What Hinders you from getting & managing your own website?

[Business Attorney]

I've seen this reaction so many times, and it often combines with what Vangogh was saying about being unwilling to spend money to build a good site rather than just a site. People think putting anything up on the Internet will bring in revenue, so they put up some inexpensive site that doesn't work well and then expect to be able to rake in profits. It doesn't work that way, but a lot of people don't understand that.

There is an art to building a good web site and it takes a lot of thought and effort. You can't just throw any old thing up online and expect that you will be successful.

"... it takes a lot of thought and effort" is the key, not necessarily the cost put into the website. My prior law firm spent a lot of money on a website that, from a visual standpoint, is great. Some of the partners expected "results" and don't see tangible results. The type of website they have may help cement an engagement from a potential client who needs assurance that he is making a good selection, but it is simply like every other law firm's website. Their website is unlikely to ever trigger a call from a prospective client, so if those are the results some partners expect, they are likely to feel like the website is an expensive failure.

I created a very small website for myself which I wrote in a way that I felt would trigger calls from small businesses with legal needs. It is not my brochure-style site (I do have one of those for my firm, too). It has a very specific purpose. And it gets me more calls in a week than my old firm probably gets off its site in a year. But that is the purpose of my site, and if it didn't generate leads from potential clients, there would be no point in having it.

[vangogh]

David you're right that cost doesn't necessarily equal quality. What I see people doing though is assuming that a couple hundred dollars gets them a site that brings in thousand, even millions. Believe it or not I have actually seen people who thought a $200 investment could return a few million.

Your website is going to take time, effort, and money to perform well. If you want it to cost less then you need to learn how to do some or much of the work. In your case you were willing to do that work. Most people aren't.

I think people also still view the web as build it and they will come and that stopped being true a long time ago. Building your site is only the first step. You still need to market it and update it, etc.

One other thought is that plenty of people are still less than tech savvy. Many of those people don't want to be bothered with learning about running a website, but at the same time aren't willing to pay someone else to.

And again spending more money doesn't automatically mean you're getting better quality. But if you want someone else to do the work you are going to have to spend above a minimum. If you want quality you need to do your homework when hiring.

[Business Attorney]

It's not just that cost doesn't necessarily equal quality, but also that "quality" doesn't necessarily mean just an attractive look-and-feel to the site.

A website can have a great graphic design but fail miserably in meeting the site owner's goals.

Landing pages for ebooks are a good example. The text runs on and on, is very repetitive, and you have to scroll forever. The typeface is often fairly plain and the graphics amateurish. But the formula appears to be tried-and-true. If a graphic designer came in and did a nice looking site with pages broken down in manageable chucks, navigation sidebars, etc... would anyone reach the point of sale?

Why do many small business websites fail to achieve desired results? I can see several reasons:
1. The business owner doesn't know what he wants
2. The business owner doesn't communicate his goals to his designer
3. The business owner has unrealistic goals for his website
4. The website designer fails to create a website that is capable of achieving the business owner's goals

In many cases, I suspect it is a combination of two or more reasons, and that both the designer and the business owner share some of the blame. Even if the reasons are the one's listed as 1 through 3, I would think that a good designer would try to guide the business owner on those points. Since there are many fine website professionals in this forum, you can correct me if I am wrong about how you see your role, but I suspect you may steer your clients more than even you realize.

I have met some so-called website designers who have a great sense of graphic design but are just as clueless about what makes a website successful as the typical small business owner. The end result is a very pretty website that completely misses the mark.

I am not advocating ugly sites, I'm just saying that the reason for failure, like beauty, is probably is more than skin deep.

[vangogh]

Oh I completely agree. I didn't do a great job, but I was trying to say that above. A website is much more than the way it looks. Not all designers realize that, but even less clients seem to realize it.

My point was that it takes many things to have a successful website. Now in all fairness to web designers they aren't responsible for doing all those things. A web designer should understand marketing for example, but shouldn't be expected to market your site for you.

Where I think business owners often go wrong is thinking that all they need to do is get in touch with a web designer and let them build a site and then be done with it. Business owners do need to choose the right designer for them and they do need to take responsibility for the hire. If you go out and choose a designer who's all flash and graphics, but who knows nothing about marketing or how to actually develop a website is it the designer's fault or your fault? A little of both maybe?

You ask an interesting question about the designer's role. Personally I think part of my job is to offer suggestions for how to make the site successful. I'll defend my choices and I've had the occasional heated debate about those choices. In some cases I'll refuse to work on a site if I think the client is asking for something completely unreasonable.

However I also think it's the client's site and not mine. I'm smart enough to know I don't know everything. In the end the client gets to make the final decision about the site. The decision where I get the final say is in the choice to take on the project or not.

I think a successful site is a collaboration between a variety of people. Web designer, developer, marketer, copywriter, business owner. One person may of course fill several of the previous roles, though here again I'll bring back cost to a degree. I can design, develop, market, and write content for a site. But you do have to pay me to do each if you want me to do all of the above. If you'd rather have several people do each of the above then you also have to be willing to pay for each. You can't pay someone to design a site and also expect that same person to write your content or spend their time marketing the site, unless of course you also pay for those services.

[Dan Furman]

I've generally found the people with the biggest resistance to websites usually fit a profile:

• They were in business, or at least working adults, before the web became what it is.
  
• They really don't know computers/internet all that well. My test is FTP - if you don't know/can't use FTP, then you don't know computers/internet all that well (nothing wrong with this, mind you.)

These people are resistant because they are somewhat dismayed that they need to pay for this thing that they never needed before, and they may even be a bit put off that they are continually told they have to join in this whole computer thing. Plus, they probably feel like they are getting exploited (and many times they are.)

There may not be an easy answer. I know a ton of tradespeople, guys in their mid 40's / 50's, and they will go to the end without a website... they are almost "computer-hostile".

[vangogh]

Interesting. I'm not sure I'd use FTP as the benchmark or web savviness, but there does seem to be a demarcation line of sorts where some people embrace the web for their business and others don't. And I agree it has a lot to do with the web savviness of the business owner.

they probably feel like they are getting exploited

That ties in perfectly with an individual's web savviness. The less you know about something the easier it is to exploit you in regards to that something. It's why I always suggest people spend some time researching any topic where they plan on hiring someone to do the work. Before getting a website take a couple weeks to read up on web design and even web development. Spend some time learning the basics of marketing and seo. You don't have to become an expert, but even a little knowledge greatly reduces the chances of being exploited.

[eborg9]

... they are almost "computer-hostile".

Yes ! I know plenty of people like this and it's one of the reasons I got out of the service side of this business...I don't even bring it up to people anymore, even when I know they are making mistakes with their web presence....they are resistant to even talk about it.

[vangogh]

they are resistant to even talk about it.

I've definitely noticed that in some people. Generally they won't be contacting me about a site, but some people actually do, because they've been told they need a site. Usually I don't end up working with them.