Recently I had someone request we completely change a platform for a site. They minimized the effort required to change, feeling there would be zero negative impact on the site. It would change both the host and the underlying technology, which is no small task at all. In the auto world, most companies hire a firm to build and manage the site. Some of those companies are part of the factory co-op. The co-op is a system set up by corporations that helps get their dealers access to advertising resources that the corporation pays part or all of the fees. The company pays the vendor and the factory co-op reimburses the company. Now the issue here is that the request was based on two factors, the infamous “someone” said they didn’t like the current website and there was a co-op deal available. From those two items they reached the conclusion that a 6 month old site should be thrown out and started over.

We know in our gut that isn’t really a good enough reason, especially if the site is performing well. It’s easy to mutter, “Dunning-Kruger Effect” and move on, but sometimes you need to unplug your ego and look deeper.

No matter what, a site change will always create new problems, new needs and take a large amount of work to achieve. Even with a switch to a co-op site, you will still have a lot of work and out of pocket expenses to get it running. With several vendors working on the project you will have the inevitable buck passing and finger pointing. Let’s dig into some common reasons people want the change and when a tipping point is hit.

“Someone doesn’t like it”

Ask for specifics. I’ve had people passionately argue against a standing site just because it wasn’t in their favorite color. Once you have valid feedback, compare yourself against your competition, look at how you stack up in your industry and then how you stack up against sites facing similar problems. If you find something lacking; determine what you can do about it.

I had a customer tell me that he hated our camping web site. He was 6’ 6” tall and his gripe was that he couldn’t find a sleeping bag that fit him without looking at every single product. This lead to a new custom tool that helped people find a bag from hundreds that fit exactly what they wanted. We had the customer try it out and he loved it. Just because there is a problem, doesn’t mean everything needs to go. Presentation can be altered to fit a new found need. How do you tell when the look of the site is costing you money? Your first clues aren’t bounce rate and the constant emails with jokes that start with; “Your site’s so ugly…” I use a multiple metrics to analyze the site. First, check your depth of visit. Look for a decrease in visitors going past three or four pages. Second, on ecommerce sites I like to look at cart size. If your orders have a drop in the number of products in the cart or dollars in the cart, you have an excellent indicator you need to change. People aren’t shopping as usual. These early warning signs can give you a head start on changing over before a huge drop in conversions becomes impossible to ignore.

“Someone else can pay for it”

Websites can be expensive to own, but a necessary cost of business. Using price as your only deciding factor can cause as many issues as opening shop in the cheapest real estate in town. Check out Google ZMOT for a great dissertation on what people expect from companies online. The inherent problem with someone else writing the check is that they have the power over the vendor. You have very little say in what they will do for you.

Car companies love a level playing field. Two Toyota dealers on the same platform in the same town cannot possibly have an advantage over each other organically. Often, the websites will be bland designs with just a logo change. It’s often a case of a nondesigner trying to build a site in a system they don’t understand. The unfortunate result is a person getting the logo in place after a huge struggle and hitting the default button for everything else. Once you are on a co-op site it becomes very difficult to leave. If factories were really interested in a natural landscape they would simply have a list of requirements and audit the dealership websites from time to time. The co-op money would flow where the dealer wanted it, not where the factory wants. When I look at top sites, the best often run their own web site on custom code. I’m not sure going to that extreme is required; however there is a need for control over your content.

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