Website Horror Stories - part 1
Filed Under Web Developer
“A business without a website is like a house without a door. Whether customers, suppliers, or partners, people expect to learn about you through your website. And if you don’t have a website, then they’ll probably look elsewhere …” PC Magazine May 23, 2000.
As a web developer working in the area, I am often approached by businesses and individuals who have spent hundreds of dollars for a website and the result has been anything but adequate. The success of the Internet has made it easy for unqualified individuals to market their services and dupe clients into giving them their business.
Unfortunately, an inadequate web site can have a detrimental effect on business, resulting in wasted dollars and lost revenue. Clients who need a website often don’t know what questions to ask when evaluating a developer.
In this series, I will share some of the problems businesses have encountered and how others can protect themselves from getting into similar situations.
Whose Website Is It Anyway?
A few years ago, I stumbled upon the website of a local Mennonite owned business. I was surprised that they had a website and mentioned seeing it when I next visited the store. Much to my surprise, the owner had never even seen the website. It was a “package deal” he received with some type of advertising or associated membership. Along with creating a website for the business without the owner’s input, the developing firm registered and owned the domain name. This resulted in three major problems for the company.
- They had no control over the design and content included on their website.
- They had no way to update the pages when information changed.
- They could only use their domain (website address) with this developer because he owned it.
A similar situation occurred when a local restaurant was approached by a developer who wanted to create a website on their behalf. After repeated pushy sales tactics, the owner finally agreed verbally. The company did the work and promptly billed the restaurant for the website. However, the owner had never seen or approved the website as promised, and refused to pay for it. This resulted in attempts to collect payment including late notices and eventually the unpaid bill was placed with a collections agency. After a long battle, the developer finally gave up.
Who Is In Control?
A small local business owner worked with a local web designer to create a website. The website was perfect for her business and she was happy with the design. Although she loved her website, there was a still a problem. She wanted to be able to update the site herself and had made this clear from the beginning. The web designer failed to follow through on that request, charging the client for every update as well as a monthly fee for maintaining the site. The owner came to me asking for help. We added a Content Management System so the owner could update the site.
Does Your Site Adhere to Web Standards
The owner was not aware of two additional problems with the website.
- The site was not compliant with current web standards, and
- it was not “search engine friendly.”
Developers who create sites that lack these two important elements are usually more concerned with the visual appearance of a website. A good developer will find a balance between the visual design and functionality.
Web standards, which are approved by the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3), are important for increasing potential web traffic, creating a faster website, and improving search engine rankings. It makes good business sense and it’s the right thing to do. Search engine friendly websites are created with search engine optimization in mind. Good developers are aware of how search engines work and create content and designs that allow the business to be indexed by web crawlers used by Google and other search engines.
In addition to adding content management to the website, we replaced the table design with an XHTML/CSS based design that adheres to web standards.
… to be continued …
This article was published in the January issue of the Central PA Chamber’s newsletter, “The Chamber Report.”