When Google started its invitation-only beta test of Gmail, the web went crazy clamoring for invites.  Some tried to sell them on eBay… others all but begged on message boards and chat forums for the sought-after invitations.  Eventually the service went public and became an instant success.

Huge storage capacities, AJAX functionality, and impressive ways of handling email made Gmail stand out in a growing crowd of web-based email services.  It's this "big stuff" that people usually focus on when they talk about Gmail says Mike Sego, Gmail Engineer.  But as he points out on the Official Google Blog, "it's the little things in Gmail" that really make it shine.

Sego has a good point.  What other web-based email service offers all of the little touches you can get with Gmail?  Threaded conversations… reply notifications… chat integration.  Others are working on similar features, but as of yet none have really implemented them in the same simple, straight-forward fashion that Google has.

By paying attention to "the little things", Google was able to set themselves apart from the competition.  All of those little things add up to one great big advantage.  Sometimes we have a tendency to forget the small stuff.  We focus on the big features, the big changes, and the big picture.

But what is a big picture if not a bunch of smaller images all put into one.  Think artistically for a moment.  If da Vinci had only paid attention to the Mona Lisa's mouth… and let the rest of her face go… would the painting still captivate us the way it does?  If Bob Ross didn't spend as much time on each "happy little tree" as he did on each "fluffy little cloud" would his paintings turn out as detailed and picturesque as they do?

To bring this all home, apply the same principles to your website.  What little changes can you make to create a better bigger picture?  What small, easy to implement feature can you add that would bring real value to your customers?  What can you do to set yourself apart from the competition?

Do what Google did.  Spend time researching and using the competition's website.  What are they offering that you're not?  And what are they not offering that you can?  Remember… think small.  When you pay attention to details, the bigger picture turns out much better.

Isn't it time you added a new "happy little tree" to your website?