[caption id=”attachment_123” align=”alignleft” width=”200” caption=”Mike Holmes - contractor superstar”][/caption]

I was recently asked by a client to have a look at a website they were responsible for. The site is not owned by the client in this case, it was part of their service offered to their client. The website suffered from many problems and still needs to be completed. I outlined what needed to be done, and the analogy of the TV show ‘Holmes on Homes’ struck me as a pretty similar story.

For those that don’t know, ‘Holmes on Homes’ is a show where people have hired contractors for home renovations, only to find various problems afterwards. Mike comes in, rips it apart, shows not only the surface problems but what lies underneath, fixes it right and gives it back to the now happy homeowners. His motto is Make it Right and he lives up to it.

In web design, and especially in cases like what I described above it’s a very similar story that I keep running into. Sometimes people hire web designers/developers to put together a website, only to have the project drag out for months, and even over a year in some cases. Sometimes they get an end product, sometimes they don’t. Many times the web contractor may have gotten in over their head, used outdated technology, missed many points of good web design, the list goes on. The end result is a frustrated business owner whose website is doing more damage than good and has wasted huge amounts of time and money. It explains why many business owners are still hesitant to take their web presence to the next level, and I don’t blame them a bit. Much like the homeowner who wants to renovate their basement, if you don’t know the first thing about construction it’s difficult to get the right person for the job, and sometimes they attempt it themselves because at least they know they won’t rip themselves off. The same can be said about website design and construction.

I suspect the reasons that contractors and web designers drag out jobs, half-ass finish them, cover up shoddy work and then remain elusive when trying to contact them are similar. They got in over their head, didn’t have the experience or the knowledge, assumed it would be easier than it was, or in some cases really just don’t care. In some cases they are part time and life’s other priorities take over.

Mike Holmes usually strips out what’s on top to verify the underlying structure can handle it, and if not he tears that apart too and corrects it. The same thing applies with websites, fixing what’s on the surface is a band-aid if the underlying structure is going to give problems later on. Proper website structure gives a longer lifespan and makes it easier to maintain and modify later on, just like house structure. You don’t have to rip it all apart every year to fix it. Just like Mike has the wiring and plumbing done properly when the structure is exposed, so should website mechanics be addressed like CSS and scripting. When putting it all back together, attention should also be paid to finishing touches; properly done graphics and typography, well done tiling and painting.

So, ask yourself this; when fixing up your website, do you want a quick cover-up job done and ignore the underlying problems, or do you want to Make it Right?