With every website project, we must plan our attack before taking action. This reminds me of the old saying: ‘Measure twice, cut once.’ Whether you’re creating a brand new website or just trying to fix an old one, outlining the priorities before doing any work is crucial.

Over the years, we’ve come into contact with numerous website issues and situations for all types of different companies, and we approach each with an open mind, making suggestions based on past experiences. Inquiries for helping businesses manage older/existing websites might want very specific updates or modifications—and rightfully so.

Before working with a business’s website, we tell everyone the same thing: ‘anything is possible, but we’ll help make updates and changes that follow ‘The Rules.’ If a requested update doesn’t follow The Rules, we’ll need to identify the intended or desired goal and achieve it in a different way that does follow The Rules.’ We make knowledge-based decisions based on past experiences.

It’s not uncommon for there to be additional updates that the business might not know about, like broken links or dead pages, that shouldn’t be ignored. We do not keep these hidden, as glaring errors hurt a website and a business’s digital reputation more than some know. Satisfying the business’s request for immediate updates and refinements can be achieved, but addressing anything additional that could be damaging is also a priority.

It’s also not uncommon that fixing an old website typically costs more than rebuilding a newer, more advanced one. This isn’t the issue with every website, but depending on the scope or amount of edits, the amount of time required to make adjustments could take longer than creating a newer, more technologically-advanced website that allows for quicker future updates and modifications. It’s always a judgment call, but something I suggest when seen fit.

With new website projects, the process is much easier because we’re starting from scratch. It’s as easy backing brownies. First, we choose the recipe. Then, gather the ingredients, prep and mix content, bake up the pages, and test to make sure it’s good before we serve it up. BUT it’s still a prioritized process.

So before starting any project on a website, we prioritize before taking action. And yes, if you found this article, and are looking for someone to help you update and/or build a website, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Written by Carl Foisy