Holmes is called in when someone finds that one or several of the essential systems in their home isn’t working or when ill-advised construction short cuts become a nuisance. When Design to Spec is called into websites for a remodel or update and discover that simple design changes or additions are compromised by poor construction. It’s not a reach to see the similarities between home building and website building. Afterall, we often use the same words like build, create, and construct when talking about the conception of either project. We also need the same framework to support healthy construction: a plan, solid foundation, and strong structure.
Homeowners who want construction fast or cheap often succumb to poor building practices. Consumer expectations can also lead to a poorly constructed website. For years graphic designers have created websites in the same manner they would create a print document. This mean consumers became used to seeing websites with fancy designs that worked well in print, looked fabulous online, but were performing dismally in the search engines (SEO) and failed to bring in the expected business. Cheap DIY websites and cutting corners can leave the owner with an unstable site that fails to get business results.
Website repair doesn’t require a hammer, however it entails a chain of uncovering construction flaws and rebuilding. I’ve found lots ofproblematic web pages: pages without text or text that is part of an image and slow-loading pages that are heavy with images. Website owners are often amazed by the dire condition of their website.
Before you start down the road to build a website, follow these three tips, which by the way, are based on similar tips Holmes gives homeowners before they start construction!
1. Check references. Before you hire a building contractor, you’d check who they’ve worked for and what they’ve done. So, why not do the same for the person who will create your website? Call the web designer’s clients and ask them if they were satisfied with the work. If you don’t like what you hear or you can’t get responses, reconsider your choice.
2. Look at their past work. Is everything finished to a “T”? Was there attention to detail? If you were inspecting a house, you’d want everything finished up to the crown moldings and down to the outlet covers. Test drive your designer’s other websites and make sure the look and functionality meet your expectations as a user.
3. Bring in the inspector. I’d like a dollar for every time Mike Holmes finds construction done without a permit. Getting a permit triggers a building inspection; the inspector can be the second set of eyes on a project. You don’t need a permit for a website, but you can have an inspector. The W3 School is the web standard and their validation tool inspects the underlying code. Test website drafts/final product in the tool. Two to five errors may not be a big deal, but watch out for “fatal errors” and warnings – these can weaken the foundation of your website!
Your website represents you on the Internet. Take time to make sure your site construction is done well, so that you get the full benefit of your investment of time and money.
