The 7 Deadly Sins of Websites

If you are more clever than I am, you're expecting a discussion of Website disasters in terms of greed, sloth, lust, pride, gluttony, envy and anger. Perhaps because Websites are so new (they've only been around for 9-10 years now), businesses are still sinning against good practices in what they do with their sites.

1. Greed. Probably the dumbest thing business owners do about their Website is assume it's still okay not to have one. A highly-respected lawyer I know said, resignedly, "I guess we have to have a Website. I don't see it." I asked, "Why do you think you need one then?" The answer was that people kept calling the firm asking why they didn't have a Website. Here's another reason. I know a lawyer who got a $10,000 case from a man calling from Poland. Had an emergency in the U.S. and needed a lawyer here. Now. So even if a business just has a single page, that'll help.

2. Sloth. Another mistake business owners make with amazing frequency: they don't own or control their own domain name A.K.A. URL, or Website address.. Typically, the vendor that built the organization's first Website put the domain name in the Web developer's own name. One business owner came to me sheepishly admitting that not only did he not own his own name but he couldn't find the guy who did own it. After considerable searching, we tracked the guy down in the northwest and after considerable negotiating, bought the domain name back. The developer said my client owed him money. My client was understandably apopleptic, but paid up. Does your organization own and control its own domain name. Just go to www.netsol.com, click on WHOIS, and type in your domain to get the listing info.

3. Lust. Once you're sure you own your own domain, make sure you own your own Web hosting, too. Some Web developers like to sell you or resell you Web hosting, which may give them control over not only your Website but also your email. Ideally, you'll contract your Web developer separately from your Web hosting, and while you're at it, go with a firm that offer 24 x 7 technical support and robust online features. If the computer geek who runs your office network wants to host your site on a server he keeps in the back room or (if he's an outside vendor) in his basement at home, politely decline. Both are power plays, but run against common sense. Leave Web hosting to the pros who have buying power and expertise that will increase your value and decrease your down time.

4. Pride. Next, companies are too proud to know or admit they don't understand marcom (marketing and communications), so they go it alone. One site we looked at recently featured an internal newsletter with an article from the President admonishing company employees to quit bickering and start working as a team instead of a bunch of selfish jerks. Hard to imagine a prospective customer reading this news and thinking, "Just the firm we want to hire!" A competent marcom person would have never let this newsletter go public (or even private, perhaps).

5. Gluttony. Next, make sure you own what you put on your site. Napster represented, and perhaps still represents, a kind of gluttony when it comes to free - who needs 10,000 "free" songs anyway. Gluttony's an unfortunate legacy of early Web thinking - if it's on the Web, it's free. Bull. Copyright extends to the Web, royalty free means royalty free, not free. If you have images on your site, own them. Make the wording yours - it'll sound like you that way. A ton (okay, maybe a ton of ton) of content theft goes on, but if your Website developer says, "We'll never get caught," ask yourself whether that's the kind of vendor your want.

6. Envy. We're supposed to cover envy here, but the problem is that programmers don't envy anyone - it's impossible to envy anyone when you pretty much are the best at anything you see or touch. Therefore, don't ask your programmers to become designers. They actually think they can design. Their Websites, however, may look about as appealing as dog poop on a freshly mowed lawn. Let a graphic design create the look for you Website. The programmers job is functionality - to reproduce the designers design and to propose functionality others might not know is possible.

7. Anger. Anger? It's a stretch, but top management may be angry, in the long run, if the Website leader does not demand accountability - ROI (return on investment). An investment in a Website should get measured in ROI. So crunch the numbers. For starters, chalk up some cost again cost of doing business (the ROI of the fax machine is a cost of doing business). Customer retention, new business, reduced printing costs, increased sales at non-discounted rates, employee recruitment... these are just some samples of what your site should, perhaps, deliver in ROI. So measure it. Budget for a year, make the Website a line item with appropriate subcategories, and ask marcom, sales, IS, HR and other shareholders to report value.

This article first appeared as a column written by Dave Tedlock, NetOutcomes' president, for Tucson Business Edge, a monthly magazine published by the daily newspaper, the Tucson Citizen.

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