If you are researching different technologies, tools, web firms or web hosting companies it is easy to become confused. Many online tools and hosting companies make claims which can seem almost too good to be true. Some explain what they offer in such a way that it can be easily misinterpreted. Take a look at some of these examples to understand some of the most common scenarios which are misinterpreted.
iPhone Analogy
Let’s take the new ‘iPhone 4S’ and jeans (pants) analogy. Imagine if a jeans company decided that they will start a new ad campaign claiming that their new style of jeans is compatible with the new iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S can slide right inside the pocket! It fits perfectly! Well, realistically almost all jean pockets can fit an iPhone 4S. It simply sounds more appealing because they are leveraging the popularity of that new technology. Without going into too much technical jargon, instances like this are very common. An online web service will make a claim about their service being compatible with the latest technology when really it is nothing special. Without an in depth understanding of web technology it can be very difficult to determine what is a relevant feature and what is not.
If a hosting company claimed that their hosting is compatible with jQuery then this really is not anything special. jQuery is a ‘front end’ technology which runs in the web browser. The hosting has nothing to do with it. All hosting companies are compatible with jQuery. However, if the hosting company claimed that their servers run PHP 5.3 then this is a legitimate, useful claim. Some hosting companies are still running older versions of this technology which may limit functionality. Unless you have an in depth understanding of web technology it can be difficult to decipher what information is useful and what is not. If you would like to understand more about web hosting you can check out this great resource.
Domain Registration
When you create a website you will need to register a domain name (www.example.com). Some web firms will offer to do this for you. This may seem like a generous offering to help ease your work load but it is very important to register your domain name in your business or organization’s name. Having the web firm register the domain for you will be like having a real estate agent register your house in their name. They would essentially own your domain and can used this against you if you ever try to use another web firm later on.
Mobile Websites
Mobile websites are becoming increasingly popular due to the increase in use of mobile web browsing. You should know that by default ALL websites are viewable on web enabled smart phones and tablets. You should not be paying anything extra for this. However, it is possible to make a mobile specific version of your site which is designed and structured specifically for the social context and limited screen size of mobile devices. It is important to know what you are paying for and not be mislead. If you are interested in a mobile website, Web Rock Star does provide this service.
Site Builders
A ‘website builder’ or ‘site builder’ is an online tool which allows you to build a website with no programming knowledge. These are very common and vary in quality. Even Google has a site builder service (sites.google.com). They can get your site up and running very fast with little or no cost at all. However, you should know that you are very limited with what you can do with a ‘site builder’ site both visually and functionally. If you have little or no budget and want something up quick, this might be right for you. If you wanted something more custom, a site builder is likely not right for you. It is important to know what the limitations of site builders are.
In general, any service or technology which claims ‘no programming knowledge required’ or ‘designer friendly’ generally means ‘very inflexible’ and ‘limited in functionality and customization’.
HTML5 and CSS3 Trap
HTML5 and CCS3 are the latest standards in HTML markup and CSS styling respectively. Web Rock Star utilizes the additional features and functionality that these technologies bring. However, it is important to be aware that older browsers such as Internet Explorer version 7 and 8 do not support any HTML5 tags or CSS3 styling. When choosing a web firm to work with, it is important to make sure they know how to accommodate for these older browser. If they do not do this it can result in unpredictable and broken layouts. This is a very important step since about 30% – 40% of internet traffic still comes from these older browsers.
Code Validation
Code validation refers to ensuring that the code a webpage is composed of is properly structured and is implemented according to the W3C standards (is accordance with the doctype that is specified for that web page). The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has a validation tool where web pages can be tested to see if it passes a validation test. This can be found at http://validator.w3.org/ . This tool is not perfect. It is a useful tool for developers to see what may be causing bugs or display issues on a webpage. However, it does have a tendency to invalidate webpages that have complex coding or are using some social media plugins. All of the major websites I have tested do not pass the validation test. I invite you to test out websites like google.com, facebook.com, ebay.com, twitter.com, youtube.com and run them through the tester yourself.
Wrong CMS For Your Project
Sometimes a web firm will recommend a CMS for your project when it is really not the most appropriate choice. It may be the case that it is the only CMS that firm is familiar with. When the only tool you have available is a hammer, then for every task it seems like a hammer is needed. This can be a vary dangerous scenario. Take this analogy:
Imagine if a real estate company is seeking a construction company to build a 20 story apartment building with a pool on the roof. The construction company they hire only knows how to build basic apartment buildings that are 10 stories high with no extras (such as a pool on the roof). Construction starts. The construction company sets the foundation for the apartment building to support 10 stories (because that is all they know) and hooks up the water supply lines to the city’s water system to support only apartment buildings (no pool). Construction is complete. All the tenants notice that the water pressure from the faucets is very low. People also notice the foundation is starting to crumble because of the additional weight. Because all of these problems are at the core, in most cases there is not much that can be done but to demolish the entire building, hire another construction company that knows what they are doing and build it properly from the start.
This happens a lot when you choose the wrong CMS for a web project. This is particularly important if your website requires multilingual URLs or you plan on having a mobile version of your website (either at the time of project initiation or at a later date).
Website Hosting
Some web firms offer website hosting in addition to creating your website. Based on my experience, I have found that whether you get hosting directly though a web hosting company or through a web firm, both offer roughly the same price. However, working with a web hosting company directly you have greater control over your website hosting and everything is in your name and not the web firm. 95% of web firms that offer hosting are offering hosting services through a ‘re seller program’ where their name and brand is masking the hosting company that is really hosting your website. There is nothing really wrong with this, it is basically buying ‘hosting packages’ in bulk and selling them at slightly higher prices to customers. Just like how a convenience store may buy a 48 pack of chocolate bars and sell them individually at a slightly higher price than the total. You should simply be aware of how they work.
Hosting of websites is something Web Rock Star usually does not do since it is usually best to have everything in the client’s name. However, if this is something you would really like, it would be very easy for me to do this for you.
However, for very large scale project there can be a benefit to having the hosting handled for you. Very large scale, complex projects may have specific hosting requirements. It may be better to have a developer handle all of the configuration details of the hosting.
You Don’t Have to Pay to be in Search Results
If you are not familiar with how search results listing work (For example, google.com search result listings) then it can be easy to confuse the paid advertisement service with the free, natural listings (known as organic search results). Having your website listed in the organic search results does not cost any money. The paid advertisement program (Google’s is called AdSense) is a separate feature.
Google also has their own guidelines when choosing a SEO specialist to work with: Choosing an SEO specialist.
No Developers on Staff
If you check out the Different Companies, Different Services page you will see that development is the most time consuming task of a web project. In addition, it is very hard to find people with these skills. This results in some web firms claiming they offer development services when really they sub contract or outsource these services. This results in higher prices and are prone to communication errors.
False Claims in Work Portfolio
Based on my experience, this issue is usually only relevant with some freelancers. Essentially this involves making false claims about work that they have done or projects they have completed. If their portfolio of work looks outstanding yet their own website looks amateurish then this should raise a red flag. Always be sure to check references from previous work when working with a new web professional.