Well of course, it doesn’t exist.

Still, too many sites seem to miss the mark; they’re stuck in old world thinking about marketing and advertising. They focus their engergy on promoting a brand, or product benefits. Yes, people still do buy the brand, but using a website to promote a brand misses the point.

The brand message rings a little hollow in the wake of Enron and AIG. People want to know who they’re really dealing with. Is your website a window into the soul of your organization? Or is it a billboard designed to fit into a 19 inch montor?

If you’re in a small business or professional practice, your website is a huge opportunity, done right. You can spend your energy trying to look like a mega corporation. Or then again, you can let your website (and the rest of your marketing) give your customers a taste of what it’s really like to do business with you. You can freely share your expertise in the perfect medium. After all, the web was designed from the ground up for the exchange of information.

Big or small, there’s really no downside to being generous, even with “proprietary” information. Doing so establishes credibility and maximizes exposure. It generates good will in a way that an advertising message cannot. Anyway, people expect free information, freely given, on the web. Bucking that trend will be an uphill battle.

The perfect website doesn’t have to be pretty, though that doesn’t hurt. Instead, it should be fresh and vibrant, dymamic to the needs of the moment. It should be easy to maintain and practical. No need to hire a programmer on a daily basis, please. A great site is clear and consise in style, avoiding the burden of clutter.

A perfect site is one that you will continually perfect. You’ll be adding content, checking traffic, and search results on a regular basis. In short, if your site is gathering dust, it’s destined to be a dud in your marketing mix.

Finally, the perfect site complements the rest of your marketing, in print, and in the real world. It requires your energy and creativity on an ongoing basis.

The perfect website: the moment it’s done it’s time to start over.