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The Right Webmaster: It’s
Critical to your success and profitablity!
by: Patrick Wagner
Some of us resent it; others deny it. Whether we like it
or not, appearance counts. It counts a lot.
We may like to think that the unattractive, poorly dressed
person who speaks without eloquence commands as much attention
as his attractive competitor, but if we’re honest
with ourselves -- and believe scores of studies
-- this simply isn’t the case. The unattractive candidate
may offer the secret to immortality or next week’s
lotto numbers, but the vast majority of the population doesn’t
listen to him. They’re too enthralled by a well-packaged
(though not gaudy) messenger-- regardless
of the message.
Yes, regardless of the message.
This is true of everything from courtship rituals to job
interviews to web sites. Same principle. Same truth.
Choosing the right webmaster to design your web site is
crucial to your business’ success; its importance
cannot be overstated.
Just as you wouldn’t pay a six year old with safety
scissors to cut your hair before going on a date or a job
interview, you can’t rely on an amateur to design
your web page. Your web site is your storefront, the face
you present to the world -- literally --
to entice prospective clients. Your product or service may
be the best thing to enhance thousands of people’s
lives. But if no one pays attention to your package, your
message will never be delivered. Your web site will either
be inviting enough to generate ongoing sales and leads,
or it will sit relatively ignored in cyberspace with your
message trapped unseen.
The outcome here, like so much in life, is under your control.
Choose the right webmaster. Approach this as the critical
task that it is. Do your legwork.
Get references!
You must hire the right person or company for the job,
so of course, check references. Experience counts here.
This is too big a deal to go with an unknown. If you want
to save money or give someone a break, choose a task that
doesn’t have so much riding on it; let the nice kid
next door cut your lawn -- but not design your web
site!
Look carefully at samples of the designer’s previous
work. Be wary of too much make-up. Sites that are too flashy
and intensely graphic may be momentarily attractive, but
blinking logos and the like wear thin quickly. After a few
moments, it’s irritating, not enticing.
Look at the work of the designer you’re considering
from the point of view of a prospective client: Does it
load quickly? Is it appealing but not "cheesy"?
Is it easy to navigate? Would YOU pursue
the product or service promoted by that site?
Even if you’re not interested in that product or
service, contact the site’s owner to ask a couple
of questions regarding the service he received (and
continues to receive, since your relationship with your
designer will probably be ongoing as changes and adjustments
are made). Most owners are happy to take a couple
of moments to help each other out in this way. Wouldn’t
you be?
Besides seeing the person’s work, be sure to ask
about his commitment to the task. Find out if you’re
dealing with a whiz-kid who, as good as a designer he is,
won’t be available to help or support you during finals
or European backpacking expeditions. Anyone who designs
as a hobby might be good at the initial task, but in the
long run, you may simply be part of his hobby, and prioritized
as such. If you find yourself in a position that you have
a problem you need addressed, your webmaster has to be available
-- fast! Be absolutely sure the designer
knows that you expect an ongoing relationship. Good service
after the sale -- whether it’s to address
problems or make additions or adjustments -- is
crucial. You’re looking for someone who sells Porches
and loves Porches and wants to be sure that Porsche runs
beautifully for YOU, the client. After
all, your first and most crucial decision before becoming
someone who seeks clients is to act in the capacity of one
-- an intelligent one -- yourself. Make
your expectations clear. Ask other site owners if these
needs are regularly met!
Let’s not forget who this web site is going to be
about YOU. Your needs, your product or
service. People are a lot like web sites in this regard.
Beware the "Al Franken" sales pitch. (Remember
that narcissistic moron from Saturday Night Live?)
A designer who spends most of his time telling you what
HE (Al Franken) can do,
is missing the point. This pathetic (and dangerous)
attempt at self-flattery should fail for him, as it will
fail for you when you design your page and try to attract
prospective clients. Anyone too intent on overly impressing
you with what HE can do doesn’t have
a clear sense of focus and will probably design a web site
with an ineffective focus.
Your webmaster works for YOU. His attention
and focus should be on what YOU need and
what YOU’RE trying to accomplish.
Don’t get sold a prefab, prototype-style site since
that says more about what he’s good at than what you’re
good at. The secret here is to know what purpose you want
your web site to achieve and communicate this clearly to
your designer. What exactly are you trying to sell? A product?
A service? Is lead generation a high priority or do you
hope more for sales generated directly from the site? Your
webmaster should approach your page design differently depending
on these -- your -- priorities.
So it only follows to be wary of excessive techno-babble.
Like the doctor who speaks only medi-jargon to impress you
rather than English to enlighten you, too many webmasters
think they’re impressive by spewing a never ending
stream of database-mainframe-web board-moving video-streaming
audio babble. These people talk a lot more than they listen,
and are more likely to design you some flashy page that
may crash the browser of prospective clients whenever they
try to access your site. If your prospective webmaster doesn’t
immediately try to get a sense of what YOU
need and what YOU want to accomplish, don’t
even bother talking turkey with him.
What your webmaster does need, is a good sense of the "big
picture". If the person or company you’re
considering can’t converse intelligently with you
about your web site’s role in your business, move
on. You need someone who has a good sense of how to use
the site as a marketing tool, not how your site works as
a tool to feed his ego -- or his wallet.
The last topic of conversation should be money. There’s
no point in wasting your breath on it until you figure out
whether you like what’s offered. Once you decide that,
only then should cost become an issue. And it’s a confusing
issue. Since there is no regulation of webmasters, they can
charge a little or a lot, by the page or the hour. You’ll
find one who charges ten times the other, from forty to four
hundred dollars an hour.
What’s up with that?
The bottom line is this: once you have been satisfied on
the other crucial issues, your field will have been considerably
narrowed. Any prospective webmasters who make it this far
through your "interview process" will narrow
the price range for you.
Generally speaking, however, you shouldn’t pay much
more than $250 per page for a fully equipped
site that is completely navigable and has eye-catching fonts
and graphics. Nor should you expect to get satisfaction
for less than a hundred dollars. Remember the rule about
anything too good to be true... (If you haven’t
learned this already, that’s a rule for a very good
reason. You’re wise to remember it regardless of which
end of the client/seller relationship you find yourself
on.)
Again, when you’re shopping for a webmaster, remember
that you’re the client. Thinking like an intelligent
client will make you more effective in two ways: first,
it will provide you with an attractive, workable image to
present to the world -- your site ; second,
it will help you understand how a prospective client thinks,
which will better prepare you for effectively servicing
your own clients (which you will, in fact, have
if you have played your role as client well).
Following these leads will provide you to the best possible
start to a profit-making web site. Don’t follow them,
and you may as well send out your resume on crumpled paper
written in purple crayon; then stop showering, put on yesterday’s
laundry and head out for that job interview without brushing
your teeth. You may well be the best candidate for the job,
but I don’t like your chances. I bet someone else
shows up who looks put-together and speaks well. Your interviewer
may well be able to see that you’re the one for the
job despite appearances, but chances are, he’s only
human. So is everyone who’ll be surfing around on
the web. Be sure you provide a site that gets the job.
Or at least gets an interview.
Sincerely,
Patrick Wagner
Webmaster - http://www.ezinelisting.com
mailto:[email protected]
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