Sometimes in this industry I come across people who confuse websites with kitchen cabinets.
Now, I’m an experienced website designer, web manager, and digital marketing pro, so I can spot the differences pretty easily. But I understand that most people are not website/cabinet experts. And that’s fine! That’s what I’m here for.
So if you’re having trouble, we’ve put together a litter primer.
Here’s what websites and kitchen cabinets have in common:
- They must be designed brilliantly to store all of your various tools and treats.
- They must provide access to those tools and treats as needed.
- They must fit within a larger structure that keeps their contents from getting stolen.
- You want them to do all this while looking beautiful from the outside.
Here’s how websites and kitchen cabinets are different:
- You can’t just design a website and expect it to keep working. Even if you never plan on getting a new mixer or new pans, or different kinds of glassware or serving platters, your website will fail to do its jobs, and it will fail quickly.
- That’s it, that’s the big difference: Websites do not operate by “set it and forget it” standards.
Of course, I’m having fun here, but you see what I’m getting at. Too many people believe that you can simply hire a website designer for a one-time gig, and then voila: You’ve got a website for the rest of your life. But that’s just not how the internet works.
Correction: If you hire a one-time-only site designer, you’ll have a functioning, accessible, possibly even safe website for about a day and a half.
Websites don’t update themselves, even as the internet changes rapidly around them. Like it or not, the internet is an arms race, and if your site isn’t monitored and updated regularly, it’s going to get blown out of existence.
This is why we always recommend pairing website design with website management. And this is what even our lowest-priced website plan provides: A long-term web management relationship with an established, experienced, professional digital company.
What can go wrong with old websites?
Just to be clear, a website that was launched a month ago is currently “old.” A website that launched last year? Ancient. Prehistoric. Practically extinct. Things move fast on the ol’ interwebs.
Without regular updates, your site is both creaky and vulnerable. Here are just some of the things that happen to sites that don’t keep up with the rest of the net:
- Old websites get hacked. Your data gets stolen and you no longer have access to your files. Your website goes down and nobody can see your company’s information.
- Old websites run slowly. I mean like frozen molasses uphill
- Old websites just plain-old don’t work. Pictures don’t display and videos don’t run. They show error messages. They fail to link to where they’re supposed to. Everything just looks weird and doesn’t line up properly.
Why do old websites break?
Because a properly functioning, up-to-date website must interact with its hosting server, its own files, other websites, a variety of web browsers, and whatever device you’re using—all at the same time. All of those other things keep getting updated, so your website needs updates, too.
Imagine if all your kitchen tools, and the hinges on your cabinet doors, and even the electricity in the walls kept evolving even after your kitchen was designed. Something as simple as making a piece of toast quickly becomes impossible.
What can Deckard & Company website management do about it?
Well, we know what updates are happening around the internet, and we keep your site prepped for them. Our website management services also mean keeping an eye on sites so that when the unexpected occurs, we can remedy it quickly—hopefully before anybody else even notices.
The point is, your site will look great, and when you want something tomorrow or next year—whether it’s a cereal bowl or your crock pot—it’ll still be there for you.
So if you’ve been thinking about making a beautiful space to store all your stuff and show it off as needed, give us a shout today. Just remember, we’re not the kind of company that wants to just design and then walk away. We’re with you for the long run.
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