Can your website change at the speed of business?
Making sure your website is easy to update is like greasing the skids at a boatyard: without sufficient lubricant, the boat you want to slide easily into the water will get hung up, and just sit there on dry land waiting for some superior force to push it down the skids. A website that is not easily serviceable is in a similar state. It sits there useless until someone can finally figure out how to update it to reflect the current state of business.
The need to continually update an active business website is a no-brainer. Every business owner knows, and every web developer will tell you, that keeping a site current is of utmost importance. By now it is well known that the more often a site is updated with new, quality content, the higher it will be ranked by search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. Despite this knowledge, however, a great many business websites stay virtually the same as the day they were launched for far too long; and those that do change are often updated long after their business has undergone significant changes. These sites never catch up to reality. Why? Oftentimes it’s because they are not easy to service.
If this describes your current website, there are a number of things you can do to make sure your site has a high serviceability rating.
Choose web development tools that are easy to understand and update.
Website Serviceability depends on how your site was developed in the first place. You should consider the long-term maintenance implications of the software or systems used to build or redesign your site prior to building or redesigning it. There are risks in using less well known and harder to manage development tools, and you should be aware of them.
If your site is relatively complex and was custom developed using raw HTML, XML or other development languages, chances are its content can only be managed and updated by the developers themselves or by IT pros who are familiar with the programming languages used. But what if the developer goes out of business or moves out of state? And what if your business can’t afford the luxury of a web dedicated IT professional in house?
A better choice is to choose a CMS (Content Management System) development tool anyone can use and anyone can maintain – especially if serviceability is your goal.
For example, WordPress is a program originally designed for blog creation and maintenance. In recent years, it has become the industry’s leading CMS and site building tool due to its robust content management capabilities, ease of use, depth, and flexibility. It requires that you already have a domain name and hosting service, but after that, designing and setting up a site is relatively easy. A WordPress-developed site can be easily updated in-house by virtually anyone, and it can be seamlessly tied to your CRM system for added user-oriented functionality.
If WordPress is not your CMS, what CMS is your developer using? Is it well known, easy to use? Does it support other popular business management programs? Use one or more of the following links to see how your CMS stacks up in comparison to others:
http://trends.builtwith.com/
http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all
http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_language/all
A dedicated maintenance team is critical to your site’s serviceability—and your success.
Website development is very project-focused. Website maintenance, on the other hand, is very task-focused. These are two different types of work flow and work management styles. Development is extremely creative, much like the vision that goes into new car design. This creative vision is the heart and value of what website development firms deliver.
Maintenance is much more technical and mechanical, with a much smaller, narrower focus. It requires a repetitiveness that is not usually a strong suit of creative firms. A company dedicated to maintenance—much like an auto repair shop—is focused on repetitive tasks day in and day out. Your site’s serviceability will be well served by a team whose primary focus is maintenance.
Enhancing user experience is your top priority.
The prime function of your website is not to serve you; it is to serve your customers (who in turn serve your business with its lifeblood – revenue). When people enjoy using your site, and derive value from it, its value to your company increases many fold. Conversely, when the information or functionality of your site is out of date, inaccurate or otherwise behind the times, users will be frustrated and, in all likelihood, will not return. It’s your responsibility to keep your site current in real time, so that it provides users a rewarding experience. This can only be accomplished if your site is easily serviceable.
Helping you do that is our top priority.
Parker Web Services specializes in fast, knowledgeable and affordable website maintenance services. It is vital to keep your website up to date and looking as professional as you are. With regular and ongoing website maintenance, your site functions as a source of client attraction, lead generation, increased revenue, and streamlined daily operations. Being able to service it should be the last thing you have to worry about. Our proactive approach stops website crashes, out-of-date applications, malware attacks, and anything else that slows down your business success on the internet.
Do you need help with optimizing your website serviceability? We’re here to help. Call 1-877-321-2251 or contact us online.
Parker Web prides itself on providing a top-notch website experience. Schedule a call today.