Why is it that technology always crashes when you need it most? And why is that getting a decent, dependable web developer is so hard??
I was delighted when my website was created, it was everything I had requested. It was clear and crisp, easy to navigate and update, and reflected who I am, what I do, and what I want to deliver for my clients.
In all of my workshops and consulting, I advise clients of the importance of a good website as the hub of all communications. I have even sent clients away to web designers before working with them, to ensure that they are fully equipped for success before we start, so I was happy to invest to make sure I had a WordPress website that would suit the needs of the business and my clients – although I wasn’t quite as clued up as I thought!
I went through a friend of a friend to try and keep costs down, and as it was the first time I was overseeing a website, I didn’t question what was delivered to me. It wasn’t until many years later that I realised I was missing one crucial element – unbelievably I didn’t have ownership of my own site, I was merely an editor. It may sound a pretty incredulous oversight, but in working with numerous small businesses over the years, I realise how common this actually is.
Often what can happen is that web designers maintain the ownership role of a site so that when edits need to be made, you have to return to them for additional work. I had been happily maintaining the blog page of my site for years, and it was only when I needed to update contact details and wanted to refresh the main part of the site with new testimonials and client mentions that I realised I didn’t have the access to enable me to do so.
After trying repeatedly to contact my original developer, who had moved on years before, a lot of time and effort was spent trying to fix the problem. Thankfully I had a great team supporting me, who did a fantastic job finding a solution without completely re-creating the site.
Over the last ten years, there have been various frustrating issues with the site, although admittedly these have been with the hosting company, rather than the site itself. However, I found myself here again, with a crashed website and no easy fix!
It appears that after the latest WordPress update, the template used by the developer also needed an update, but the theme originally used is no longer available. I’m told that this can happen when using smaller theme developers – another great learning. In future, I will ensure that any themes used come from a larger theme developer that is not likely to stop developing any time soon.
Unfortunately for me, a rebuild was unavoidable, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time as I launch and promote my new services. However, there was little I can do but carry on and hope that the website was back up and running again soon (which it was, thanks to my fantastic support) – and share my experience as a warning!
So if you’re thinking about creating a website, make sure you work with someone reputable, check out their previous work, double check any templates and third party providers they want to use, and make sure you are made the admin/owner of the site, and not simply an editor!
Any other tips to share? I know I’m not the only one who experiences challenges with their website!
**Enormous thanks to @BarryLeeCummings for the constant advice support and time invested in helping me with this (and other) issues!**
