Sometimes the simple things are the hardest to do. We started a web redesign project for Warweg Irrigation more than a year ago. When you look at the site, you probably wonder why it took so long.

The delay was not caused by programming challenges. The website was built using a WordPress platform and a fairly straighforward theme. It isn’t a very large site, less then twenty pages, so that wasn’t the hold up either.

The delay was caused by the pictures. As an irrigation contractor, Warweg is particular about the type of sprinkler products they install. While many of the photos looked the same to us, owner Chad Warweg had a particular product he wanted to feature.

The problem was that none of the available photography showcased that product. And so we waited. I am excited we have finally launched the site. It is a huge improvement over what he had. I know it will make a favorable impression on prospective customers as he enters the summer selling season.

The lesson:

After this project, we learned to ask about photos sooner. Web design projects are much easier when we have a discussion about images at the kick off meeting. As more and more emphasis is being placed on visual content, photos are no longer the nice little extra on a website. They are central to the design and need to be part of the first phase of the design.