When it’s time to DIY and when it’s time to call a pro

Credit Union Website Best Practices #4

It's Dangerous to Go Alone! Take this kitten.

When we launch a new credit union website, we make sure our clients have the tools and training to handle pretty much everything themselves. Blogging, updating rates, adding and managing pages, updating promotions, managing navigation, and generally keeping their site looking good and the content up to date are all pretty easy.

But sometimes, you really need to call in the pros. Here are nine situations where it’s time to get in touch with your website developers pronto.

1) Big changes coming up in the CU

This one’s probably obvious, but when you need big changes, it’s time to talk to your developers. Just like your members and their needs, your website should be able to grow and evolve over time.

For example, if you’re changing names or updating your visual brand, get your developers up to speed early on so they can help you figure out the best way to re-work your website around your new brand and make the most of it.

On a CU website properly built for flexibility and future expansion, even pretty drastic changes can be handled with a fraction of the time and cost of totally redeveloping the website.

2) Something’s broken

This one’s also obvious; if something isn’t working right, raise a flag. Make sure you have 24/7 contact information for your website developers just in case.

For example, if one of our clients accidentally breaks something badly first thing in the morning, we can fix it or reset to last night’s backup in a few minutes.

And even if you’re not sure if something’s wrong, we still want to hear about it. Maybe the site seems slow, so you need to figure out whether it’s your internet connection or something else.

3) Personnel Changes

If you have new people coming on board who will need to work with the website, great! Get in touch so we can set up training. Even if they’re already a web whiz, they’ll need a quick orientation session before they dive in.

We’re also happy to help fill in if someone is going on vacation or taking leave.

And if people leave, make sure you tell your developers right away so we can make sure they no longer have access or authorization to make changes.

4) New technology partners

If you’re transitioning to a new mobile app, core system, online banking system, loan system, online account opening, marketing automation, mapping, or other technical system, make sure you involve your website developers as soon as you can. Your website is an important part of your overall tech and marketing stack, so we want to make sure everything works, and everything works together.

5) You need to test something

It’s pretty common for new tech partners to need a testing environment for their website integration. Sometimes it’s as simple as a password-protected test page, sometimes we need to create a development clone of the whole site as a “sandbox” for testing.

Either way, get in touch with your website developers first; we have the tools and experience to ensure thorough testing and a smooth transition.

6) DNS changes

Sometimes those other partners ask you for DNS changes; for example pointing a subdomain to an updated online banking system, or adding SPF or DKIM records for a new email marketing partner.

However, if you don’t know EXACTLY what you’re doing, DNS changes can break your site, email, and everything attached to your domain name.

If DNS changes are needed, it might be worth running them past your website developers first to make sure everyone involved understands exactly what will happen and the best way to make the changes to ensure zero downtime.

7) Before adding code

Did you see an embedded map or calculator you really liked? Did a vendor send you a new tracking code to add to your website? Need to add a social media tracking pixel?

Before adding any code, plugins, or add-ons to your site, make sure you check with your website developers first to make sure it’s safe, that it does only what it’s supposed to, and that it’s the best way to accomplish what you want. Quite often, we’ll have an even better suggestion, or a better way to implement it.

8) The site seems to be getting… stale

Even the best credit union websites can’t stay the same forever. Member needs evolve, brands expand and grow, and online best practices change, so your site has to be able to keep up.

If your site is starting to feel stale, get in touch with your developers. Trust us, we’ve heard it before, and we’ll have lots of ideas and advice for spiffing up your site, making it more mobile-friendly, adding utility and usability, and even fine-tuning your content.

9) Regular review

So how do you make sure your site never goes stale in the first place? Schedule a regular check-in with your developers every three months or so to go over your overall digital, content, and marketing strategies, review how your website is working for you and your members, and make plans for the future.

Author
Recent Posts

Brian Wringer

Former watermelon farmer Brian Wringer wears several hats for iDiz Incorporated, including Web Projects Manager, Wordsmith, and Big Idea Guy. He builds better credit unions by day and weird old motorcycles by night.