Top reason that websites fail and what you can do to prevent it!

Hi, I’m Mark Steinbrueck with OurChurch.Com.  Yes, that’s me on the right.  Throughout my 18 years that I have been helping people with websites, I found that most people and organizations want to have a great website.

You may be thinking, “Yeah, Mark.  That seems pretty obvious.  What’s your point?”

Well, wanting a great website may seem fantastic, however, it is also the reason that many websites fail.  Stick with me for a minute while I explain what I mean.

Wanting a great website is a fantastic idea, however, defining what a great website is, is the place where most people fail.

Many folks base their definition of a great website by other websites they see.  They love the design, graphics, ease of navigation, features, and content that they see in other sites.  But what are these other great websites doing to make their site so appealing?

What many people don’t know is how much time and effort it takes to keep a website up to date and looking great.  They don’t realize that the website they like so much is being run by a team of content writers and designers spending 20-30 hours a week.  So, am I saying that unless you have a staff fully dedicated to updating your website that you will have a bad website?  No!

How do you have a great website with a small budget or limited amount of time or budget?

1. Create a webteam:  Get 2-3 people responsible for updating the content of the website.  Try getting volunteers if needed.  You may only need a hour or two of their time a week.  This is ideal, however, even if it is just you doing the updates, you can have a successful website.  Keep reading.
2. Set realistic expectations:  This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is where so many folks miss the boat.  Let me give an example of how to do this.  We are about to launch a new website for a wonderful woman in Arizona who has her own business.  She currently works another full time job but is extremely motivated to do what needs to be done to get her website up and running.  She also understands that because she works another job, at first she won’t be able to do some of the things that she wants with her website.  So for the launch of her site, she is not including a blog or eNewsletter because she won’t have time to keep them up to date.  As a result, she won’t feel stressed about updating those.  In addition, her visitors will also not be disappointed from signing up for a blog or newsletter that isn’t kept up to date.
3. Create a schedule:  Once you know how often you want to update your website, create a schedule and put deadlines in place to make the updates.  Add the deadlines to your calendar and don’t let other things prevent you from making those deadlines.  It may take some discipline but you and your visitors will be glad that you did.

What do you think about the ideas above?