A website is for life

Transcript

1. A website is for life not just Christmas
2. Some context
3. different to print •  viewing experience isn't fixed •  demands coherence throughout content •  evolution of your content & services •  possibilities of revolution
4. your proxy •  interaction is with your website, not you •  measure & monitor the user experience
5. brief history of commercial internet •  1st May 1995 - restrictions on commercial access ends •  now
6. so... •  still maturing - companies, services, programs, processes •  leading edge, bleeding edge or dead end? •  what if everything collapses - ownership, portability •  what if it works - upgrade options •  things change
7. realism in costs •  hosting is relatively cheap •  support is relatively expensive •  initial vs ongoing budget •  being different costs more
8. hosting options •  dedicated, virtual private server, shared or hosted service •  shared - cheap & flexible, but they're all about volume •  hosted service - cheap, low level of technical skill needed, but limited options •  dedicated and virtual private server - very flexible but high levels of technical skills needed •  the 'cloud' - good for high volume or large files, e.g. audio & video
9. Some things to do
10. logging •  interactions with your site •  emails •  searches, forms filled in •  payment systems •  technical server logs •  different to marketing, e.g. Google Analytics •  total traffic, response times, errors, etc. •  have targets
11. viewing from odd angles •  pages off the beaten track in ecommerce •  RSS feeds, subscribe by email •  validation messages •  pages after forms •  error pages - page not found, system not working
12. being alerted •  monitoring availability - e.g. binarycanary.com, pingdom.com •  status updates - web page, RSS feeds, twitter accounts •  Google Webmaster Tools •  check for broken links
13. security •  hacking unlikely to be directed at you specifically •  keep programs up to date •  use strong passwords •  be wary of pick and mix approach to plugins, etc. •  find the right web partner
14. backing up •  back up database and uploaded files •  automate if possible •  have a version separate from web server •  if relying on hosting company check what's covered
15. managing change •  have a test site to check first - functionality & different browsers •  more frequent small steps are better than one big leap •  change is disruptive •  allow time
16. dealing with success •  likely to need expert help •  increase server resources - cheap & quick •  use something that already has dealt with issue •  optimise website - more expensive & takes time •  keep them updated about marketing/publicity
17. questions
18. thank you!