My name is Chris and I am a Perfectionist

Perfectionism and Web Development

[Livenomadic]

I have a problem.

I spend HOURS making my site perfect, from SEO, IA, Content, browser testing, and Design.

However, time and time again I see these HORRIBLE looking sites that earn enough to be the sole income for their design. These sites look like they were coded in 15 minutes but are making $100 a day.

Anyone else here have this problem?

[webmastertexas]

Anyone else here have this problem?

why is that a problem? My site isn't anything fancy. I made it out of an ordinary template. But you know what? No one came to my site looking for great web design. It's the content. And really, are you going to bookmark a site just because it looks great, but has nothing you want? Methinks you might not be putting enough effort into the right elements of your site. I'd keep going to a lousy looking site as long as it has what I'm looking for. Seriously. I've never, since I've been surfing the web, completely dismissed a site because it's not fancy and doesn't have flash and whatnot.

Just my 2 cents.

[txbakers]

I spend hours and hours as well, but all for content and useability. I don't care one whit for SEO. It's all about function and user acceptance.

People pay quite a bit to use my site and I feel it has to work and be useable.

[hannamyluv]

Hmm... It is an ongoing discussion here about whether or not ugly sites sell better than pretty sites as can be seen in this thread

[webmasterworld.com...]

Many of the affiliates and some of the ecomms will swear up and down that ugly sites really do sell better and will say it has to do with the concept of slipperiness (as opposed to stickiness).

[Craig_F]

> Anyone else here have this problem?

I do. I spent all day Saturday, and much of Sunday on a site that was perfectly fine to begin with!

I don't know what my problem is, I just can't resist tweaking everything.

[faltered]

What I don't understand is why someone would shell out the big bucks for an ugly site. Every day I surf the web and come across quite a few sites that are poorly designed and maintained. The links don't work, the graphics are blurry, each page has a different layout, etc. It bothers me that companies would fork over cash to another company to design and maintain something that looks poorly.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that your website should reflect upon your company. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to have it done. BUT make sure each page has the same layout and navigation. Make sure the graphics are clear. Make sure your links work. Make sure you've spelled things correctly. And for crying out loud, update your site more than once a year!

</rant>

[webmastertexas]

What I don't understand is why someone would shell out the big bucks for an ugly site.

I think most "ugly sites" are homemade ones. I don't know why anyone would pay for one, as you said. I built mine from one of those free templates you can get on the web. :)

[universetoday]

You need to fight the inner perfectionist, and channel him towards the things that really matter. For example, your larger business goals: profit margins, traffic growth, reputation, etc.

Being a perfectionist about every single aspect of your web design is like trying to sail while dragging your anchor behind you. In many cases, the eye for quality and detail is very important - many people notice the little things, and any mistake drives them absolutely crazy.

But for most people, they don't even notice the little problems. You need to set a threshold for quality, and learn to say when something is "good enough".

I work at breakneck speed, and make a zillion mistakes, large and small. They used to drive me crazy, but I've learned to be able to put it all into perspective. How many people are actually going to care that you've spend an extra 2 hours tweaking that graphic? Could you have used those hours more productively?

Be a total perfectionist for the things that matter, and learn to let go for everything else.