In my initial blog (The Rebirth of A Blog), I referred to my the premature death of my first website.
When I hired qualified people to design my first website, I expected a visually attractive and promotable site.
I got the visually attractive part of the equation...but the promotable feature was missing.
Search Engine Friendly...Not!
When I started to research promoting the site, I learned about such concepts as 'keyword', 'Search Engine Optimization', 'page rankings'.
The more I learned about these and similar terms, the more I began to understand the extent of the problems I faced with the site.
Having agreed that the designer would also look after ongoing maintenance, whenever I had a question about my site...and I had many...I had to email him.
Because he had a full-time IT job in a large corporation, his responses to my questions were not always timely.
As a result, I researched my questions myself and tried to reconcile my answers with what I found by looking at the source coding on my site.
Long story short...my site had not been set-up to accommodate the factors necessary for search engine listings.
Failed Expectations
Although disappointed with the lack of what I now realize are key technical elements of site design, I was not surprised. Like everyone who has ever purchased services, I have paid many suppliers only to find that their services failed to meet expectations.
What was most frustrating was how dependent I felt on the willingness and ability of others to do what they said they could...in order for to do what I wanted and needed to achieve my goals.
Some how it seemed that it order for me to achieve what I wanted, I had to depend on some one else to to deliver a key service.
This left me vulnerable to their being ready willing and able to help me when I needed it....which is not a good feeling for those of us who value independence.
A Silver Lining
However, as is often the case with negative situations, there was a silver lining to my first website experience.
During my research about website promotion, I learned about systems that would allow newbies like myself to develop and maintain search engine friendly websites.
I chose Site Sell, which as it turns out is also quite useful for real estate agents. (To learn more about how you can build your own website see http://www.real-estate-marketing-link.info/real-estate-marketing-link/unique_website.html).
A DIY Website
After 6 months of building my own website, I've learned that building and maintaining unique and technically sound websites can be do-it-yourself (DIY) projects.
As well as the joy of creating my own site there are 2 other positive outcomes.
First, I am no longer dependent upon some one else to perform web design and maintenance
Specifically, I can and will look after my website myself...something that feels great to say.
And second, having realized that I can look after my site, I find myself wondering how many other things I don't do because I don't think I can.
By opening the door to a DIY website, it seems that I have also cast some light other things that I probably could do....with a change in attitude and some reasonable effort.
Now that's exciting...fasten the seatbelt...it's going to be a fun ride.
;)
;)
;)
I was considering taking a class in beginning html for some of the same reasons.