Comments on: 8 Priorities of a Well Run Web Site

By: Michael Hayes

Michael Hayes — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:35:00 +0000

Good post – I agree it’s important to get the fundamentals right from the start.

However, I would argue Analytics should be higher than 7.

If you don’t have analytics, you don’t know when you’ve got enough traffic! OK, so you still have server logs etc, but it’s best to put analytics in early so you don’t lose any historical data.

Plus I would argue that customer service is much easier when you know how your customer’s are using your site – so I reckon between #3 and #4 would be about right.

From reading another of your posts, maybe crawlability/checking robots.txt should be in there too!

By: Web Sites Gone Wild – Why Stuff Just Happens

Web Sites Gone Wild – Why Stuff Just Happens — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:10:55 +0000

[...] I call this blog The Well Run Site because I tend to write about a subject near and dear to my heart: how to run web sites properly, by forgetting the small stuff and stressing the importance of testing and monitoring, among other things. I’ve even published a prioritized list of things you should look after. [...]

By: Michael R. Johnston

Michael R. Johnston — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:59:08 +0000

Agreed that analytics are important. I’d likely put it somewhere between point #6 or point #7 because it makes no sense to be looking at analytics data until there is some real traffic to evaluate. I include points #1, #2, and #3 because, while the readers of this blog may or may not be handling these items themselves, they need to be aware of them and ask questions. Assuming backups, security, and monitoring are ‘taken care of’ when they’re not is a potential landmine.

Upon reflection, I think analytics really fits under category 7: site enhancements. Enhancing a site is an ongoing effort, one that must always be done with an eye towards measuring improvement. The only way of doing that is through the use of analytics tools.

By: Øyvind Henriksen

Øyvind Henriksen — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:50:28 +0000

I’d say setting up and monitoring the site performance in Google Analytics or similar belongs in the list as well. One could argue that it’s implied in the monitoring aspect, but it only has mention of the hosting bits as it is.

Analytics belongs before traffic building and site enhancements, as you want your conversion rates measured before you start working on improving them, and you want to calculate which results you’ll get from the traffic you’re getting.
When I plan someone’s web project, I like starting with the measured goals in analytics, it makes the running of the site a bit more tangible.

Also, if you are a non-techie and run a website, and got a company to develop and host your site, then I’d argue that that company should also be responsible for point 1-3?

By: autom

autom — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:21:13 +0000

great points Michael! i would agree 100% to these key bullets. also, as a strong advocate of contigency planning, i’m with you on how critical it is to always ensure a back up plan/system is in place.