Should We Leave It to the Professionals?

Last week, I listened to my favorite jazz station and heard an advertisement for a web design company. Curious about the competition, I visited their website and did some “snooping.” It raised the question: Should We Leave it to the Professionals?

A Statement That Hit Home

I noticed one statement on their site that fit this week’s education theme. It said, “Leave it to the Professionals.”

Well Isn’t That Good Advice?

Yes, but in this case, the company implied clients should sit back and let professionals build and manage their websites. (Picture the client on a beach sipping a Pina Colada while sales roll in.) This philosophy is the exact opposite of ours. We need clients involved. The more knowledge and involvement a client has, the better their website performs.

But Wouldn’t That Be Money Well Spent?

In Web 1.0, some clients did want a “hands-off” relationship. They hired professionals, expected results, and paid about $75.00 a month. But real success required deep knowledge of the client’s business, not just during design but also during website management. Effective management demanded daily involvement.

So That May Explain the Missing “Webmaster” to Some Extent?

Everyone has heard the “Webmaster was supposed to be doing this” story.
You can almost hear the client say, “That lazy good-for-nothing webmaster was supposed to update our site and drive sales. We launched months ago, and nothing changed. I can’t even get him on the phone!”

The Flawed Game Plan

In these cases, the client rarely communicated with the webmaster. The webmaster didn’t know the marketing plan and barely understood the client’s business. Naturally, updates were rare. The webmaster often didn’t know what to update. Proactive communication could have helped, but as the slogan said, “Leave it to the professionals”…

A Successful Website Is ALWAYS a Team Effort

A successful website always results from teamwork between the web design company, the hosting company, and the client. While teamwork usually shines during web design projects, those only last 30–60 days for small businesses. Long-term success depends on managing the website and its content afterward.

The Rise of Content Management Systems

Content management systems have empowered clients to manage their own content. But they still need guidance, direction, coaching, and support. In Web 1.0, gaps existed between webmasters’ skills and clients’ assumptions. In Web 2.0, the bigger gap is clients having powerful websites they don’t know how to use.

Moving into Web 2.0

At BeareWare, we now offer training and classes for Web Content Managers. We provide instruction, documentation, support, and skill development because clients must know how to use their websites effectively.

When It Comes to the Internet, Knowledge Is Power

By now, the idea of “Sit back and leave it to professionals” should feel outdated. The internet demands your involvement. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying higher service fees for results you could achieve yourself. Websites have a huge impact on sales, marketing, and operations. Companies that want strong results must stay involved and invest in education.

Growth Through Client Education

Over the past seven years, we have enjoyed seeing BeareWare clients grow in their website knowledge.
This began with website launches and continued through semi-annual or annual reviews of web statistics.

Our Clients Have Grown With Us

Today, most of our clients use Content Management Systems.
For over two years, we’ve provided training and support.
Watching our clients take control of their websites has been truly rewarding.

Web Content Management Classes Begin

In line with ongoing development, we are launching our first Web Content Management Class this August. The class will focus on SEO, web content updates, and peer sharing among website owners.
We believe this is a key step in empowering our clients.

A Success Story to Inspire

Recently, we launched a new client’s two websites, an online shop, and an events calendar. We provided a training manual and spent 1½ to 2 hours training them. They absorbed a lot of information but felt confident by the end of the session. A month later, they requested minor design help. When I reviewed their sites, I was thrilled to see they had professionally updated 15–20 pages—including the shop and events calendar—without one support call!

The client said he was very happy with the website’s progress. More importantly, he had already become the Web Content Manager. Without a doubt, his company’s website will drive future success.

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the last 10 years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still a webmaster and this is “Interview with a Webmaster“.