June 4, 2022

The Vanilla Web

Eric Millington

Say no to templates (and why)

When you build websites for a living you spend a lot of time surfing the web. Sometimes you’re checking out the latest and greatest, sometimes you’re looking for inspiration, sometimes you are looking for a new pizza place (cause pizza).

The web – it’s tech, it’s aesthetics and best practices are our bread and butter. We take pride in building modern, unique websites. First and foremost we are creative people who use the web as our canvas. 

So it’s only natural when we see a trend we dislike it really starts to bother us.

*Cough* templates *Cough*

If you visit a few websites for restaurants or pizza joints in your area you’ll notice one thing right away: They all look the same. Usually we see a full width closeup of pizza. With a logo and headline centered on top. These sites typically work OK on mobile, they feature decent photography. They are fine.

That’s the problem — they are just fine. They also lack personality, originality and creativity.

Business owners do the best they can, and if you run a pizza shop you probably don’t have much time for a website. Which is why a firm who can help you stand out from those close up pizza photos is so important.

YOU.COM

Every business has a story. What is yours? What is a menu item that no one else has? Maybe you have a menu item that has an interesting story, perhaps a family recipe — find these differentiators and use them. Tell your story.

Create a discount

Reward people for using your site. Create a weekly deal to encourage people to use your website. Combined with an online ordering system you can help save your staff some phone time while offering web users a unique discount.

Create an online only combo meal

Offer your customers a web only meal. Maybe a pizza, a two-liter of soda and a specific appetizer. Call it something fun and weird. These types of combo’s make it look like you care about your online presence. They make you appear modern and tech savvy — even if you leave it up on your site for months.

Be original

I mean, we’re web designers, so of course we’re going to say it, but be original. Use the web and all of its glorious technology to tell the story of your business. You’re not just any old pizza shop or a law firm — you’re YOUR passion. You know what you’re doing so share that passion and expertise with the world.

If you want help getting started, or creating a new web presence give Millington.Design a call at 518-229-3364 or drop us a line to get a free quote.