Now that the web is 15 years old or so, we all know the importance of quality web design and copywriting. The days of having a first-generation, centered-text-on-a-page website are long, long gone, and any company that is serious about doing business in this era needs to have a website that matches the unique vision and passion they have for their business. Today, the web is often the first resource prospective customers turn to when evaluating whether or not to fork over their hard-earned cash to a particular business. It has utterly replaced the yellow pages, newspaper advertising, or print campaigns as the public face of a company. When a company has a poorly designed, difficult to use site, it is subtly telling the world and its entire potential customer base, that it just doesn’t care. Bad news for anyone considering spending money with that company.

Equally important in overall presentation of a company is quality of content and copywriting. Because the web is a medium where your competition is only a click of the “back” button away, so-called “informational” pages don’t work, either. It’s not enough to tell a potential customer who you are: They don’t care. If they wanted to look at a list of companies, they would look in their address book or through a folder full of business cards. On the web, every page must be a sell page. There is absolutely no logic in having a potential customer read through your company information, and then not also have a gentle nudge to actually contract your services. What is the point of having a site at all?

These two issues, while certainly not new ideas to anyone in the industry, are of particular importance for websites here in Yucatan, an area where the two key components of “design” and “content” are very often overlooked. Websites in the region are rooted very firmly in first or second generation design; to look at the local web is to step back in time to Netscape-era surfing. Based on the sites, you would have no idea that Yucatan contains thousands of highly trained, professional services and companies that can make living here as easy as living in a suburb somewhere north of the border.

This is why it is vital for the local web space to improve. Unlike many areas which have received huge amounts of publicity on television and in print, relatively little is known about the day-to-day of life in the Yucatan. This makes the web the FIRST place potential expatriates and retirees go to research their move, their ability to live here, and their ability to do business. If you want to research Cancun, you can buy a travel guide. If you want to research Paris, you can see a documentary on cable. Heck, if you want to research expat life in VIETNAM, you can catch a re-run of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and get a pretty good inside look. If you want to learn about Yucatan, however, you turn to the web. And frankly, the local web isn’t making Yucatan look all that great.

The tide, however, is changing, as locals begin to understand that quality design is a hugely important factor in the face their company presents to the world.

The Mexico International website (designed by Mexico Bob) is thorough, clean, doesn’t use the same cookie-cutter software driving most local real estate companies, and best of all, functions exactly the way you would expect a real estate website to work. Is it a coincidence, then, that Mexico International is rapidly becoming the go-to company for those looking to invest in the area?

The Hotel Luz en Yucatan site (designed by Eclectec) is one of our favorites in the local web space, as well. This design of this site proves that, even with new media, old-fashioned design, vintage photography, a “sideshow” feel, and a healthy sense of humor combine to create a web experience as fun, vital, and interesting as a stay at the hotel itself.

The website for Los Dos Cooking School (also by Eclectec) is another great example of how you can enject some traditional typographic elements, pair it with some great photography, and end up with a website that is professionally presented without losing its local flavor and decidedly “Mexican” feel.

It doesn’t stop there. The web here in Yucatan is changing, and we are happy to do our part to help transform the web presence of local businesses, to attract others to the region, and to help local businesses attract the customers they deserve…all without breaking the bank.