Over the years, I’ve heard it said, I’ve said it myself and mostly, I’ve believed it.

Good is good enough.

First, what does that mean?  To me, it means perfection isn’t possible so why try.  I can’t control everything and I don’t have the time or money to even try to pursue it. So good is good enough.

In the web world, I hear this a lot. It could be the design, the copy, the functionality, anything…

Is it good?  Yes!  Is it good enough?  Well….

10 years ago (maybe even 5 years ago), having a web site was enough.

Today?  Not a chance.   In my business, the number of amazing designers/developers is staggering.  The quality of the sites produced now makes sites just a couple years old look out-dated and hard to use.  With the ability to out-source to overseas firms that charge less than half the going rate, your product / service can not longer be ‘good enough’.

It better be outstanding.

The ease of getting a web site combined with the power of search engines has made your competitors just a search and click away.  Whether you’re selling artwork, consulting services, web applications, anything…your site better stand above your competitors.

Good IS NOT enough when it comes to web sites (unless your Craigslist…).

It starts with appearance.  We can all say we are not that superficial, but we’re lying to ourselves. Say you’re looking for a consultant to help you with your storage and backup needs.  You find a couple in your area through a web search and are now looking at their sites.  Assuming you don’t have prior knowledge about any of the consultants, I would bet a lot of money that your initial choice will be the site that  is easy to navigate, answers your most common questions quickly and most importantly, has a well-organized and professional design.

Does the quality of the site mean the Consultant will be the best?  Not at all.  But it does suggest a few things.

• They care about their image
• They spent the money to have a site that was professional and easy to use
• They took the time to research their target audience
• They care about the people they serve

They decided good was not good enough.

Now I know most of us (me included) don’t always have the time or money go beyond ‘good enough’.  So the question is…

Is it better to put something out there (there being the internet) that is just good or is it better to wait until you have the time and money to do it right?

I think it comes down to a few things.

• What your competitors are doing
• What your price point is
• What your customers need and expect

If the site isn’t meeting the needs and expectations of your customers, they aren’t coming back or giving you a second look.  If your price point suggest Ferrari but your site looks Yugo, well….  If your competitors have sites that make yours look like it was done by a 15 year old using FrontPage, then you have problems.

It’s better to have a web site with one great page then 10 crappy ones.  It’s better to send one quality email a month than 6 crappy ones.  It’s better to sell one great product than a bunch of useless junk.

Perfection is impossible, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for it.

Good is not good enough.

How much would your business grow if you were able to convert just 10% of your web site visitors into customers?

What do your traffic reports tell you each month?

Do you know the value of your average customer?

on ROI

The reason that any business wants a web site is to generate sales, either directly or indirectly. Does your web site site have a strong call to action on every page? Have you optimized your check out process? Does the subscriber form for your monthly newsletter get confused with the IRS’s AMT form?

Were you thinking about return on investment (ROI) when you wrote your copy, told your developer to move that button to the bottom of the page or asked your designer to try purple instead of blue?

Web Design for ROI by Lance Loveday & Sandra Niehaus will open your eyes to all the opportunities you have with your web site to turn visitors into buyers and prospects into leads.

The biggest thing I took away from this book was that I should be thinking about ROI in everything I do. This email, my web site, my time on Twitter and being subscribed to 47 feeds in Google Reader all impact the success of my business.

What is your ROI on reading this post?