WaaS: An Easier Way to Manage Your Website
Websites-as-a-service (WaaS) is a subscription-based, fully managed website solution for businesses, commonly responsible for daily website maintenance, hosting, security, and updates, freeing up the business to focus on other (more important) aspects of operations.
Despite WaaS being traditionally a less conventional method of website development, it provides businesses with many additional benefits in comparison to a one-time website development project. Many SMEs benefit from increased productivity, efficiency and conversion of digital efforts by benefiting from the expertise, convenience, support, flexibility, and scalability WaaS provides.
Finding ‘The One’
When looking to utilise a WaaS provider it is essential that the ‘right’ provider is selected to ensure that the business is always showcased in the best light and that the provider is committed to building a continual relationship that allows the website to grow in correlation to the business.
However, choose a bad WaaS provider and you can experience a whole host of challenges.
Poor website design and development
A bad WaaS provider that doesn’t have the expertise or resources to create a high-quality website that meets the needs of the business, will result in one that is poorly designed, poorly functioning, and not optimised for conversions.
Slow website performance
A WaaS provider without the necessary infrastructure or resources to provide a fast and reliable website is ineffective. This can result in a slow-loading and dysfunctional website that frustrates visitors, increases bounce rate, and damages reputation.
Security vulnerabilities
The digital security of the business and protection of visitor data must be of top priority for the WaaS provider. Not all providers have the expertise or resources to implement appropriate security measures which can leave your website vulnerable to hacking, malware, and other security threats.
Limited scalability
It is essential the provider has the infrastructure to provide the scalability needed to handle increased traffic. This will allow your website to avoid crashes during peak traffic times.
Limited analytics and tracking
Providers will offer a variety of analytics, some with less depth and accuracy than others. A bad WaaS provider will not provide the analytics and tracking tools to provide insights into the website performance and user behaviour, which makes it difficult to identify issues and make the necessary improvements.
Poor customer support
As using a WaaS provider involves trusting a third party with the daily management of your website, it is essential that there is easy and reliable contact between both parties to ensure issues are quickly rectified. However, this may not be the case for a bad WaaS provider. A good provider will act as an extension of the team, with both parties mutually invested into the success of the website, and will be easy to regularly contact in the case of updates, requests, and queries.
High costs
The subscription-based business model of WaaS means that providers offer website development and maintenance for a smaller monthly fee rather than a large upfront cost. However, It is common for bad WaaS providers to be unclear regarding what is included within their different price brackets which can lead to a reduction in flexibility and hidden additional costs. It is beneficial to opt for a provider that has a transparent pricing structure that clearly states how often the website can be altered and exactly what features are included as standard before passing website responsibility to them.
The Vetting Process
The challenges of selecting a bad WaaS provider highlight exactly why it is so important to take time to research to ensure experience and expertise.
During the vetting process of different WaaS providers, here are some questions to ask yourself before putting your website in the wrong hands:
1. Do they offer all of the services required? Consider factors such as website design, development, hosting, maintenance, and security.
2. Do they have the resources and infrastructure to provide scale? They should be able to easily scale up or down to meet the changing needs of the business.
3. Do they have the required knowledge and expertise? The team must consist of individuals that have the know-how to offer a high level of service and technical ability.
4. What is the level of support offered? It is essential to be able to easily contact the provider if any issues occur. For this reason, it is beneficial to utilise a provider that is located within the same time zone as your own.
5. Are their prices transparent? It is important to be aware that some providers offer prices at the lower end of the scale, however additional costs are added for a variety of reasons, which can quickly add up. Transparency often portrays the high quality and honesty of the provider.
6. Do they have a good reputation? To filter through the many different options look at reviews and case studies to see if the provider has a good reputation in the industry.
Research Removes Risk
Using a WaaS provider is a fantastic option to provide businesses with a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solution to digital presence. By considering these factors and undertaking sufficient research, businesses can avoid the negative implications of trusting the ‘wrong’ WaaS provider, and build a long-lasting relationship with one that aids the achievement of goals through the development and maintenance of an up-to-date, secure, and fully functioning website.
Creatify are an experienced WaaS provider that are trustworthy, reliable, and offer a high-quality service; they offer benefits such as world-class hosting, unlimited revisions and redesigns, and top-tier security. Head to their website to witness their previous work and case studies for yourself.
