Managing Your Website
Even the smallest company can take advantage of
the Internet by having an attractive, professional-looking web presence.
In today's competitive market, a website presence
- whether modest or sophisticated - is a serious business tool that requires careful
planning. There are numerous website developers and hosting companies vying for your
business so a web presence can be found to fit any budget. A website is an opportunity to
provide value-added services to existing customers as well as attract new ones or it may
be a business operation in itself.
If your website is up and running, how is it
performing? Does it work how you want it to work? Can it be easily updated? Do you know
how many people are visiting your site?
Businesses that are just starting out or already
have an established web presence need to ensure their websites deliver the best exposure
possible for the dollar spent. Keep in mind that not only will a poorly managed website be
increasingly hard for users to navigate and take up valuable staff time, it could be
detrimental to your company's image and bottom line.
Choosing Your Website Provider
When you are ready to put your Web page up
on the Internet, you need a hosting service provider. These can range from free services
with few options up to expensive business hosting and even hosting that you run yourself.
The options you choose depend upon how you plan to use your website, how much you want to
spend, and how much time you want to spend maintaining your website.
Ask your friends, business associates and members
of local business groups if they can recommend companies or individuals that have proven
experience in website design and hosting. Choosing the right provider for your website
hosting will ensure that you have web solutions that are tailored specifically for your
business. These solutions can include technologies that make your website processes more
efficient, saving you money on operational expenses, enhancing sales and customer
management options and providing affordable marketing services.
Select a website provider that will work with you
to ensure continuous high quality development, performance and accessibility. Let's face
it, your expertise is in running your business, not worrying about whether the website is
going to work today and be inaccessible the next.
Cost is always a major consideration when
developing a marketing program. Many providers offer a number of plans to suit various
needs and budgets. Understanding the services that are provided and the cost of each will
help you determine whether additional services are worth the investment. Typically, you
will pay once a month for space and services.
Make sure the provider has a data backup plan and
redundant servers to ensure that your website remains up and running. You should also make
sure they can provide you with log reports so you can check for broken links.
If your site includes e-commerce, you will need to
ensure customers can transact securely online. For example, you may decide to set up an
online credit card processing payment gateway and an Internet merchant account to securely
accept credit cards online.
Impatience is the hallmark of anyone that uses a
computer and those that use the Internet are no exception. Speed of access regardless of
the browsers used is another consideration when choosing a provider. Further, increases in
user volume should not slow the visitor's access to your site.
Keeping Your Website Up-to-date
To keep visitors returning to your website, you
need to update your content frequently. For this reason, maintaining your website is an
important consideration. You may wish to find a provider that can build, host and manage
everything for you. However, if your budget is tight and you have some technical ability,
the provider may be able to recommend a standard template that will allow you to make
minor design and content changes. This will definitely reduce the cost of keeping your
site up-to-date.
The basics of updating a website include the
ability to:
• Create
and edit pages;
• Create
new sections on the site;
• Add
images to pages;
• Create
links within a page;
• Create
and update navigation tools;
• Maintain
the overall design of the site; and
• Fix
broken links.
Ask your provider about the support services they
can provide and the related costs, to help you resolve problems and keep your site up and
running.
Consulting Services
If your technical knowledge is limited, consider
contracting an Internet consultant's services. A consultant can help you throughout the
entire process of designing a website and selecting a provider that will best meet your
needs and your budget.
Careful Planning Pays Off
Carefully planning your web presence, choosing the
right provider and managing your website on an ongoing basis can add up to a real payback
in increased sales, easier and less expensive modification costs and reduced frustration.
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