A Perfectionist’s Guide to Website Creation, Part Three

In Part One, I covered the infrastructure of my website, and in Part Two, I touched on some of the ways I customized my website.  But the issue really comes down to why.  Why would I spend so much time being nitpicky and adding functionality that I won’t need until way down the line?

Besides the fact that I’m an over-achieving perfectionist, that is.

We’ve all heard the advice that if you’re going to a job interview, you should dress for the job you want—not the job you currently have.  And my reasoning pretty much comes down to that.

Begin as You Mean to Go On

Sure, I’m a nobody unpublished author now.  But if I want to be seen as a professional author (the “job” I’m interviewing for), then I have to present that impression right off the bat.  I have to perform at the level I’m aspiring for, or else no one would ever assume that I could perform at that level when necessary.

So, yes, even though I don’t expect anyone to sign up for my feeds or newsletter, it was better to get those elements out there now.  To me, this demonstrates that:

• I understand how important those functions are for building a following;
• I know how to incorporate them into my website;
• on the very off-chance that someone might want to sign up for them even though I am currently a nobody, I have the option available.

*mutters under breath*  And then, yes, of course, there were the customizations that were strictly for the perfectionist in me.  I know, I know.  No one else would notice if I hadn’t shifted the menu over by just a smidge so that it would line up with the content.  And I hope no one ever sees my custom 404 page for broken links.  But sometimes it’s the little things that add up to a professional appearance, un-scuffed shoes and whatnot.

I’d like to think that those little things help present me as an author with an attention to detail, in addition to my dedication to getting things right, awareness of branding and building a following, and a willingness to learn new things.  And you know what?  That’s not a bad image to have.

And that is why being a perfectionist isn’t such a bad thing after all.