Auggie wrote:
> "ryanstreet" <webmaster@myonlinewebmaster.com> wrote in message
> news:1193679422.537811.59510@y42g2000hsy.googlegro ups.com...
>
>>I have been asking these questions around the internet for a little
>>while now.
>>
>>What are some of the greatest challenges or problems webmasters face?
>>
>>What are some of the greatest challenges or problems when starting a
>>website?
>>
>>What are any other challenges of Internet or Internet Marketing that
>>webmasters face?
>
>
>
> Your questions can be interpreted a few different ways:
>
>
> 1) If you are talking about building a website for a client:
>
> Q: What are some of the greatest challenges or problems webmasters face?
> Respect from clients. Seems like everybody has a
> brother/cousin/nephew/kid/neighbor that has dabbled in web design and
> offered to build them a site for $200 and they presume that if you give them
> a real quote you are just ripping them off. Or that because your work is
> "virtual" it doesn't mean you don't do any work, that they can change their
> mind about anything at any time at no cost to them or add on double the
> workload at no extra cost.
>
> Q: What are some of the greatest challenges or problems when starting a
> website?
> Making sure that you are on the same page as the client or that if the
> client has a vision for his/her website they convey that to you...

Auggie has put all this very well. I'd just like to add a bit on this
point.

It's important that a client knows what they want out of their
website. *Some* clients can't seem to put together what they need and
expect you to know this. It's not always apparent at first that this is
so, but there will be early clues.

Problems later on will be caused by lack of clarity earlier.

So, you have a number of points that there must be vision on.

1) Look and feel. Basic site design.
2) Function.
3) Content.
4) Marketing.

Now, a smart web developer will spot problems as early as possible,
and an even smarter one will know when to "fire" a client or not to take
a job.

Most sites have problems with content lagging. Such is the beauty of
CMS. With a good flexible CMS you can make look and feel corrections at
any point and you give the ability to add pages/sections as the content
becomes available. Content management and maintenance are key to keeping
a site in date.

Jeff


so that
> you don't start or work on their site when they say "Just do whatever you
> can, just make it pink and blue in color and use my logo" and then when you
> are halfway through the site they tell you that what you have done is
> nothing at all like they wanted.
>
> Q: What are any other challenges of Internet or Internet Marketing that
> webmasters face?
> Many clients think that "If I have a website built, people will come and
> buy from me" not realising that they have to get word of their site out to
> customers.
> Many clients also think that once a website is done and launched that
> customers will show up the next day, can't understand why 2 days after site
> was launched they can't find it in Google.
>
>
> 2) If you are talking about building and launching your own website:
>
> Q: What are some of the greatest challenges or problems webmasters face?
> Not thinking about it like a business. Most will probably come up with
> an idea and sit down at their computer and start working on the website when
> instead they should be planning things out first, so they know: what the
> site will do? where will the customers come from? who are their
> competitors? how can they best their competitiors? why would somebody
> choose them over the competition? how much will this cost in time and
> money? how much will it return on my investment of time and money?
>
> Q: What are some of the greatest challenges or problems when starting a
> website?
> Having a full vision of the project from start to finish and then going
> with that vision and treating yourself as you would any other client who
> hired you for your services.
>
> Q: What are any other challenges of Internet or Internet Marketing that
> webmasters face?
> Making sure you get a good cost vs. return for your marketing. Just
> because something works for somebody else or even one of your other sites
> doesn't mean it will work for this new site.
>
>
>