Alex Koby
This is the first of many blogs focused on the one thing that customers understand the least: Website Development. I intend for this to be a quick and easy to understand topic. You don't have to be a developer to make sure your site is up to par when it comes to programming and markup standards. Don't be afraid to ask your current developers if they are performing the duties below. And if they aren't, it could be time to consider a change.
The way your website is coded is just as important as having a slick-design. Oftentimes I see so many websites that may have a gorgeous design, but the code is convoluted and invalid.
Unfortunately, the average user isn't going to notice poor coding. Some older sites, or sites built by amateur developers, might have blatant rendering issues; but the real danger lies in sites that have no visual errors at all.
Outsourcing to cheap development-farms in other countries are a surefire way to cause this. Just like anything else in life: you get what you pay for.
Site errors and poor code (or markup) is a bound to hurt your business. You might cut corners in the short term, but poor web development will damage your business and your online reputation in the long run. Some errors could even cause legal consequences!
Here are three (of many) reasons you need to make sure your website is well-written on the code side...
1. Search Engine Optimization - Recently, Google has been giving preference to websites that are W3C compliant. Theoretically, if you have two websites competing for the same keyword that are identical as far as SEO work is concerned, Google is going to rank the one with better markup first. Even simple errors can cause sites to lose that coveted first-page ranking, because even that simple error causes the page to no longer be W3C compliant!
Imagine paying thousands of dollars for a website and SEO package from a marketing company that outsources its development work - development work that is cheap and full of errors. The errors alone are enough to keep your business off the front page for a given keyword.
Long story short: if your website coding is bad, search engines like Google won't take your business seriously.
2. Accessibility - Having a W3C compliant website means that anyone can access your website. Not only will it render for the average user, but it will also read properly for people that have older machines or browsers. Also, it is accessible for users with disabilities.
Having a great looking site is obviously paramount, but making sure anyone can access that site is even more important. Not to mention, if your site is poorly built and therefore inaccessible to certain people, you could end up with a class action lawsuit! You are potentially locking certain groups of people out of your site, without even realizing it.
You need to make sure your CSS supports visitors with various monitor or screen sizes. You never know if someone is looking at your site on an 19-inch monitor or 3-inch smartphone. Ensuring the site is accessible should be one of the highest priorities for your business.
(Not to mention, having a well-coded website that is accessible to all is another way to broaden your potential customer base).
3. Backend Usability - Having a beautiful website that engages customers and ranks well is extremely important. So much can be done with merely HTML, CSS, and a little Javascript. But what about when the site needs updates or changes? This is where a robust CMS (content management system) comes into play.
Each CMS has its own uses. And depending on what the site is trying to accomplish - there are always handfuls of solutions. The choice of a CMS is extremely important as it will directly impact the dollars your business spends in the future.
The typical web user is better off using a platform like Wordpress or Hubspot. These content management systems can be configured by an advanced developer initially, and then accessed by essentially anyone to make updates, gating the user so they don't "break" the website.
If your company has in-house developers, you might go with a solution that better suits their understanding. ModX tends to be a solid choice for that. Developers have much more free-reign in a ModX installation, but it can be very difficult for non-developers to accomplish anything. A CMS like ModX is more robust for sweeping and complex website changes.
Final Web Design Tips
It is very important to find out what CMS the website will be built in unless you plan on paying a developer or separate company every time you want to make even the smallest of changes.
Making sure you are aware of how your website is coded will save you money in the long run. Don't be afraid to go with the slightly more expensive solution up front. Spending a little more in the beginning will ensure your site is ranked well, broaden your site's customer reach, and save yourself more money in the long run.
