Today when we open the doors to our business most people need a web presence to sell their products or services. So designing a web presence that reaches the market you are trying to connect with and sell to, can be a road of online judgment. Whether you design in house or outsource the job, people will still criticize something about your website.

It is easier said than done to overcome the fear of online judgment. Let’s face it, once you publish your website --- you are exposed to the world. Anyone can see you and form an opinion of your business based on your online presence. Some critics will agree and love your website. The colors, the graphics, your products and services will be appealing; your messages will be in agreement with their thinking and beliefs. Now on the other hand those who you do not appeal to may become harsh critics especially if they are in the market that you are trying to connect with; this can be a challenge to overbear. They may be judging your business offerings on false pretenses.

You have a few choices on how to deal these kinds of issues as they arise. You can try to custom tailor your web presence to appeal to all your critics. So every time someone shares their opinion you can adapt to that critic. That choice would leave you in a constant state of reaction. Maybe a constant state of reaction is a comfortable place for some people but I do not believe that it is a viable business choice and would find it very time consuming and financially ineffective.

On the other hand we could just ignore the critics who have judged our thoughts, our words, our beliefs, our colors, our graphics – basically our style. Criticism can leave us feeling defensive and add stressors. We may hoard our ideas and defend our online presence. We may have negative thoughts consuming our minds about those harsh critics. These thoughts consume energy and may cause us to cling to our defense mechanisms. So therefore nothing occurs.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to feel a certain way when someone judges us, but how you deal with the judgment is important to your business success. Judgment does not make something true or even false. It is a statement or an opinion about how someone experiences your web presence. If we always make choices for our business based on our feelings those decisions will destroy us. How you endure the criticism will determine the success of your online presence.

My recommendation about dealing with the criticism and the judgment is to view it as a tool to benefit your business. Listen and gather all comments. Find the common themes and trends. Capitalize and utilize the feedback that you are receiving. Tune up on your own listening skills. If you are a small business that does not have the budget to hire a marketing / advertising team, view the criticism as a free brainstorming session. It is important to remember that opinions are not facts; fear turns an opinion into fact. Initially for some people this tactic may be uncomfortable. That is okay, when we are outside our comfort zone that is when change can occur.

Once you find the common trends, you can proactively make adjustments to your online presence in a cost benefit and time effective manner. Your critics are teaching you how to appeal to them. This is an opportunity for you to turn them into your customers. View it as a blessing if someone provides you open and honest feedback. You may not attract all the business you desire on the first or second design of your website. Websites are an ongoing evolution of our businesses. Every adjustment you make let it marinate and see how the public reacts. Again capitalize on the feedback. Don’t let fear get in your way. When you arrive at the point where criticism is enjoyed and is viewed as a tool, you know you have overcome the fear of online judgment.

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