Has this happened to you?  It happens all the time.  Web developers move on to new opportunities and desert their old clients quite frequently.

There are a number of ways to deal with this, but forethought is probably the best.

Understand that you will want to update your website.

Often when people build their first website they think of it as a one-shot job.  They don’t look ahead enough to realize that one day they are going to want to change information on the site.

You will want to change the information, and sooner than you think.  You’ll want to add new information.  You’ll want to remove obsolete information.  And, you will think of new features that you want to add after the site has been up for a little while.

So, what do you do?  There are a few options.

Get Back in Touch with the Web Designer

This often works, however it probably won’t work forever.  Web developers and designers do tend to drop off the face of the earth for a number of reasons.  They might have moved on to new opportunities.  They might only be interested in generating new, large jobs and not interested in little maintenance jobs.  They could simply be too busy to respond.

There are other problems with this approach.   You’re going to pay top dollar for these changes.  Web Developers make their money on new business and maintenance contracts.  They don’t depend on, nor want, little jobs where they just update a paragraph here or there.  To discourage this, they charge their highest prices for these types of changes.

In addition to paying top dollar, you’re also probably going to wait a while for these changes to happen.  You will be on the back burner.  You might want the change made right away, but your web designer is probably busy with projects which came in prior to your request.  He or she has an obligation to those clients as well, and must prioritize his or her work according to the greater commitment.

Maintenance Contracts

Web Developers and Designers usually offer some sort of maintenance package in which they charge a monthly fee which insures that they will perform updates when needed.  The fee usually isn’t very high, but it is often extra money that the client doesn’t want to spend.

Think about what you will want.  If you want changes made in a timely manner and you want to rest assured that your web designer is available, a maintenance contract is the way to go.   It’s very possible that the monthly fee will work out to be about what you would have paid for piece-meal updates.

Learn to Update it Yourself

If you’re used to software this might be a way to go.  There are a number of web packages out there that can enable you to update the pages.

There is a learning curve and if you don’t have time to do this, this will be a royal pain in the neck.  You will have to learn to update the page and upload it to you server.

If you aren’t comfortable around software then this is not an option for you.

Have a Content Management System Built into Your Website.

This actually makes the most sense.  Content management systems empower you to make necessary updates easily.   WordPress  as  a Content Management System –  a state-of-the-art publishing platform which is  feature rich, continuously updated, with thousands of man hours in development time and a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability.  Think about using this and you will be able to update it yourself.  SeeHow To Build An Attractive, User-Friendly Website Any Non-Techie Can Update And Maintain
Now I Know what I SHOULD have done, but what do I do now?

If your web developer fell off the face the earth you need to find a new one. GGWebGroup. We will help you get past this little pothole in the road. We will also convert your website to use a content management system, if you like. Just call us at (210) 369-8203 or email gretchen@ggwebgroup.com

The folks over at Mashable have developed an excellent list of free resources to help us all build websites.  Mashable is a bit more tech oriented though and many of the books have to do with accessible Flash design.  A lot of business people, bloggers and writers just want a good, solid website without all the bells and whistles, or if they do want them, they want a programmer to put them in so they can sleep easy at night.  So, I’ve taken the list from Mashable at 20 Free Ebooks and Whitepapers for Better Web Design and a pared it down to a manageable 12 for those of us who are not uber techies.

Aside from the basic web design books, if you’re just starting out, my favorites are the first two, because many of us need some coaching on how to sell a service and because insourcing vs. outsourcing is a fundamental decision that will affect how well your business operates.  So here goes, with the leaner, more basic list:

Creating a Web Site for Your Service Business from Entrepreneur Media
Selling products online might be easy, but selling services is a completely different ballgame. This whitepaper covers what you need to know to create the best website you can for your service business.

Managing Web Development: Insourcing vs. Outsourcing from Key Professional Media
If you’re trying to decide whether to hire an in-house web designer or outsource to a design agency (whether in this country or abroad), this whitepaper is a must-read.

Free Web Design Ebook
This ebook was written to help new internet marketers get through the basics of web design in relation to internet marketing purposes.

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Obvious: Web Usability 101 from Squiz.co.uk
This online whitepaper covers everything you need to know about making usable websites from the ground up.

The Top 10 Web Site Design Do’s from ProfitJump.com
The tips covered in this ebook run the gamut from learning HTML coding skills to realizing that a website is never really “finished”.

Integrate Design to Create Brand Harmony from MarketingProfs
Incorporating your brand into your website design is very important, and this whitepaper explains the how and why of doing that.

10 Tips for Designing an Ecommerce Web Site from nightcats.com
This ebook has ten tips for creating a great ecommerce site and covers everything from designing for your target market to identifying your objectives.

KnockKnock from Seth Godin
This ebook from Seth Godin has all sorts of information about using online marketing tools to make your website work better.

Creating a Web Site for Your Service Business from Entrepreneur Media
Selling products online might be easy, but selling services is a completely different ballgame. This whitepaper covers what you need to know to create the best website you can for your service business.

5 Common E-Commerce Site Mistakes from Microsoft
If you run an ecommerce site but are unhappy with the results you’re getting, this ebook may shed some light on the subject and point our common mistakes you may be making.

Web Design Best Practice Guide from e-consultancy
This ebook is a regularly updated point of reference for best practice approaches for all the areas that anyone involved in web design needs to do an effective job.

“Mosaic Layouts”: How and Why to Avoid Creating Puzzle-Looking Websites from Software Talks
This whitepaper covers why properly using images and graphics in your website is so important.

10 Tips for Creating Your Web Site from Global Knowledge
This whitepaper offers 10 tips you can use to make sure your web site is effective from day one.

For the really techy stuff, particularly about how to do Flash design, go to 20 Free Ebooks and Whitepapers for Better Web Design.

Let us know how reading these books works for you.  What you’ve learned, new advice for the rest of us.  We’d like to hear from you.