One of the most common questions we get from our clients is “will I be able to update the site myself?”. The short answer is “Yes!”. We can add a customized, browser-based Web Editor to your site that you can access from anywhere with an Internet connection or you can select a powerful Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress providing you the ability to manage every aspect of your site independently.
Having said that, there are a number of things to consider when deciding who will keep your site up-to-date.
Web Site Maintenance: 5 Things to Consider
1. How Much Time and Energy Am I Prepared to Invest in Learning a New Skill?
Most people will require some training, either on their own using online videos and forums, or with their web developer. At Black Cap Design we provide everyone with a basic how-to document with instructions for managing the administrative dashboard of their new site. For example, it’s important to learn how to do occasional backups of your data; accidents happen and it’s a really good idea to have a backup of your website files just in case. For most of our clients, we also recommend they complete a customized 1-1 training session with Black Cap Design, an investment of 60-90 minutes. We also offer customized how-to training documents or video how-to guides.
2. How Would I Rate My General Computer Skills On a Scale From 1 – 10?
The amount of time it will take you to learn how to keep your site up-to-date, and to perform the actual updates will depend a lot on how much of a geek you are. If you are competent using a word processor like MS Word and can manage your own electronic files, you’ll be just fine. Troubleshooting problems will require a modest knowledge of HTML or a service call to get assistance. If you have doubts about your level of knowledge and skill, we’re happy to help you learn the ropes.
3. How Often Will I Be Updating the Site?
If you anticipate doing regular daily, weekly or even monthly updates, updating the site yourself is a great idea. If you’re only doing occasional updates, you won’t get much practise – in this case, you might be better off paying us to perform occasional updates for you. Note: updating your content regularly will improve your SEO.
4. What Will the Updates Generally Consist Of?
If updates will be limited to adding written content, managing the site on your own will be a breeze. Adding links to pages, other websites or PDF documents is also fairly straightforward.
If you’re updating images, keep in mind it will help a great deal to have an image editing program and the skills required to crop and resize your images before uploading them – otherwise the results could be undesirable. For information about options for editing your own images, contact us at at .
5. What Will This Cost?
Cost is always a factor. The cost of adding the Web Editor to a website starts at $300. The total cost to implement the editor depends on the number of editable pages required. The cost to set up a WordPress blog starts at $350 (for a basic installation) which includes 1 year of hosting. If you want an easy-to-manage website built on the WordPress CMS platform, please contact us for an estimate.
The alternative is having us do the updates for you (an hourly rate applies, billed in 15 minute increments.) Please contact us for more information .
In the end…
In the end, it comes down to this: if you have the time, inclination and motivation to do website updates yourself – go for it! If the idea of updating your site makes you want to set your hair on fire, leave the updates to us. We’re more than happy to keep your site looking great!