blog installed, seek out some help.  

False: Anyone can create a good, well-thought out, optimized website.
True: High-performance sites take hard work, time, and investment - yes - sometimes financial investment.

Simply put, if you want your website to perform up to its potential and your goals it's going to take some time and hard work. Optimization is an ongoing process that is both art and science.

False: Designers are expensive and over-priced and you can do what a good designer can do with Photoshop and DreamWeaver.
True: A good designer is worth paying for

Gary Vaynerchuk said it in "Crush It" and it's been echoed by internet marketing luminaries across the web.  Professional appearance and design is such a huge part of a successful site. You are only hurting yourself if you overlook this.  If you've got artistic talent - great! You can do it yourself.  If not - do yourself a favor and get some help.

False: WordPress is the ideal tool for any web project.
True: There are legitimate alternative CMS’ that are every bit as good as WordPress - in some cases <gasp!> better

Yes - there are other platforms than WordPress (I know - you may not have ever heard that before). Choose the right tool for the job. (I covered that in my podcast, Choosing the Right CMS)

False: If you build it, they will come
True: Getting traffic to your site is a lot of work unless you’re already a huge, well-known brand and takes a lot of work.

I've learned this in a number of different ways and deal with it every day.  Optimization and marketing must be part of your plan to get exposure for your site.

False: You don’t need to know HTML/XHTML or CSS or any programming to run your site
True: It’s only true if you don’t care about how your site and/or content looks and you rely solely on a WYSIWYG editor.

You're not hurting anyone but yourself if you're not at least topically familiar with web technology language. Well, actually you're readers and visitors could be the unwilling recipients of your poorly created code too, but they won't tell you. They'll just leave and you'll wonder why your bounce rate is so high. If you're going to have a website take some time to learn it, You'll be glad - and so will your visitors - you did.

False: Godaddy’s Website tonight is a good option for getting started and the economically conscious.
True: No, it’s not. There is no reason to ever use it - especially when there are much better free options out there.

Don't use Website Tonight.  I don't have any personal grudge against Godaddy, but it's just a terrible tool that creates awful looking websites. There is no reason that you should ever use it.  Go get a Posterous, or Tumblr blog instead.