It's a given that the advice given to most organizations, government entities, and businesses is that they must have a website. It's true. Especially during the pandemic of Covid-19, the Internet has become almost the defacto way to shop and find information.
Build it; Check it Off The To-Do List
You probably can find someone to build a "Welcome to My Site" website, put a welcoming statement up front, tell a little about yourself and your organization, and invite people to stop by and see you. How did you mess up when nothing changes for your organization or business?
You didn't have expectations for the website to be more than a welcoming place. Visitors gave a quick look at the site, saw there was little there to benefit them, and moved on before they even read your welcoming statement.
Build it: Take Pride in Doing it Much Cheaper Than Other Folks
Chance are that either you or someone close by has enough Internet savy to find a free or low cost template or web development tool to put a website together. It's a lot cheaper than paying a professional to do the job. How did you mess up when you don't see results?
You knew what you wanted the website to say. You didn't really understand what your visitor wanted, or you didn't know how to put that information together in a way that worked for your visitors. Websites are about information management as a core function of your organization. That's why you need a professional to discover what you really need.
Build it; Add Great Content; Let it Sit
Let's hope you found a good developer who asked all the right questions about your expecttions and goals. You provided good content for the developer to publish and patted yourself on the back for creating a brilliant website. You had some initial feedback, but the website's traffic never grew, and feedback dropped off. How did you mess up after such a great start?
Your website became stale. You sliced off a chunk of information and put it online and expect it to "catch a lot of fish." If you go fishing, you do have to refresh the worm on your hook occasionally.
Let a Pro Build it; Trust That They Will Do it Right
You scouted around and found a developer who, by all reports, knows the business. They have a great portfolio. It makes sense to let they do their job while you do yours. The finished product looks good, but results are not forthcoming. How did you mess up?
Building a website requires a partnership between the owner and developer. A website requires a change in your business plan where you assume a slightly different role than before. It's your website; you own it; you have to use it to grow and promote your business. Even the best consultant can't run your business, and your website is a critical part of your business. You must either contract with the developer to help you keep it current or let the developer teach you how to keep your website current. If you want the search engines to take you seriously, you need to let the professional developer get you on the path to
- Be an authoritative source of information
- Keep your content fresh with frequent updates--maybe weekly?
- Market your business via your website
- Be good enough that related, high quality businesses will link to your website.