When Good Enough Is Just Fine
And How Good Enough Revolution Is Shaping The Web
Reading an article at Wired magazine just now about the “Good Enough” revolution, it struck a chord with me.
I myself had an experience of how building a simple, easy to use, no-frills classified website has enabled me to attract millions of pageviews from Internet users. Sure, the search capability is lacking, and structure is almost non-existent. However, the fact that marketers can post their product for free in less than one minute is definitely a big attraction, one that has been drawing more and more visitors month by month.
After two years of getting repeated suggestions and complains about how outdated the software is, last year I decide to upgrade classified software. This new software have better search capability, better structure, and better layout. I thought it will surely be a hit. Even if it fail to keep some of the old-timers, at least I have got enough contents to keep attracting new visitors.
When in the first month visitor number dropped like crazy, I wasn’t worried. I thought the users just need time to adjust, and will be back to normal and even better after the first 3 months. When it didn’t happen, I was starting to regret the upgrade.
This is one way process. Once upgraded, I can never go back to the previous system unless by restoring the backup, which will destroy the submissions of the most recent 3 months. That will be destroy even more of the users trust.
Faced with no choice, I kept the new software and moved forward to improve the users experience. Now, one year later, the site’s user base is almost back to prior the upgrade, and I have learned my lesson from that incident. I am now wary about adding any new features to my websites. If it makes the websites any harder or more complicated to my users, the feature must be dropped.
In the hindsight, I should have known that. When I started, that was the main strategy I applied to compete with bigger sites. Silly me to have forgotten that when my sites has grown to become one of those “big sites”.
If we look to the web, there are myriads of websites that was started with that principal. Some of them manage to climb to the top of the Internet.
Good Enough websites that changed the Web
1. Google
When competitors like Yahoo and MSN load their search portal with lots of information and eye-candies, Google.com keep a simple non-cluttered webpage and rise to become the top search engine.
Why it works: Users like the simple layout that didn’t distract them from their original motive, that is to search. Besides, by concentrating on search, Google built up a superior search algorithm that makes it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.
2. Twitter
The strongest example of how keeping it simple translates to success is Twitter. By getting users to answer a simple question of “What are you doing?”, Twitter has amassed huge followings among the Internet users.
Why it works: The 140 characters limit makes it very clear to users that they don’t have to make a long post. That is very appealing to users in this era of quick access, even among the laziest folks.
3. Plenty of Fish
Unlike their competitors which provide crippled, limited functions for free and then later charge for premium access, Plenty Of Fish provide full access to all its members. That strategy works charm, and nowadays Plenty Of Fish is the most successful dating website, earning about $10 million a year.
Why it works: With free membership, Plenty Of Fish manage to get a large user base. Instead of charging premiums to users, Plenty Of Fish earn a great deal from Google Adsense advertisements.
4. Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a user-contributed encyclopedia, with subjects covered range from scientific theories to popular trends. While detractors critiques the accuracy of user-contributions, and the somewhat lower quality of Wikipedia articles compared with commercial encyclopedia, Wikipedia has become de-facto Dr Know of the web.
Why it works: Free to everyone with Internet access and with wide range of topics covered, user can get information about almost everything they want to know from Wikipedia.
5. Craigslist
Take a look at Craigslist classifieds, the ugliest webpage in the net. And yet it is one of the most popular. You can find almost any product or service at Craigslist, posted by individuals and companies.
Why it works: Free is a powerful business model. While newspapers charge up to $100 for posting few ads lines at classifieds, Craigslist allows you to advertise products for free. That in turn attracts people looking for products and services and the whole ecosystem is made. Craigslist make money from the premium advertisements, where advertisers can pay to highlight their ads.
Now, think it over. Is your website Good Enough? Or is your competitor Good Enough to overtake you? Share it with us !
