Stop Ignoring Your Website
I know exactly what you're thinking:
"My business is doing great. I've got steady referrals. The website isn't broken – it's just not a priority for me right now."
I get it. You're successful, ambitious, and, honestly, pretty brilliant at what you do. You're used to being the expert in the room.
The go-to person.
The one who has it all figured out.
The trusted advisor and leader of a boutique services firm.
But when it comes to your website? It’s stuck back with the old you about five years ago and the old capabilities of your business. It’s an afterthought and far from being impressive. More than likely, it’s confusing, haphazard, and not operating at peak performance. AKA-it’s not doing you any favors.
If I may, let me be direct:
Having an outdated website is akin to having clients walk up to your door with money in their hands, as you shut the door in their face.
The Cottage That Became a Maze
Let me paint you a picture because we all know I love a good analogy.
Remember when you first started? Your website was like a cute little cottage – perfect for what you needed back then. But now? Your business has grown. You've added services. Maybe expanded your team. Built something remarkable and exceptional that is a true gift to so many of your clients.
And what did you do with your website?
You kept adding rooms to that cottage.
A new page here, a service description there. It's like adding a second story without checking if the foundation can handle it. Now when you turn on the lights in one room, another goes dark. Sure, you have more space – but nothing works quite right. You can only build so high without the right foundation.
The biggest tell that you’ve outgrown what you’ve got?
You've been making reactive updates every year - throwing up new event pages and patching things together. But there's no strategy, no thoughtful consideration of how it all works together and how your prospects and clients interact with it easily.
It’s only a matter of time until the tech debt that you’ve accumulated, little by little each year, comes due. And that price will always need to be paid. There is no forgiveness package. It will need to be handled one way or another.
The Avoidance Pattern
Let's get really honest about what's happening here.
Everyone has their reasons and I think I have heard them all by now. The top three, in no particular order:
I don’t have the budget for it.
I don’t have the bandwidth to tackle this right now.
I don’t even know how to buy this thing or vet these people.
Underneath it all, the truth is….
You don’t have a marketing budget and this cost feels like such an unknown (read: large) you will avoid it until you absolutely can’t anymore. Unfortunately…the longer you wait, the more it costs. Inflation is real and so is tech debt.
You will never have time. It will never be the “right” time. That’s just a delay tactic. With the right team, it’s easier than you think, and YOU don’t have to manage the process. Don’t hodgepodge together cheap vendors. Get one expert team and your life will be easier.
A strategic partner is the answer. A vendor is a yes-man. A strategic partner will help you buy this thing. They will answer your questions. They will sell you what you need, not the biggest boat on the lot just because. You will trust them, and you can rely on them to have your best interest at heart, just their bottom line.
And you MIGHT be avoiding anything tech-related because it makes you feel out of your depth. It feels overwhelming and you don’t know what you don’t know.
And I get it – you're used to being the expert. Being a novice at anything feels uncomfortable.
So instead of taking action, you tell yourself things like:
"It's fine for now."
"We'll fix it when things slow down." (Spoiler alert: Things never slow down)
"Our clients come from referrals anyway and we have more than we can handle, it’s fine."
But you do no one any favors by playing small and staying invisible. If you have a service that changes things for people and makes an impact, it’s your duty to share it and make it as accessible as it can be for those that need to hear what you have to say and experience your solution.
When "Good Enough" Isn't Good Enough
Let me tell you a story.
I recently reviewed a site for a successful business coach. She was crushing it – ranked #1 on Google for her key terms. Sounds fantastic, right?
Here's the reality check: her site health score was 66 out of 100. We ideally want that score to be in the 80’s or higher. She had 295 broken links, missing page titles and the list goes on. That's like having a beautiful storefront with hundreds of locked doors clients keep walking into.
She thought she was winning because she was getting traffic. But her competitors at #2 and #3? They have healthier sites. As they grow their content and improve their digital presence, they will overtake her. It's not a question of if – it's when.
Could her story be yours too but you just don’t know it yet?
Strategic Partners vs. Vendors
Let's talk about what fascinates me most about this whole situation.
You would never – and I mean never – deliver something that was "good enough" to your clients.
You're known for excellence.
For going above and beyond.
For being thoughtful and strategic in everything you do.
Yet somehow, when it comes to your digital presence and your website and SEO, "good enough" became acceptable. And not just for a few months, for years.
You're working with vendors instead of strategic partners and spending your hard-earned money on people who could not care less about you and your business.
You know the type – they host your site, make updates when they can get around to it (which is never as quick as you need), and say yes to whatever you ask for without ever questioning if it's the right move strategically.
They don’t know your goals this year or next. They don’t know when your birthday is (I’m a big birthday person, and I make no apologies for it), and they don’t know what you like to do in your free time.
In other words, you are a number. And I don’t know about you, but that does not really light me up inside or make me feel good about that money I am spending.
That's like having a financial advisor who just processes transactions instead of helping you build wealth. Or a personal trainer who lets you do whatever you want instead of pushing you toward your goals.
To not only ascend but thrive at the next level of your business, you have to level up some things, and that all starts by looking holistically at your brand, website, and SEO and making the needed improvements TODAY, not someday.
This Is About More Than a Website
To be clear, this isn't just about having an outdated website. This is about your legacy and how you show up in the world.
I firmly believe that alignment in your life is important. I like doing what I say and having consistency across my life. This blog is one of those examples.
I want to be a person who takes action. I do in other areas of my life, but I hate content. I avoid it. But I need to take my own advice, so here I am with weekly blogs because that’s the type of person I want to be.
When you have misalignment, it causes cognitive dissonance, and honestly? It’s so draining and distracting.
Show up for yourself like you do for your clients. Demand better, not just “good enough”.
You're not just running a business – you're building something worth having in the world.
You're a thought leader.
You're creating impact.
Don’t let your website tell a completely different (and outdated) story.
The digital landscape is evolving at warp speed-it’s not just AI, it’s SEO, it’s technology itself. Your competitors are investing in their online spaces to make them the best that they can be, even though the stuff they sell probably isn’t as good as yours.
And no matter what? Your potential clients judge your credibility based on your website before they ever meet you.
You wouldn't show up to a speaking engagement without preparation. You wouldn't pitch a major client without doing your homework. Yet every day, your website represents you to countless potential clients – and you're letting it show up unprepared.
The good news? This is fixable. But it requires a shift in thinking.
Stop treating your website like a necessary evil and start seeing it as a strategic asset.
Stop working with vendors who just take orders and start partnering with strategic advisors who understand your vision.
Most importantly, stop avoiding the tech changes and conversations because it makes you uncomfortable. You don't need to become a technical expert – you need to work with one who speaks your language and understands your goals.
Here's what happens when you finally decide to take your website seriously:
Your website becomes a true reflection of your expertise and impact
Your team stops wasting time on workarounds and band-aid solutions
Your digital presence starts working for you, not against you
You stop losing opportunities you didn't even know you were missing
It's time to build the digital foundation your business deserves – one that can support the skyscraper you're building, not just the cottage you started with.
If you need help, we would be delighted to learn more about you and what you’re building and show you a better way forward with our strategic team by your side every step of the way.
meet the author & ceoAhoy there, I’m Sabrina!
I write about the joys and trials of owning a business, being bold, and taking the right actions at the right time.
Mix this with Midwest no-nonsense, being a Mom to 3 growing-too-quickly kids, lots of travel, 2 giant German Shepard dogs, and after-school sports schedule that makes your eyes cross and that’s the slice of life you’ll find here.
