Carl Plant
Carl Plant, CEO of digital expert bITjAM has written a blog post on the importance of having access to your own website content.
Plant suggests that this is particularly important for the marketing department of a company. Being able to use basic SEO tools to monitor page views, keywords and search results, allows marketing experts to understand what audiences want from your company and adapt marketing plans accordingly.
Top tips for a new website
We've all experienced that feeling of trepidation when waiting for something to go live online. Whether it’s a festival line-up, the latest episode of Game of Thrones or the newest piece of content on your company's website, the wait can sometimes feel like a lifetime. This increasing need for instantaneous gratification and real-time website updates has made it more important than ever for companies to have full access to the content on their website.
This is particularly important for the marketing department of a company. Being able to use basic SEO tools to monitor page views, keywords and search results, allows marketing experts to understand what audiences want from your company and adapt marketing plans accordingly.
It's also likely that over time you have collected tons of insightful data that could easily be turned into web content, but no one gets round to actually doing it. Perhaps the time has come to put that data to good use in an intelligent and efficient way that helps your website attract more visitors.
It's no secret that engineering and manufacturing are two industries that have fallen behind in the digital revolution. A good website content management system (CMS) allows multiple members of a team to edit pages and keep information up to date. Populating an existing website with dynamic website content can be time consuming, so if you're thinking of bringing in a web developer to help you set up the basics, there are a few questions that you should ask before starting the process.
Will I be buying into a contract?
If a web developer has spent months building a website for you company, it's likely they'll be hesitant to let others edit and upload content. It's a common clause in many contracts that all website changes must be sent to the web developer and not uploaded individually. This may not seem like a problem now, but when you have a breaking news story and your web developer is on holiday, you may regret signing the contract.
Implementing a CMS allows publishing, editing and modifying content from a central interface. Whilst it may seem complicated, content management systems usually use simple templates to avoid the need for manual coding.
How long will it take?
Web developers usually work one of two ways. After meeting with you to agree on a list of requirements for your website, some developers will disappear for a few weeks and return with a completed website. The problem with this approach is that a lot can change in a short amount of time and your original ideas may not be relevant any longer.
Ideally, look for a web developer that sees the process of building a website as a collaboration. Chances are, as you see your website being developed, you will come up with ideas or suggestions, so really, you need someone who is willing to meet on a regular basis and take in any changes you might wish to make to the design, content or functionalities of the website.
What is expected from us?
To create the correct online persona, a good web developer will need to interview employees. From the about us page to case studies, employees know your business and can therefore provide an accurate insight.
You should start the web development process by finding out how much time each employee will be expected to dedicate to it and manage human resources accordingly.
It's also important to remember that you will be managing the finished website and making updates yourself. Ask about the experience that your web developer has in helping companies adapt to new technologies. This should give you an idea of how present they are going to be after the website is built.
Remember that some people are unable to see future benefits of change and are therefore resistant to it. bITjAM is able to help companies use new technology, such as a bespoke CMS, and support your team before, during and after the transitional period. We also recommend setting up a social media dashboard to interpret social data and use it to your advantage. With these tools, your business can begin making its mark in the digital world.