Is your business website getting in the way of doing actual business?
There are a lot of reasons to outsource your website creation and management to a third party. But not all reasons, or third parties, are created equal.
Working with a website management partner can give you the best of two different worlds. You’ll get the expertise and knowledge of a development agency and the long-term commitment and trust of an in-house employee.
Let’s take a deeper look at five reasons business owners should consider a website management partner to grow online.
1. Proactive, Not Reactive, Experts
If you’re a business owner managing your website in-house, chances are high that the person overseeing your website has a lot of other things on her plate.
Staying on top of the latest trends, tricks, and requirements for your website requires an awareness of the larger digital marketplace. And if your web manager is responsible for other projects, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening and miss potential opportunities to improve your online presence.
Website management specialists, however, are aware of these new opportunities because they’re constantly working on improving client websites. That built-in proactivity is something that most internal managers or teams just don’t have the bandwidth for.
2. Safety & Security
Unlike a full-service marketing agency or an in-house IT team, a website management partner specializes in keeping your website running at peak performance.
This can include a range of services like regular security checks, ensuring compliance with data privacy laws, and scheduled maintenance. If you have a dedicated partner keeping your website in tip-top shape, you won’t have to worry about important changes getting lost in the shuffle.
3. Build Trust for Peace of Mind
Lots of web designers and agencies out there are willing to build a website for your business, but not enough are in the business of maintaining said website.
Unless you’re promoting the (original) Space Jam movie, you should think of your website as a living thing. It needs attention and care to function optimally. And most one-and-done web designers don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with maintenance while they’re looking for new clients.
That’s why a website management partner is so important. The best way to make website concerns go away is to find someone who is invested in your long-term success, not a paycheck at the end of a one-off project. If you build a relationship with your website partner, you can trust that they’ll be there for your business when you need them.
4. More Time & Resources for Your Business
Lots of business owners spend more time and energy than they would like trying to get a website up and running.
Even if you’re used to wearing a lot of hats in your business, website development — especially for a company trying to grow — is a niche field with a steep learning curve if you aren’t already familiar with the fundamentals.
If you find a website partner that you can trust, however, those worries disappear. You don’t have to learn to code, or set up forms, or figure out why the images on the homepage aren’t lining up correctly. You can hand those concerns off to someone who already knows how to fix them.
And most importantly, you can get back to working on the projects and strategies that will help your business grow.
5. Reliable (Human and Digital) Backups
It almost goes without saying that a modern website should have redundancies and backups set up. Whether your website is managed in-house or by a partner, there should be a recovery plan in place in case of a breach or other security problem.
That said, working with a website partner adds another layer of backup to your online presence. Because if your internal website manager or IT person is the only one with the “keys” to your website and they’re unavailable, you may not have the access you need when you need it. Further, if that employee leaves the company or loses important source files, you won’t have the internal resources to recover them.
Working with a website management partner ensures more comprehensive support than one employee on your team who is only available during business hours. In other words, not only will you have more expertise on your team, you’ll have an independent, third-party backup for your website that won’t go away if you have staff turnover.
Final Thoughts on Your Website Needs
There a lot of different options to consider if you need a new website for your business.
Whatever you choose, remember that the day your new website goes “live” is the beginning, not the end, of your online efforts. Make sure that your website provider sets you up for success with a plan for maintenance, updates, and security to ensure that your website is always an effective representation of your company.
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