How much commitment does it really take?

If I had a dollar for every time someone asks me; how much commitment does establishing and managing a web presence take, I really wouldn’t be lusting over that newly released Lamborghini Spyder, I would be driving it.

It seems that the process of “getting a website” has apparently altered dramatically in the last 8-10 years.

Expectations have increased from “Can we have it tomorrow?” to “I wanted it yesterday…”, before they even take the time to let you know what business they actually work with, or what scope was including in this apparently completed project.

A simple analogy; building a website is like building a house; if the foundations are lousy (in this case, some seriously smart strategic planning and considerations of target audiences) then good luck selling it in the future (or living in for that matter!).

Admittedly, the development of advanced technologies including open source platforms (content management systems included) and the ability to “piggyback” off other already developed rich media (YouTube, Facebook etc) significantly reduces the development scope as opposed to recreating the wheel.

The most important issue I feel needs to be highlighted here is ongoing maintenance (and importantly budgetary considerations). Finally reaching that launch date (a true celebration in our office) and setting the beast into the wild does not mean that everyone can turn their backs on your beautiful looking web presence. you spent months planning and designing. Think Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, news updates, campaign materials… the list goes on!

I myself once significantly underestimated the input required to manage a fleeting web presence (it only had three pages…), and only ended up with disappointed users, hosting bills that did not surmount to a decent ROI and a truck load of abusive emails!

So today’s tip?

If you are going to setup a web presence;

• Be prepared to invest some serious time and money into it, because otherwise, you’ll end up with a burden, some unhappy customers and an endless financial black hole.