Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/117069
Tech Talk 10 Must Maintenance Tips for a Healthy Website By David Lim on , e-com m er ce Solution s Specialist david@davidlim on .com pdates to your website should be addressed in a prompt manner, but if you���re like me, you tend to get stuck in a daily routine of addressing what���s in front of you and pushing the less important tasks to the back burner.Thus,web maintenance often finds its way to the bottom of our ���to-do��� list���or, in some cases, bumped off the list. Unfortunately, in this instance, the old adage doesn���t apply. What you don���t know can hurt you. Outdated information can be a big deterrent to potential customers and may cost you more than you know. Following the 10 steps in this article is a big step in making sure that visitors find current information about you, the products you carry, and your services when they come to your website. In addition to including these 10 items in your monthly and annual website maintenance routine, I recommend adding them to your Outlook or Google calendar as a recurring reminder to ensure they do not fall off of your to-do list. U 22 FEDA New s & View s Monthly Maintenance: Be forewarned: The items listed as monthly maintenance have a tendency to change more frequently or are such a huge task that it could take a course of a year to complete when addressed on a monthly schedule. 1. Price Updates���The rising cost of fuel and metals greatly impact operating costs for manufacturers.This, combined with dealer importing on the rise and various other challenges, has forced manufacturers to scramble to remain profitable. As a result,the juggling act of staying competitive and being profitable can sometimes mean implementing price changes more than once a year. Because of this,it���s important to check for price updates on a monthly basis rather than on an annual basis like the good old days. I���ve found signing up for AutoQuotes��� newsletter is a great way to stay ahead of the curve, as just about every factory reports their price changes to AutoQuotes. Of course, signing up for manufacturer newsletters or calling factories regularly are the best way to stay in the loop; just be sure to add this maintenance tip to your calendar as a monthly recurrence so it���s not forgotten. 2. Product Changes ��� Over the course of a year, a manufacturer can make changes to a product or discontinue an item altogether. Here are three product changes you should watch for as a part of your monthly maintenance: Discontinued Products ��� When the demand of an item does not meet expectations, a manufacturer may find it necessary to remove it from their inventory. You don���t want a customer to discover a discontinued product on your website by purchasing it.That is a great way to discourage them from shopping with you again. Part Number Changes ��� From time to time, manufacturers will make slight changes to their products. Rather than discontinuing a product and introducing a new product, it is easier and less costly to change the part number. Make sure you have the latest and greatest item online, as the newer items usually mean additional features and benefits. Change in Product Description ��� An even less expensive solution for a manufacturer to introduce new features and benefits to an item is to make the slight changes needed to their product and keep the part number the same.To avoid unhappy customers or costly returns, it���s worth investing the time to have current product descriptions, features, and benefits on your website. If you have thousands of products on your website, this could be a huge task. In a situation like this, I recommend continued on page 24