The Problem with Webmasters

While everyone wants a super deluxe design for their website it seems the pool of webmasters is very weak. Further, the experience level of most webmasters is very low overall.

Most webmasters focus on design, which is great. Many have incredible designs and eye catching websites. But without functionality they lack any usefulness to the website or business owner.

We have many webmasters call us and ask for FTP access which we do not provide. We run a closed system which provides security and reliability far above any open FTP hosting model. This is the model all of the large players are moving to in an effort to provide more reliable hosting that is unaffected by individual customers.

We all know that a server full of shopping sites will quickly crash when someone installs gaming software or page crawlers in their website. So every host struggles with preventing this type of activity. They meter website usage which slows down the good customers, they limit file sizes and numbers which limits website functionality the even qualify users based on content type ratios.

It is all very complicated but in the end the result is that there are no good shared hosting solutions for any business website. All of the open FTP hosts offer discount and unreliable services for people that need FTP access. Businesses are stuck with buying expensive dedicated servers, hiring programmers and techs to manage everything.

But the average small business cannot afford that and still needs a reliable and effective website.

So in come the "Online Site Builders" like pageBuzz.com. A tool anyone can use, offering unmatched reliability and a great price.

However, that is contrary to what the low end webmasters need. They typically build using a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver then upload pages using FTP.

Unfortunately, that will not work for 99% of the small businesses because the business owner are unable to add, modify or manage their pages. They are 100% Dependant on that webmaster and the files on the webmasters computer.

It is just not done that way anymore. Users are more tech savvy using facebook, twitter and such they have a better understanding and are not afraid to make changes and update their own websites.

So webmasters need to get out of the 90's and get with the program. They tend to stick with what they learned years ago and have not embraced the changes in technology to give modern customers what they need.

It is a running joke that businesses spend years trying to get their website opened. So much so that Quickbooks even ran a TV campaign making fun of the businesses that have waited 2 years for a website when they can actually have one the same day.

It is so true that the skill level of webmasters is very weak. Lacking in HTML, CSS and scripting skills and a basic understanding of coding. They are stuck with drag and drop tools and don't have the the ability to integrate programs or modify html of program templates to make websites unique.

Don't get me wrong, there are thousands of great webmasters, just look at the Internet, there are amazing websites everywhere. But there is also no test, no qualifier, no level to rate webmasters. So anyone with a computer and some cheap software from Walmart can advertise that they are a great webmaster.

That is the core problem with webmasters.

It is not like a Doctor that has been through 8 years of school, medical training, and year of experience. Webmasters pop up daily whenever someone needs to make money from home.

So it is up to the site owner hiring these webmasters to know when the webmaster is good or bad.

In my opinion if pageBuzz is too complicated for a webmaster to understand building custom templates, then that webmaster is not worth much and the business owner should look for better help.

If you move you website to a $10 a month open FTP host, you will have to install your own software and you will be on your own as you try to manage technology, make updates and run your business with no help. Helpless is not a great feeling when it comes to your own business.

In most cases, the webmaster has little or no understanding of the programming, shopping carts or other programs and bails on the client once they get paid for the initial design.

If the webmaster built the website on pageBuzz, even if they bail, the website owner still has full support from the company that writes the programs and manages the hosting. They can make changes, run programs and manage sales regardless of what the webmaster did.

In the case of the site on the cheap FTP host, the website owner has no ability to modify pages and is usually forced to hire another webmaster to make changes and typically, the new webmaster will use different software, need another host and charge the client for a whole new website.

This cycle of abuse suffered by small business owners can only be corrected in one way. The business owner needs to tell the webmaster, if you cannot design on what I need, you don't get the work.

Allowing a webmaster to dictate your business is a very big mistake. Depending on any one employee to make or break your business is just not a good idea. You would not let your store employee close your store at 10am to go to the beach, so why let a webmaster tell you to move your website because they are not skilled enough to give you what you want?

Using pageBuzz is not complicated. In fact, while we don't have FTP access, we do have HTTP access which is essentially the same, you can upload files just the same. But the webmasters are often lost if they don't know what button to push to publish the website.

It is certainly more complcated to build a dynamic interactive website than a static website on a WYSIWYG editor. But that is the reason you hire them, because they know more than you do, not less.

What happens when you call your webmaster and ask how to make a change and they don't know what button to push?

You are stuck looking for another webmaster to help you.

Don't get stuck in the cycle of abuse. Find a system that works for you and make your webmaster either deal with it or look for work from someone that does not know better.