Marketing, Design, & Web Development

What Type of Web Mechanic Are You?

• Owner #1: Do you like to tear down the engine and rebuild it instead of doing a standard tune-up?
• Owner #2: Are you a tinkerer
• Owner #3: Do you know enough to keep up with standard maintenance, or do you just want to turn the key and know that it works?

A lot like maintaining your car, your level of comfort with the mechanics of your web site is very similar. Owner #1. There are some of you out there who are just happier tearing your web site down and starting over. That is great! Unfortunately many of us, including me, are far from being able to even dream of doing that. If you do this as a hobby, I also think that you should consider web development as a career choice. Good developers are hard to find. Just like with cars, the owner who can tear down the engine and rebuild it is a small group, a very elite group. Owner #2. Then there are the tinkerers. You know who you are. You are very comfortable with doing your own basic maintenance. You make your own text edits and update your graphics and links, however, you leave the heavy duty construction and major overhauls to the professionals. I think a much larger group fall into this category. This is a great benefit to the performance of your web site (car) if you are disciplined enough to make regular updates. Your tinkering brings fresh content to your site and drives you up in the search rankings. It also provides new reasons for your visitors to stop and stay for a while, which is exactly what you want. You maintain peak performance. Owner #3. Here you have the rest of us (this might be the largest of the three groups.) I don't know about you, but when I type my URL in the browser I expect to instantaneously view my web site, complete with updates. Now, I have no idea how to write the code for a site, or make updates, but I do want my site to be killer. Just like owning a car, you don't have to know anything about building it or what goes on under the hood. What you do need to know is when to take your vehicle in for maintenance and you need a good mechanic. Same thing with your web site. You need to have a developer you can trust to keep your site updated and repaired if necessary, and you also need to take the initiative to provide your developer with fresh content on a regular basis. Think of your site content like fuel for your engine. If you don't fill up regularly the site is just not going to run and the least you can do is give it an oil change regularly buy adding some new content even if you don't add pages or features. Bottom line is, even if you are a web site Owner #3 you have to be involved. Next in the series: Your Web Site Is Like a Car – Buying Options. And Do I Really Want a Trailer? How to make your web site work for you.

Your web site is like a car in many ways. Let’s start with the fact that just like you need wheels to get around, you can’t really get around the business world today without a web site.

If you have a web site to upgrade or if you are considering launching your first web site, just like purchasing a car, you need to shop around. The one basic axiom to remember is, “You get what you pay for” and like purchasing a car, you can either buy or lease your new site.

Here are some tips for what I refer to as leasing. When you see a great deal for “Just $99.00 for Your Web Site”, this is a situation, where in addition to the $99, you will most likely be paying a monthly fee and “caution” you may have some heavy restrictions on how much you can expand your site in the future. In addition, if you choose to leave the web development company that has sold you this contract you will walk away with nothing, much like a car lease. Now, I am not saying this is a bad option for getting your Internet feet wet, just be aware of what you are buying. Ask a lot of questions! For example, if you are a regional sales representative you may not want to get into a car lease that will restrict your mileage. The same holds true if you have a very aggressive plan for starting and building your web presence this type of “leasing” situation is probably not for you.

So, let’s say you decided to buy! Still ask a lot of questions and interview your web designer and developer well. Before you select a firm be sure to look at web sites they have completed. Ask about their web development process – do they have procedures in place that will ensure that your site is completed in a timely manner and is compliant with current web standards.

Yes, you will probably suffer from sticker shock but remember, your web site is an investment and an asset to your company. Here is the big difference, unlike a car that depreciates, your web site will continue to gain in value to your customers and your staff as you develop it’s content and functionality. So, word to the wise, don’t cheap out, rather adopt a strategic plan. If you find a web developer that instills confidence in you and the chemistry works [yes, this is very important] then work out a plan. If the initial cost to build “the site of your dreams” just takes your breath away then build the site in phases. Start with your basic web site and set a plan for the development and launch of the subsequent areas of your site in the future.

One important thing to keep in mind is remember to take plenty of time on the front end planning for where you want to be five years from now with special emphasis on a flexible navigation system and a strategic plan that will improve your web presence each time you launch a new phase.

Find out in my next post “Keeping Your Site on the Internet – Don’t Get Derailed by Poor Record Keeping”