Wearing Many Hats as a Web Site Owner
If you've run a Web site for very long, no doubt you've
discovered that the process of actually building your site is
only the beginning of your challenge in creating a successful
Web business.
It takes a lot more than knowledge of HTML to get a successful
site up and running. Veteran site owners eventually become aware
of the fact that one must excel in a number of areas in order to
earn a living on the Net.
These include:
1. You must be familiar with at least the basics of HTML and
other aspects of page building.
2. Additionally, it's important to learn the nuances of the
various search engines out there and to become familiar with how
to give your site the best exposure possible through them.
3. You must also become familiar with the Web's various revenue
opportunities and learn how to properly implement them on your
site, as well as get the most bang for your buck.
And all of this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
running a Web business. Depending on the format of your site,
you may also have to learn specialized tasks, ranging from how
to ensure that you have a stable hosting environment to learning
how to set up and run a database.
As time goes on, it can all seem quite overwhelming. A
successful Web site owner must indeed learn to be a jack of all
trades. I'm often asked by fellow site owners for tips and
advice on how one can juggle so many duties successfully.
It's been my experience over the years, that it's best to not
try to do everything yourself, once your site is up and going
and well established. Over the years, I've developed numerous
relationships with other Webmasters, each of whom typically
excels in one area of expertise. In effect, my colleagues and I
have built up a common pool of knowledge that we share among
ourselves.
These days, I'm much more likely to farm out a given specialized
task to someone who excels in that area, rather than try to
stumble through the process myself.
It's a far cry from 1995, when I first set up shop on the Web.
In those days, I did everything myself: from writing the HTML to
installing CGI scripts to creating my own custom graphic images,
etc.
So the question remains: how many hats should a Web site owner
try to wear? I think the answer lies in how far along you are in
the development of your Web business.
If you only recently started a Web site, I think it's important
to do everything yourself initially. You should become familiar
with at least the basics of every aspect of Webmastering. Even
if you're planning to farm out such work eventually, it's
important for you to at least know the basics, at the outset.
It'll save you a great deal of grief, over the long term.
This holds true, even if you have a budget and you plan to pay
to have work, such as HTML coding, done on a commercial basis.
If you know at least the basics of a given task, you're likely
going to get more bang for your buck if you pay to have someone
else do it. If the process of coding HTML (or any other aspect
of Webmastering) is a complete mystery to you, then you leave
yourself wide open to getting a poor deal, if you're paying
someone to do it.
The analogy is the same as if you take your car into a garage to
get it repaired. If you're reasonably knowledgeable about the
basics of auto maintenance, the odds increase that you'll get
the repair job done right, and for a fair price.
At the same time, you should work hard to build up relationships
with other Web site owners (preferably those who are roughly at
the same stage of development with their sites as you are). As
time goes on, you can share tips and advice and even specialized
tasks.
If you try your hand at all aspects of running a Web site, then
in time, you'll inevitably discover which tasks that you have a
knack for. In my case, I discovered early on that my HTML and
programming skills were mediocre---but that I had a talent for
writing copy, site layout and site promotion.
These days, I rarely write raw HTML code any more. I farm that
work out to my colleagues who are HTML gurus. In return, I can
offer them my help in tasks in the areas that I do well in.
On the other hand, I know enough about the basics of HTML to
where I can go in and make tweaks and adjustments to a page, if
need be.
The bottom line is: if you want to succeed as a Web site owner,
then it's important to learn the basics of all aspects of
running a site early on.
Then, as time goes on, you can work to develop a network of
friends and colleagues that you can share tasks and projects
with, as your site grows and develops. And you'll be in much
better shape to protect yourself from being scammed if you
decide to pay someone to do Webmaster-related tasks for you.
Equally crucially, you'll know at least enough about the basics
of various Webmaster tasks that, in a pinch, you'll be able to
jump in yourself and tweak or fix things in a pinch, instead of
having to rely on someone else to get a crucial project done
quickly.