The Stray dog
It might have been lost, turned up on your doorstep one day and decided to stay. You might have moved into a new home and it appeared out of nowhere, taking over and behaving as if it belongs.
However you acquire it, stray dogs have some common characteristics. They're initially friendly, you have no idea who their parents are, you cannot tell how they're going to behave or whether they'll be a risk to your family. Despite looking reasonable, you also can't tell if they have some lurking illness or a genetic weakness that will only show itself at the worst possible time.
Finally, despite costing nothing to acquire, they're likely to turn out very expensive to bring to health and to maintain.
The Stray website
A stray dog website is usually acquired in one of two ways. Either you've taken over a business that came complete with the website, or the previous responsible person - perhaps a developer - moved on and left you carrying the can.
A common problem is that although you can see the website, you have no idea as to what was behind it - what it was supposed to do and how it fitted into the business when it was built. Usually the original developer has disappeared and nobody can find the original files from which it was built. Often the hosting password has been lost, too.
A stray website has often been built by a friend or relative who did you or the previous business owner a favour. But now they've moved on, leaving you to figure out what the thinking was behind the original design.
Perhaps you've just decided to change your business image, and you realise that the website bears no resemblance to the way you want your business to be promoted, and you cannot access the background knowledge or original developers you need to make the necessary changes.
Like many strays, you might eventually discover that the website just doesn't work. You get no enquiries from it, and it's a bit old as well. Search engine optimisation won't help, because you certainly don't want visitors coming to something you'd rather hide.
One thing's for sure about stray dog websites - they do more harm than good for their owners.
How to recognise when you've ended up with a stray website
- Your customers are telling you that you'd better do something about your website.
- You need to make changes but you can't locate the original designer.
- You need to make changes but you can't get access to the original files.
- Prospects are enquiring about obsolete products.
- The business you've taken over needs a new image.
- You've taken over a business and the old website isn't what you hoped.
- You've become responsible for an old website and it needs a complete make-over.
- Your off-line advertising has a different look and feel to your website.
How to ensure a thoroughbred website
SnapSite will work with you through each of the important steps to website success. We can help you develop operational and strategic business battle plans that will give your business the potent advantage of having more than just a website.
Snapsite provide strategies, systems and services to take your business beyond the limitations of just having a website