Visual Concepts Inc.

Why do so many mid-size businesses believe that they can manage their website’s maintenance and content? I believe it’s because the management team does not fully grasp how quickly the internet is evolving and how important the overall design is in today’s internet world. It seems like the concept of a company designing a website and then turing it over to a couple of inside employees is like starting a race car and putting me in the seat to drive it. I might be able to get it in gear and drive about eighty miles an hour and if I’m lucky I won’t wreck the very valuable car. The design and function of the corporate website needs to be left to professionals, there is no real cost savings in having the work done by an inside employee. Usually the inside corporate person has many other tasks already assigned to them. The result is that the “updating” usually has to take a back seat to other functions. This results in a snowball effect and then before you know it the website has lost it’s “freshness”. When this happens others within the corporation begin to regard the website as not relevant.

Corporate decision makers must understand that the web must have its own devoted maintenance budget and agreement with an outside company that can deliver an effective website with monthly updates. Businesses must reallocate money from their marketing budgets to cover the costs. There is no communications tool more vital than the web. It has truly made the world flat. If the decision makers believe that having some pages with text and photos is all they need for a website they will be missing an opportunity. A website can be so much more than an online brochure. Prospective clients, customers, and existing users should be engaged and intrigued by the way your product or message is conveyed. This is another reason why having an inside staff person make changes to an outside design is so dangerous. A member of the staff with a profound understanding of the company’s product is well equipped to oversee a web project and maintenance handled by an outside vendor. Inside staff is often able to think more globally when not concerned with the actual implementation of their ideas.

My advice to those mid-size to large companies that don’t have a web team inside: Go out and evaluate the companies that can build, or re-build your site. Don’t stop there; make sure you negotiate a web maintenance contract! If you do your homework, you’ll have a quality site that stays current and keeps its design integrity! You’ll also have a couple of internal employees who are happy you did, and hopefully, a lot of new customers!

Ric Serrenho