Marketing Anywhere: The First 3 Questions When Fixing Your Web Site
Q: Diane, we have a site that stinks. What's the first thing we need to do to get it fixed with you?
A: Well, if you're really talking first things first, there are a few questions I always ask my prospects:
1. What's your relationship with your current programmers? I can help you re-write and re-navigate your web site, but that's just half of the total picture. I then act as middleman with the programmers of your site to get the new content and navigation loaded for highest marketing strategy. If you adore your programmers, and they work quickly for you when you have new items of change, then we'll keep your site there and I'll forge a relationship with them.
In most cases, though, you don't have a great web site because you weren't sure how to create it and they weren't very forthcoming with marketing tips and advice to make it better. This doesn't make them bad programmers - simply, most programmers know as much about higher-level marketing web sites as WE do about programming HTML code! In other cases, existing programmers can be very unresponsive or slow to do your work. This, unfortunately, is more common in the programming industry than we'd like to admit.
When your relationship with your programmers (who are hosting your site) is just an existing one - not a lot of relationship there - then I recommend we move the site to any of the 4 programming teams I work with who have proven themselves repeatedly, hurling themselves through various hoops and requests for my clients. This also works to your advantage as I have an existing relationship with these 4 teams and they know my "schtick," so to speak - because a lot of programmers think I come from left field on some of the requests I ask for as we're intent on making you a MARKETING web site that really works!
2. Who has control of your domain name? If you're not sure who "owns" or controls your domain, go to http://www.networksolutions.com and click on the "WHO IS" button in their lower menu. Type in your own domain name and they'll tell you if you're registered as the owner (you'd better be), and who "hosts" your domain (this is usually your programmers or a larger entity like GoDaddy.com or NetworkSolutions.com).
When your site is re-fashioned, and if it's done with my programmers, we'll have to have the ability to transfer that domain to my programmers' servers OR we can ask the existing entity to "point" the domain to your site - sort of like a dog on a leash. Your domain name can be housed anywhere as long as it's "connected" in some fashion to your actual site. The smarter thing, I think, is to actually transfer the domain name so that it sits right there with your site, especially if your domain name is currently housed at programmers you might be leaving . . . sometimes they get less careful about protecting your domain name if you're no longer working with them.
While it might seem like we're putting the cart before the horse here, domain name "pointing" and "transfers" can be a surprising little can of worms. It's ALL fixable, but it's good to know where we stand from the beginning!
Last question:
3. Is your site a template site, or is it "home grown," meaning it's been designed by you with a set of programmers? Template sites are more limited in their ability to be changed drastically and we're confined to working with the programmers who have provided that template to you. When I have people come to me with template sites, I normally resort to doing text changes, removing extraneous buttons, changing headlines, etc., but a complete revamp in marketing strategy is just not possible - it's like trying to park a semi-truck in your suburban garage - you might get it to fight, but I'm betting something gets broken in the process!
Once I have these three answers from you, then we can actually move forward on what our options truly are to get you fixed up! And THAT'S when the fun begins!
If you'd like me to take a look at your site and give initial opinons, I offer Six Quick Fixes for just $89. Check it out at: http://www.armitageinc.com/shopping_webreviews.asp
A: Well, if you're really talking first things first, there are a few questions I always ask my prospects:
1. What's your relationship with your current programmers? I can help you re-write and re-navigate your web site, but that's just half of the total picture. I then act as middleman with the programmers of your site to get the new content and navigation loaded for highest marketing strategy. If you adore your programmers, and they work quickly for you when you have new items of change, then we'll keep your site there and I'll forge a relationship with them.
In most cases, though, you don't have a great web site because you weren't sure how to create it and they weren't very forthcoming with marketing tips and advice to make it better. This doesn't make them bad programmers - simply, most programmers know as much about higher-level marketing web sites as WE do about programming HTML code! In other cases, existing programmers can be very unresponsive or slow to do your work. This, unfortunately, is more common in the programming industry than we'd like to admit.
When your relationship with your programmers (who are hosting your site) is just an existing one - not a lot of relationship there - then I recommend we move the site to any of the 4 programming teams I work with who have proven themselves repeatedly, hurling themselves through various hoops and requests for my clients. This also works to your advantage as I have an existing relationship with these 4 teams and they know my "schtick," so to speak - because a lot of programmers think I come from left field on some of the requests I ask for as we're intent on making you a MARKETING web site that really works!
2. Who has control of your domain name? If you're not sure who "owns" or controls your domain, go to http://www.networksolutions.com and click on the "WHO IS" button in their lower menu. Type in your own domain name and they'll tell you if you're registered as the owner (you'd better be), and who "hosts" your domain (this is usually your programmers or a larger entity like GoDaddy.com or NetworkSolutions.com).
When your site is re-fashioned, and if it's done with my programmers, we'll have to have the ability to transfer that domain to my programmers' servers OR we can ask the existing entity to "point" the domain to your site - sort of like a dog on a leash. Your domain name can be housed anywhere as long as it's "connected" in some fashion to your actual site. The smarter thing, I think, is to actually transfer the domain name so that it sits right there with your site, especially if your domain name is currently housed at programmers you might be leaving . . . sometimes they get less careful about protecting your domain name if you're no longer working with them.
While it might seem like we're putting the cart before the horse here, domain name "pointing" and "transfers" can be a surprising little can of worms. It's ALL fixable, but it's good to know where we stand from the beginning!
Last question:
3. Is your site a template site, or is it "home grown," meaning it's been designed by you with a set of programmers? Template sites are more limited in their ability to be changed drastically and we're confined to working with the programmers who have provided that template to you. When I have people come to me with template sites, I normally resort to doing text changes, removing extraneous buttons, changing headlines, etc., but a complete revamp in marketing strategy is just not possible - it's like trying to park a semi-truck in your suburban garage - you might get it to fight, but I'm betting something gets broken in the process!
Once I have these three answers from you, then we can actually move forward on what our options truly are to get you fixed up! And THAT'S when the fun begins!
If you'd like me to take a look at your site and give initial opinons, I offer Six Quick Fixes for just $89. Check it out at: http://www.armitageinc.com/shopping_webreviews.asp
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