Category: General

As a business owner there are many things to keep track of.  Customers, inventory, work orders or purchase requests, equipment, and that’s just for starters!  Among those things, this day and age, it’s becoming more and more important to keep track of things related to your website as well.

Minimally, you need to know some of the technical details about your website, which will make it easier if you need to get help.  This would include:

• URL or web address
• Login URL
• Username
• Password
• Hosting provider
• Server IP address
• Domain registrar
• DNS records
• Email provider
• Content management system
• Theme
• Builder

Additionally, you need to know what software or plugins are installed on your website and how much you’re paying for them and be aware of when they will renew if they are subscription based.

There are daily, weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance tasks that need to be kept track of and carried out on schedule.

For most of these things, whoever builds your website will be able to give you all of this information, however some of it you may already have like if you’re hiring someone new to work on a pre-existing website.

Just like your chainsaw if you’re a tree trimmer or your van if you’re a delivery driver, your website is a tool that needs care and maintenance.  It’s often the first impression a customer has of you and as you know, you never get a second chance to make a first impression!

So if you’re a new business owner, make sure to take time out to keep things updated or maybe hire a professional, after all, that’s what your customer did!

This time of year, with the holidays over as were trying to gear up for the new year and all the excitement that entails, it’s easy to neglect your web site.

Take a few minutes to look if over and make sure the years and the dates are correct, and that you’re not still referring to summer specials from a year (or two!) ago.

It’s a great time to freshen things up and your web designers are ready to do that for you too! As you can imagine there often isn’t an abundance of new web stuff going on this time of year.

So, give the old web site the buff and polish and make it look fresh and shiny again. And tip your waiters and waitresses generously. They can use a bump this time of year as well!

Whether you’re an established company, just starting out, pivoting to add new products and services a website can have a significant impact on your success.

A presence on social media has its place but isn’t the same as having your own website, and these days, social media streams are becoming polluted with ads and inflammatory opinions about so many topics that it can be more of a distraction than a help in promoting your business.

Having your own website increases your organization’s credibility and can help you stand apart from providers offering similar services.

A website gives you an opportunity to create a great first impression and can lend credibility to your organization. It helps people to feel like you’re a real company.

Beyond adding legitimacy to your company, it gives you the opportunity for branding which is among the most important things you can do according to Forbes.

“Showcasing your brand to your prospective customers is one of the most important things that you can do. By clearly establishing who you are, what you represent and what you stand for, you increase the chances of your customers buying from you.

This is also something that can set you apart from your competitors. Without a website, it can be incredibly challenging to do this because people can’t easily find quality and reliable information on your business.”

There are many ways you can go about putting a website on-line but being sure you have a presence is more important than how you get it there. Having said that, quality does matter. You would do well to avoid the ad driven services that can place distracting (and sometimes inappropriate) ads on your website.

I’m a technologist and have been for more than 30 years. I don’t know much about cars, so when I need work done, I turn to a trusted mechanic who not only has the knowledge but the tools to do the job right. Weather you do it yourself, or rely on a trusted professional, quality matters. It’s the first thing many people see of your company after all!