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EXPERTY DYI TIPS
The 6 ugly truths about having a website

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I’ve been building sites for 15 years. Hey I ain’t that OLD, 15 yrs was only 1998 . And my LORD have websites evolved. Remembering when I was finishing high school… bit hesitant to do AOL chat room “cuz that shit was just spooky”. And reading about how websites wouldn’t last, “they” would say companies don’t need it, much less an individual …

But nevertheless it was amazing to see yourself and your art online LIVE and SHARE with everyone (who at least had a computer). Fast forward to 2013 and close to half of all the successful businesses today would not be around if it wasn’t for “websites” … who wouldn’t want to work for Google or Facebook today? But this abstract virtual piece of real estate with your name on it is no low maintenance type of chick anymore.

Websites today are a major undertaking AFTER the site is designed and programmed. SO here are the SIX ugly truths to your overnight online success.

1. Updates
If you don’t at least clean off the film of dust on your site, why spend so much money and late nights in something you ain’t gonna use. Very gone are the days of a site that would be equivalent to your business card with a HOME ABOUT CONTACT. Today if your site doesn’t at least update 3-8 times a day, you ain’t even in the race.

2. Customer Service
Welcome to the world of everyone’s crazy. Truth is no matter what you offer online, a service a product or even a thought as small as a Tweet, you will have customers with their share of WTF’s. The key is to know you can’t please everyone but “the customer is always right” if u want to last in any business…the world is too small for enemies.

3. Fullfillment
The idea of people paying you money via you shopping cart while you sleep is the bomb. But the actual job getting your product or making your product, updating your online store with product, storing and shipping your product … AND then waking up the next day and doing it all over again is not so hot. Fullfillment is an unavoidable task that peope don’t realize until they have an online store. Best case scenario IS everyone’s buying BUT bad case scenario is OH SHIT EVERYONE IS BUYING AND the site is overloaded, inventory is running out and mad packages got to go.

4. Content Management Systems
Now you got all these online tools to take over the world, shopping cart, blog, HTML email, Facebook business page, twitter hashtah etc etc. Unfortuantely they all don’t function by themselves and they all require different levels of understanding. So if your not ready to roll up your sleeves and O.D. on online tutorials, don’t expect the website itself to tell you, “HEY your doing it wrong”.

5. Technology
Believe it or not the World Wide Web is truly a freaky connected set of businesses. All these different players are connected to your site. The software companies that make the computer like Apple and Microsoft. The bigger then THOU search engines like Google and Bing. The richer then THOU social media giants like Facebook and Twtter. The more then enough silicon alley companies creating and innovating applications online, in mobile and tablets practically putting the print industry out of business and denting the music industry. IF ANYONE of them decide to update their product/service in order to stay competitve you bet they ALL have to update in order to stay relevant. And when they update, we all have to update which includes your website.

6. Constant Financial Investment
Just like a car, as soon as it rolls home with you, it looses value. But that doesn’t stop you from buying car after car .. cuz you need it. And if websites are your business you need to constantly invest on your site. It’s a neverending constant commitment that you will spend money on. Like kids but .. they never leave.

So there you have it. 6 of the ugliest reality’s to being the proud owner of your online virtual estate with your name dot com. Is it worth it? Well its paying the bills for me so i say YUP, just don’t say I did not tell ya!

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