Maintaining Your Web Content And Technology
A successful website should be implemented effectively and maintained professionally.
This article provides an outline of the key phases in implementing a website, including the requirement for the integration with back office systems and advice on the ongoing maintenance tasks that need to be undertaken.
System testing
Before making the website live, you should test it to see how well it responds to visitors. Poor testing or no testing is risky. It is also useful to see how easily users can access the site and navigate through the site. Do not allow your website to be found until you think it's ready.
Planning the rollout
Decide
• How you will promote your website
• Whether staff will need training in how to maintain web content
• Who will handle customer orders and queries
Launching the website
At the launch of the site you should encourage existing customers to use it. You also need to ensure that you promote the website and make it easy to find by search engines. Make sure your web designer takes into consideration Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) goals when designing your website.
Accessibility - is your website legal?
Check that your website conforms to World Wide Web Consortium web standards on the W3C Markup Validation Service website. Our Learning Center aticles will give you more details and advice on this topic.
Integrating your back office systems
Linking your back office and online systems together improves efficiency and leads to a greater customer satisfaction.
When looking for software solutions, make sure they support open standards such as XML (Extensible Mark-up Language). Contact us if you want to know more about the benefits of integration.
Content Management Systems (see also 'Updating your website content')
A Content Management System (CMS) is essential if you want to keep your website completely up-to-date. It will allow you to control what information appears on the website by entering the information as and when it changes.
Whether you have just a few simple details that need changing, or a complete on-line shop where the stock levels and prices are continually changing, a CMS should be created to suit your exact needs.
Monitoring website traffic
One of the most important aspects of website maintenance is tracking how users find your website and what they do once they enter it. You need to know your users to be able to market your site to them. Your web development company should provide statistics that include:
• How many visitors click on your pages
• How many pages they visit and which pages they spend most time on
• How they have arrived at your site, for example if they were referred to it by a search engine or specific website, catalogue
• The date and time that each visitor accessed your site
• The number of pages that every visitor viewed
• The type of browser and operating system used by each visitor
Updating your website content
Fresh and unique content is king. There is an expectation that websites are constantly changing. Your website should look fresh and appealing. If you have a news section or announcements about new products then it is vital that these reflect the current situation. Ensure that all the photos and information on your site are most recent. Fresh and unique content is also crucial to achieve the basic SEO objectives.
If you have any questions on webdesign and web development - do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
HeadChannel Ltd
www.headchannel.co.uk
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