Website Horror Stories – Part 2
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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. This article continues the series and shares additional problems local business owners have encountered with their websites.
Aren’t Redesigns Supposed to Improve a Website?
Two years ago, Chamber staff wanted to redesign the outdated website and selected an Information Technology (IT) student from a local 2 year college to do the job. He assured them that he could handle the task and went to work rebuilding the website. Unfortunately, IT professionals and IT students, while awesome at fixing computers and network problems, are not usually skilled in design and lack the required knowledge to create a professional website. It was soon apparent that the student had gotten in over his head and the redesign was a complete disaster.
The new site created a bad first impression. The color scheme (black background with red highlights) was unappealing and lacked professionalism. Download time was very slow due to large oversized images. In addition, the images were distorted and poor quality. The site navigation overlapped content in some browsers. It was a great example of what NOT to do when redesigning and building a professional website.
Does the Designer Have the Necessary Skills To Do the Job?
I received a telephone call from a family friend’s sister, who needed help with her website. She had selected and purchased a Flash template design. She had a designer work on the site, assuring her she could do the job. She loved the website and everything was great … well, almost.
When the site was almost done, the developer quit working on it. Repeated attempts to reach her went unanswered and six months later the image gallery still boasted the original images that came with the design instead of the owner’s content. After many phone calls to try to resolve the problem, the developer quit answering and never returned calls when messages were left. An added problem in the owner’s eyes was the fact that the former developer never shared the search engine limitations that came with Flash content.
While Flash is cool and can provide lots of robust animation, it is not search engine friendly. A good developer will inform the client of the limitations of technology, recommend alternatives let the site owner decide whether or not that technology is appropriate for their needs.
Using the same visual look, the site was redesigned using XHTML and CSS with a bit of Flash for some components of the site.
What about Backups?
A local company had a website created by a young friend of a friend. The site was online and they were happy with it. After a few years, the hosting company had a server failure and the content on the site was lost. For most designers, that’s not a major issue as backups should be a normal part of the routine. However, no one had a back up of the information on this website. The young friend of the friend had grown up and moved away and the information on the website was gone.
There is nothing wrong with getting help from creative young people. It provides real world experience and helps you financially if your budget is limited. However, you should request copies of the website content and images used in building the site. And if you like the design, you should request a copy of the complete website on a CD that can easily be re-installed if data is lost as was the case with the company in question.
What Happens if your Webmaster Goes Missing, Moves Away or Dies?
Life happens. Changes occur. Are you prepared if something goes wrong? While not the most pleasant thing to consider, companies should have contingencies in place for problems that can arise due to life changes or difficult circumstances. This is especially true if you are working with a lone professional rather than a design firm.
If your web designer is no longer able to work for you, what will happen to your website? Do you have access to your website’s control panel and do you have the settings required to transition the site into the hands of the next web professional? Do you have login information and required passwords for program scripts and other website features? Do you have copies of the original working files? If not, can you get them?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, why not ask your designer? And while you’re at it, ask him (or her) what happens if you decide to take your business elsewhere? A professional should be willing to assist you in transitioning the site to another firm if you choose to do so.
… to be continued …
Next month, I will share some tips in choosing a web developer.
This article was published in the February issue of the Central PA Chamber’s newsletter, “The Chamber Report.”