Every business worth its salt deserves a respectable online presence. Because, apart from being its showcase where everyone can look in through to see what’s on offer, a website is also the best way the business can promote itself in a world where everything has gone online.
Therefore, the person responsible for such a critical asset (yes, a website is a tool and hence an asset) should not only be up to the job, he or she should actually excel and be a step ahead of the competition. But unfortunately, finding such a “guru” is tough in a business where websites can be created in a matter of minutes using tools that require minimal tech knowhow.
So, the question arises: what do you look for when hiring a new webmaster for your business website? The answer lies in finding the right person who fulfills as many of the following criteria as possible:
Business Knowledge
A webmaster isn’t just a person who sits in front of a computer all day and churns out digital products as ordered. Just like every person employed in your business, they too should know how things are done. They should have, at least, mid-level knowledge about your processes from start to finish. It is only when they know how things are done that they can write programs which mimic them in the digital world. Otherwise, the trial and error way of doing things could prove to be costly.
A Proven Track Record
Look for a webmaster that has created sites you would like yours too look and perform like. If you manage to get them to work for you, you already have 50 percent of your worries taken care of because they will know the code needed to make your site work as it should. What’s left is mostly decorative work.
Good Programming Skills
Web designing isn’t simply about putting a static page up anymore. They have become machines that actually do work – from sales and communication to statistics and advanced data manipulation – and the code that goes into them requires the skills of a coder with advanced programming skills.
And that’s not all, as technology continuously evolves, the coder should also be able to quickly adopt and own new methods and ways of doing things – even if they have to study a whole new programming language from scratch.
Fast Turnaround Time
Anyone can eventually master doing anything – given the right amount of time. But in a world where businesses never completely close down and clients are available across the 24 time zones, being able to make a modification or implement a new app could mean the difference between making it or losing it all to the competition.
A webmaster should be able to write code as quickly as the job demands it. Make sure you test their turnaround time by simulating scenarios in your business.
Good SEO Skills
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an integral part of a website’s lifecycle. Without it, you’d just end up with an obscure site people will only stumble upon by mistake. It will be buried so low by search engines not even Google will be able to find it, and that’s saying a lot.
Your webmaster should have an SEO plan right from the get go. Even as they perform their daily routines, they should carve out a dedicated time for promoting your website, no matter how busy they may be.
Remember, this isn’t a one-time task with an end – it’s on-going for the lifetime of the website.
Innovative Ideas
Being a business person, you probably will have the biggest say on how your site should work and what it should do. But, a good webmaster will have enough experience under his belt to put some innovative ideas on the table for you to consider.
Although they might be reluctant to part with the new ideas before you have put them on your payroll, they should be able to tell you what could possibly be done to improve your existing site or have a “wish list” of what your new one should do.
Of course, they should also be able to deliver on those ideas – within a reasonable amount of time – once they are on your clock.
Security Conscious
Websites – big and small – are hacked every single day. A magic key that will lock all trespassers out will probably never be created. But your webmaster should be able to give even the most experienced of hackers a run for their money.
A test should be given them to find out what they plan to do to secure your website and how they will handle a security breach, should it occur. They should also be well-versed on all levels of data protection (using both hardware and software technology) and disaster recovery even after incurring 100 percent data loss.
Even if you decide to hire a candidate that doesn’t meet all of the mentioned criteria above, you should make sure that they will be able to make up for it in the shortest amount of time and the correct training you will provide them.
