Book Review: Website Owner's Manual

Ever since the Internet took off in a big way towards the end of the last century, it has revolutionized the way we live & work. It is a great platform for selling ideas or products as it provides a level playing field to anyone in the world with Internet access that wishes to leverage the medium. It makes it irrelevant whether someone seeking an online presence is working from a garage or some remote corner of the world.

Successful websites have earned their owners unimaginable wealth; far outstripping what traditional companies have earned in decades. Websites that are frivolous & provided only short term value have perished. The dotcom bust of the last decade sunk the fortunes of website owners who took their users for granted with their short sighted strategies.

So what makes a successful website? Is building one an obscure art?

Paul Boag, a Web development veteran, answers these questions and shares the recipe for building & maintaining a winning website in the book Website Owner's Manual. It is a one of a kind book that consolidates key topics that a website owner needs to be aware of. It covers diverse themes like planning the site, selecting the team, creating website content,  handling it's design, aesthetics and development, usability, managing traffic, using Content Management Systems, Search Engine Optimization, hosting etc. There are also practical tips throughout the book. Sample these -

To quickly find out who is linking to your competition, you can type the following into Google link:http://www.yourCompetition.com

The first paragraph of the page should provide a summary of everything that follows, allowing the user to quickly ascertain if the page is relevant.

The author's writing style is breezy & informal. The cartoons that go with the content are thoughtful & keep the content light. I liked the mini website case studies spread throughout the book that highlight best practices, pitfalls and items of special interest.

I have known small business owners, entrepreneurs, non technical professionals (like doctors, academicians) who appreciate the power of websites to further their goals but lack the technical expertise to leverage the Web. This book can be a good introductory manual for such people.

I have been a honorary reviewer of this book while it was in the draft stage and I'm happy with the way the book has come out finally.