In my years of web development, I have seen this happen time and again. But what could have been done to make these failures successful? This article will explain several of the common pitfalls and how they can be avoided.

Pitfall Number 1: Failure to Plan
Remember the 5 P’s: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. One of the biggest problems that plagues unsuccessfull websites is failure to plan. Running a web-based business is no different than running any other business, so you will need to do competitive research, budgeting and planning of the financials, and plan out who will do what to make the website successful.

Pitfall Number 2: Not listening to the Experts
Another huge mistake web-entrepreneurs make quite often is not following the advice of the experts. Since there is such an explosion of new businesses on the web, it is very safe to make the assertion that many of the shot-callers in these businesses do not have much experience with web-based business models or industry best practices. Many of them make the mistake of insisting on having a feature on their site that is either unproductive or counterproductive to the goals of the site. While working as a web developer, many times I have seen a client insist on a certain feature that we warned was a bad idea, but instead of minding the advice of an experienced agency, the client demands it be a certain way. Of course, the advice of one agency should not always be taken as gospel. The best way to avoid this pitfall is to become an expert yourself or seek the advice of several advisers, then decide for yourself.

Pitfall Number 3: Assuming everyone will flock to the site once it is live
The cliche,”If you build it, they will come,” is an outright lie. That’s right, the truth is, no one cares about your site when you get it up. You will have to make them care about it. There are many ways to get the word out, some expensive ways and some very affordable or free. One of the easiest ways to get the word out is through word of mouth, or even through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Some of the more expensive ways are pay-per-click campaigns or affiliate ads. Experiment on what works the best for your site, but remember, more expensive does not always mean more effective. If you do use the more costly methods, be sure to monitor the results to make sure your money is being spent wisely.

Pitfall Number 4: Failure to make adjustments once live
Everything up to the point of launch is speculation. The site launch marks a turning point in your business strategy, since at that point the focus is now on experimentation. For your site to be successful, you must evaluate the site based on the traffic and user feedback. From these you can determine what adjustments to make to the site in order to improve it. Remember, your site will only be successful if you give the users what they want.

We have given several of the pitfalls that are common on the web that cause a web site to fail. If your have been the victim of any of them, don’t get discouraged! It is never too late to evaluate your site and make the adjustments and start the right habits from now on. With a little work and focus, You can turn around an unsuccessful site into a thriving one, and learn from your mistakes in the future.

So Many Options…
There are several options when it comes to getting your website developed.

1. Develop it yourself – This is a good option if you already have some knowledge of web development or would like to learn. Some projects such as blogs and informational sites can be set up with an open source framework such as WordPress and Joomla. There are numerous inexpensive templates for some of these applications that can be easily customized by someone with a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS. If you are developing a more customized application, or do not have the time or patience to delve into the technical stuff, you can consider the other options.
2. Hire a freelancer – Freelancers can be a good inexpensive option. Freelancers can charge a much lower hourly rate than full-service agencies since most of them do not have to pay for an office or employees. Also, many of them are developers for an agency during the day, so you could have the same developer working on your site as if you paid a larger company big bucks to do the same work. The downside is that since there is only one developer working on the project, and often they are only freelancing part-time, so on larger projects there may be a longer turn-around.
3. Hire an agency – Agencies can offer a full range of services, everything from design and development all the way to different types of on-line marketing. They have teams of workers and can offer a wide range of expertise. They can also be very expensive.

Tips to ensure your developer is competent
Contracting a competent developer, whether it is a freelancer or an agency, can be tricky. Many of them are very good at selling but no so great at delivering. Beware when you are given a quote before you have explained the details of what you are wanting done. Many agencies will make assumptions about the project and get you to sign a contract, and when you finally get to discussing the details, they will tell you they were not included. Or worse, they deliver a final product that is sub-par and try to charge you extra to fix it. Be sure to ask to see examples of projects similar to yours and for details on those projects – price, time-frame, etc. so that you can see if they are being realistic about yours. Also be sure to get ALL of the details in writing before signing a contract. If you have not discussed and put a feature in the contract, don’t expect for it to be in the final product.

The best way to ensure success is to talk with several developers and compare. A good developer will offer advice and make recommendations rather than just agree to do whatever you ask them to. There are many out there that are just out to make a quick buck and are not concerned about the quality of the product they deliver. Ask them their opinion about all of your ideas for the site. If they agree to everything and do not make any other recommendations, this should be a red flag.

Hiring the right developer can be a critical part of the success of your on-line business. Choosing the wrong one can be a very costly mistake that could can easily be avoided by taking the right steps to ensure success. Be sure to get everything in writing and ask a lot of questions. Follow the tips in this article and you will have a good chance of success in the development of you website.