Your password, ‘quick’ changes, websites ‘like Trade Me’
To build and maintain a website from scratch takes skill, creativity and persistence. Most people struggle to comprehend how a combination of letters and symbols can create a beautifully-designed platform that can then be used to advertise and sell products and services. It’s like digital magic!
There’s a lot involved in web development, and perhaps unexpectedly, one of the key ingredients is patience. However, even the most patient developers have a few things they wish their clients knew.
Here are the three things your web developer wants you to know:
1: You can reset your own password
As trivial as it sounds, this one little task is the bane of your web developer’s existence. Not because it’s difficult or requires a lot of effort – but because it’s something you can do yourself.
It’s likely that your web developer has already assumed you’ll forget your password at some point (we all do!) and has added a ‘reset your password’ button to your login page. That means, instead of flicking your web developer five urgent emails in quick succession, you can simply click on the link and follow the instructions to reset your password.
2: That quick change may take longer than you think
“Hey, while I have you on the phone, can you quickly change the way this looks on my website?” This is a question that web developers hear all too often. The short answer is probably ‘no’.
It’s not hard to fall into the trap of assuming that a seemingly effortless task like moving an object from one side of your website to the other could be done with the click of a few buttons. In reality, that change could potentially involve hours of your web developer’s time and effort.
Often, there is a sea of code that needs to be worked through to make even the most basic of changes to the front end of your website. On top of that, something as simple as a single bracket in the wrong position can take your entire website down – that’s why precision is key.
The best thing to do is sit down with your developer and have a conversation about the project. Brief them in detail on what changes you’d like made. Understand that you’ll need to work your expectations around their client schedule. Ask them how long they think it will take to implement your changes.
3: A website like Trade Me will cost you a pretty penny
At first glance, the function of most websites is basic. But behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story.
Let’s take Trade Me as an example.
In 2006, Fairfax Media purchased Trade Me for a whopping $700 million (no, that’s not a typo). To put things into perspective, Trade Me has a team of over 600 people, which would undoubtedly include close to 100 website developers. On the surface, Trade Me is a website that lets you sell things, but on the other side, it’s a labyrinth that sees nearly one million visitors per day. That requires serious capacity to function seamlessly – and a high level of monetary investment to operate.
The moral of the story: make sure any changes you request are well-researched, and you have the funds to support the development. People lose a lot of money every day developing, launching and marketing websites that never gain any traction. Find a balance between function and cost that meets your budget and business goals.
Speak with your web developer
You can reset your own password, those ‘quick’ changes probably can’t be made over the phone, and comprehensive websites take a lot of time and money to build – all things that your web developer wishes you knew when speaking with them. The best thing to do is engage with your web developer and work out a project timeline that suits both of you.
