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The UX might not be great, but at least it establishes a floor for how bad the company’s web presence will be. I can’t count the number of supposed company webs

The UX might not be great, but at least it establishes a floor for how bad the company’s web presence will be. I can’t count the number of supposed company websites I’ve encountered that are totally broken, or replaced by a parked domain because they probably haven’t paid their bills for 10 years, or literally using a flash embed that browsers don’t support any more, etc. I’d honestly rather see the social media profile. It’s unlikely to be broken and it’s more likely to be up to date.

londons_explore 5y ago
This is key. For small businesses, their web presence must require no ongoing costs, be in the same walled garden that the users look in, and no expertise to set up or edit. Small businesses that have paid a web developer to make them a website rarely get a good return on their investment.
- tentacleuno 5y ago
  > Small businesses that have paid a web developer to make them a website rarely get a good return on their investment. What if they make their own website? It's relatively easy these days, depending on what you want to do (and if it isn't, there are packages to help!).
  - type0 5y ago
    Let's say a barista have to update the instagram account their cafeteria, requiring them to update a WP site is millions more effort taxing on the employee and means they won't do it (at least not on their private phone as it's expected). Must be one of the reasons I often see those overly huge signs "follow us on instagram" so often.
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    I've been in this position myself (as someone with an engineering background!!), and it's a matter of effort vs. return. Far fewer customers care about a website than an active social media profile, and the effort required to maintain them, secure them and set them up is orders of magnitude higher. If you're a growing small business, there are typically much better ways to invest your time.
- drivingmenuts 5y ago
  Easy is a relative term, though. Establishing presence on the internet for a person who knows their business extremely well can be just a big of a mystery as using a fax machine is to me, a full-blown programmer. I have a wierd blind-spot when it comes to fax machine usage.

londons_explore 5y ago

This is key. For small businesses, their web presence must require no ongoing costs, be in the same walled garden that the users look in, and no expertise to set up or edit. Small businesses that have paid a web developer to make them a website rarely get a good return on their investment.

tentacleuno 5y ago
> Small businesses that have paid a web developer to make them a website rarely get a good return on their investment. What if they make their own website? It's relatively easy these days, depending on what you want to do (and if it isn't, there are packages to help!).
- type0 5y ago
  Let's say a barista have to update the instagram account their cafeteria, requiring them to update a WP site is millions more effort taxing on the employee and means they won't do it (at least not on their private phone as it's expected). Must be one of the reasons I often see those overly huge signs "follow us on instagram" so often.
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  I've been in this position myself (as someone with an engineering background!!), and it's a matter of effort vs. return. Far fewer customers care about a website than an active social media profile, and the effort required to maintain them, secure them and set them up is orders of magnitude higher. If you're a growing small business, there are typically much better ways to invest your time.
drivingmenuts 5y ago
Easy is a relative term, though. Establishing presence on the internet for a person who knows their business extremely well can be just a big of a mystery as using a fax machine is to me, a full-blown programmer. I have a wierd blind-spot when it comes to fax machine usage.