Question

Topic: Other

Website Management Services, Good Investment?

Posted by Anonymous on 11/14/2011 at 10:40 PM ET 125 Points
Even as a small start-up, it is hard and time-consuming to keep our website (https://ecorebates.com) up-to-date with fresh content and new features. I know there are contract web management companies that handle content updates, etc. but don't have experience with them. Does anyone know of good firms, reasonable prices, and expected outcomes? When does it make sense to use these services vs. just carving out time/resource to do it in-house?
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  • Posted by Sher Miller on 11/15/2011 at 6:05 PM Accepted
    I can't recommend a firm, because I like to have face-to-face meetings with whoever I'm considering for a role like that, but most of the hosting companies (network solutions, ipage, godaddy, etc.) offer some kind of maintenance package if that isn't a concern for you - the facetime, I mean. When I'm trying to make a decision of this kind, it really comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. You really need to look at the following:

    1) Size of the project - if it's short-term it's probably more cost effective to outsource; if it's long-term you're probably going to want to keep it in-house.
    2) An in-house person will be more familiar with strategic objectives and target audience, while the outsourced agency may have a better grasp of the industry as a whole.
    3) An in-house staff may have a general knowledge of websites and design while the outsourced agency will have an entire staff, many of whom will be specialized and be able to give greater insight into areas such as social media, page rankings, or UI.
    4) An in-house person will be more responsive, but may not be able to look at the web site with a new perspective. An external agency will bring a fresh perspective but may have other clients to juggle.
    5) An in-house staff may very well be happy with the skills they have and may be too busy to keep up with current trends and technologies, but also have an investment in ensuring the site is promoted internally. An external agency must stay current so their offerings will be more cutting edge, and they may offer a higher standard of quality.

    So...again...it really depends on where your focus is. Which of these things is most important to you? Is it more important to be cutting edge or keep the strategic objectives at the forefront? And this certainly isn't a black or white proposition. There are plenty of services out there that would be thrilled to work out some kind of partnership with you where they provide the overall picture of the industry and what's going on there with regard to functionality, while you provide the in-house staff who implements the ideas or plans.

    Hope this helps.
  • Posted on 11/19/2011 at 6:04 PM Author
    Thanks for the responses. I had not previously considered a Virtual Assistant and so will look into that. Also - as shermiller 13 noted, it is always a balancing act. I would like to find something more than what I would get hosting company maintenance and yet not a full-service ($$) agency. The perfect balance between having an engaging site, both functionally and content but not having to expend resources beyond what is feasible for a start up. I will keep searching for that right mix.
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