Help for Do-It-Yourself Web Owners

There are many ways to build a website today. You can hire someone, develop it yourself with software like Microsoft FrontPage, or use one of the do-it-yourself (DIY) hosts, like Homestead.com. Sometimes, corporations provide DIY web space for their franchisees or independent sales representatives.

Some advantages to a DIY are:

• Speed—you can get a site up and running quickly
• Control—you can modify your site at will
• Cost—many DIYs have low monthly fees, franchisee-types may even be free

However, there are drawbacks, including:

• Fixed designs—the choices they provide may not be a good match for your branding
• Limited functionality—you can have little or no control of search engine tags, photo positioning, page layout, etc.
• Tedious maintenance—you typically do not have "global change" capabilities that allow modifications to all paragraphs or pages at once

But perhaps the biggest problem is the assumption that once the technical part of a website is taken care of, the rest is easy. Sites all over the web prove that it is not. Many do-it-yourselfers don't know how to organize a website, write persuasive content, or ensure that their site won't irritate and drive away visitors.

Getting help

If you are unfazed by the drawbacks, there are ways to steer clear of the obstacles to a good site:

• Pretend you are a visitor—put yourself in the place of someone who knows nothing about your business. Does your site adequately explain what you do, how you do it, and why someone should choose you over others? If not, get to work on those areas. Above all, don't assume that visitors are familiar with any industry jargon, learn by reading buzzwords, or will believe you are the best just because you say so.
• Ask for feedback—but realize that honest feedback is difficult to obtain. The same people who tell Aunt Bessie her hideous dress is lovely will tell you your site is great when it's not. Look instead for outspoken types to tell you what they really think. Stress that you are looking for specific ways that your site can be improved, rather than overall opinions.
• Get expert help—have professionals design your logo, write your copy, or take photos that you can incorporate into your site. If your site is already up, a website analysis can provide you with a list of recommendations that you can implement as your schedule permits. If you have an ecommerce site, usability testing, where real people are watched while they use your site, can uncover areas where you are inadvertently disrupting the buying process.

If you want your website to be successful, don't ignore the fact that you are trying to convince complete strangers that you are the solution they are looking for. If your site is not fast, easy, and compelling, it doesn't matter how much you are spending, because what you are really doing is  throwing business opportunities away.