Managed web services
For every business there is a unique need and budget when it comes to website design, development and management. Once your site is launched it is important to ensure that it is managed correctly. Large companies have dedicated in house web masters and personnel. For smaller companies this may not be practical or indeed cost effective.
In addition to web design and development, I also offer web hosting, web hosting with website content management system (CMS) and a range of managed web services to ensure that your site is attaining its full potential. All to often lots of time and money are invested in the development of a website only for it not to achieve its potential due to insufficient or poor management after its launch.
The level of service required depends on the type of site, its expectations and of course your budget.
Here are a couple of web project scenarios highlighting the type of hosting and managed web services that could be utilised:
www.a-company.co.uk wants a simple static website with 20 pages and a contact form. A static site can only be changed by modifying the .html pages so is only really suited if minimal updates are required and pages are not going to change on a regular basis.
A basic hosting package would be suitable for such a site as very little management, if any, is required. Once the site has been created it is simply uploaded to the web server and made live. The .html files can be easily stored off-site and are compatible with most web servers.
However, as website technologies develop, clients and web users expect more and more from sites. Often a static site is not sufficient and would not meet the needs of its target audience. This is where dynamic websites come in. www.a-charity.com wants more interactivity from their website. They need the ability to update the site easily via a content management system (CMS), to add-on modules such as news areas, forums and eCommerce, and to continue to develop the site as technologies advance and emerge.
A dynamic website is connected to a data source that allows content to change based on the information in that data source. The pages that the user sees come from that data source and are constantly changing. A dynamic website is more complex than a static site and as such the client may require a managed web service. At the very least the client will require web hosting with CMS. This hosting package could be sufficient if the client has personnel within the organisation dedicated to the ongoing management of the website. Alternatively, the client may opt for a managed web service package that offers a range of additional benefits. My Premium and Ultimate package include the following:
- offsite back up of website html structure
- back-up area for your original format web text and images
- back up of CMS database
- review of website and advice report
- advice on site map and navigation
- advice on search engine optimisation
- site verified and monitored with Google webmaster tools
- Google Analytics site statistics
For more detailed information and pricing on my web hosting and managed web service packages please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please note: My websites are hosted on a dedicated server by Rackspace, one of the largest hosting providers in the world. No other companies have access to this server. Rackspace has an excellent reputation and offer a second to none support service. As a web developer I have confidence and trust in this company. I can therefore pass this confidence on to you. If a site grows to big for shared server space then I would refer the client directly to Rackspace for their own dedicated server. I can continue to offer managed web services f