Is Your Web Site Making Money? If NOT You NEED Sterling Web Management!

After many years of developing new web sites and maintaining existing ones, we can make a few educated guesses. Most company web sites that under-perform usually fall into one of three development scenarios:

The Full Monty
This is when a company really goes for it! An in-house project team is set up. Expensive graphic designers, copywriters and web developers are hired. The advertising budget is squeezed until it squeaks. Finally a magnificent web site is published containing fresh new information presented in a professional and business like manner. The project team is then broken up, they have other work to complete that was neglected during the development phase.

After a few months the expected deluge of enquiries, leads and sales failed to materialise. The web design company had been so clever writing the page code, only they can update the pages and they don't seem to charge less than £250 a time, even minor updates require some form of asset finance! 

A decision was made not to throw more good money after bad and the web site was left to stagnate.

The Free Business Card
This is when a company decides to take a tentative step onto the Information Super Highway and publish something about their products and services on the Internet. They use an off-the-shelf solution from a cheap and cheerful web design company and use the images and text from the company sales brochure for content. Basic contact details are provided and the site is published to www.homepages.free-example.net/~companyname

Everyone sits back waiting for the orders to roll in.

However, all to often a 404 Page Not Found error pops up and potential clients go elsewhere!

After a few months and a couple of leads from the web site, a decision is made to upgrade the web site with more pages, better graphic design, order forms and some offline and online promotion. 

It was then realised that all the company letterheads, business cards and publicity material had the old web address printed on it! 

The cheap and cheerful web design company suddenly became expensive when they tried to register their domain name www.companyname.co.uk. 

A decision was then made to 'wait and see' if more leads come from the existing web site. When they don't, the site is left to stagnate.

The DIY or In-house Web Job
This is when an employee, relative or friend decides to build the company web site using their newly learnt HTML skills.

The project starts off with boundless enthusiasm and energy but after many long nights spent debugging code and redesigning, the grand concept is cutback to 5 or 6 pages with lots, and lots, of free animated graphics. 

Although the pink background and orange text may not have been "exactly" the corporate colours and the animated GIF of a busty blonde slowly taking her top off may not be the exact image the company wished to project, the site builder liked them, so they stayed! 

The site is published and posted to the search engines. Everybody secretly thinks the site builder is a harmless anorak and lets things go ahead.

After a few months the sales manager notices that some of the company's top clients are reducing there orders or moving to the competition. Then finally one morning the last remaining big client rings up to close their account. Enquiring why, the sales manager finds out that the competitors have set up an online secure ordering system just for the top client, saving them time and money. Of course the competitor had also trained up the top client's staff free of charge, just to make sure they used it ALL the time. Before hanging up for the final time the top client commented; "Liked the busty blonde on your web site but could not find a product list or order form!"

The s*** hits the fan!!

An urgent "Full Monty" (see above) was ordered. However, it was far to late. The company never regained the lost clients and closed 6 months later owing many thousands of pounds.

Summary
Many of you reading this may be smiling right now... but if your web site is not making money some of the reasons why will be found above.

• Initial development over or under spending

• No budget planning for future development

• Adding extra workload to employees' existing duties

• Unclear plan of action and allocation of responsibilities

• Failure to keep up with emerging technology

• Lack of interest and determination to stick to the old ways

• A 'Who cares what the competition are doing?' mentality