Why I’ve Rebranded My Web Design Business
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If you’re a frequent visitor here, you’ve probably noticed I’ve given my website and business a little “glow-up”. There’s new branding, a new name — Brilliant Author™ —, and a new website address at the top of the page. But so far, I’ve not shouted loudly about it!
Why this quiet change?
For various reasons, I ended up making most of these changes in late November, right around the time when online noise about Black Friday is deafening. Although I considered making a song and dance about my rebrand — yeah, for all of about 3 minutes — I decided a calm, low-key update simply felt right.
After all, as a high-touch service business, I don’t actually have a massive audience, and certainly not one that’s hanging on my every word and action. Most of my clients contact me when they decide to work with a website designer; they’re not loyally following me for years first. Nor do I have masses of “repeat” business, in the way that, say, a coffee subscription service would have. And I know my past clients are getting on with their wonderfully busy lives (and promoting their books!), not hanging around watching what I’m up to.
And, importantly, the underlying structure of my business is the same. I’m still a one-woman enterprise, providing website strategy, expertise and design services to authors. This is not the start of my retirement, or growing into a studio with a team, or branching out and becoming a publishing company. No: it’s business as usual, heading into 2025!
So, why change my brand at all?
There are a number of reasons why I’m super excited about the changes you see, and especially the experience that new website visitors now get:
Amazingly, I’m now at five years in business; that’s a pretty long time for a highly visual service like mine to stick with the same look.
Fun fact: my original business branding drew heavily on the fonts and colors that I used for the book covers of my romantic comedies. While I still really like these book covers, the overall vibe isn’t right for an expert, high-end service business. So although my web design logo toned it down, it was never intentionally chosen as business branding.
Now, the visual pieces of my brand nail it perfectly. The name, colors, logo, fonts, and visuals have all been carefully selected to convey what you get when you work with me:
A premium service and high-end experience
A discerning, thoughtful, highly organized approach to your project
Expertise in author websites
Crisp, elegant design, with no clutter and beautiful aesthetics
Investment in my own business, which mirrors the investment I’m inviting you to make in yours.
After a few wobbles over the years about whom exactly I’m serving, I’m now absolutely committed to my author audience and to specializing in author websites. So reflecting that as Brilliant Author for my business name and website name makes a lot of sense. The original name, Pauline Wiles Website Design, was a lot more about me than it was about my clients. (Quick legal note here: my limited company is Pauline Wiles LLC, and that will remain the official entity; there’s only so much admin I can face at one time!)
What about the “brilliant” part?
Now, I admit I’m proud of incorporating this word. Brilliant feels like the perfect choice because:
Brilliant means brainy, smart, inspired; exceptionally clever or talented. I’m willing to claim these adjectives, and I want my clients to feel the same.
Brilliant also means bright and radiant. Let’s extend that to mean visible, eye-catching, and outstanding, and it becomes obvious why I aim for these in the author websites that I create.
Brilliant is more widely used as a positive expression in the United Kingdom, versus the United States. Although the vast majority of my clients are now US-based, I love this nod to my British roots.
Err, you won’t be seeing these again!
Just for fun, here’s a peek at some of my visuals over the years. I don’t hate all of these, although it’s fair to say the purple watercolor computer on the left was pretty short-lived. But none of these feel right for the business and the clients I’m now attracting, and want to attract.
Conclusion
Even when done quietly, rebranding and renaming is clearly a lot of work. Aside from changing the website name and freshening up the design (always a work in progress), I’m tackling my email address, mailing list tool, and project management tool. I’ve taken steps to —hopefully!— avoid destroying my search engine rankings. I ordered new stationery (of course!) and am planning a small but thoughtful mailing campaign to tell my wonderful past clients about the change. My super virtual assistant, Denise Riches, is helping to update the many documents, digital products, and promotional resources that I use. I’ve applied for a trademark for Brilliant Author. And, not entirely by coincidence, I invested in new brand photos (coming to the website just as soon as I get to that fun task!).
Already, I’m feeling huge confidence and energy from knowing that my branding is now perfect for how I want my business to be perceived. Over time, I believe I’ll see ROI from the appeal to my ideal clients, helping them make a confident decision about whether we’re right to work together.
Which brings me to you!
Are you ready to sell more books?
If you want an author website that represents your work perfectly, delights your readers and sets you up for business results, let’s design, build, and launch your online home together. Learn more, and then schedule a complimentary chat with me.
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