176 Our Biggest Website Mistakes

Our WordPress panel shares the biggest mistakes they have made on website projects. If you've done one website or a thousand, chances are you will identify with at least one thing on this list. We talk not only about our botch-ups, but how our processes changed afterwards as a result. There's something for everyone in this episode.   Our WordPress panel this week:   David Hayes: from WPShout Sallie Goetsch: from WP Fangirl Jackie D'Elia: from Jackie D'Elia Design Lee Jackson: from Angled Crown John Locke: from Lockedown SEO Jonathan Denwood: from WP-Tonic.com   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 176   0:00 Podcast intros. 3:18 WordPress News Story #1: Jetpack Introduces Theme Installation from WordPress.com, Sparks Controversy with Alternative Marketplace for Free Themes https://wptavern.com/jetpack-introduces-theme-installation-from-wordpress-com-sparks-controversy-with-alternative-marketplace-for-free-themes   17:38 WordPress News Story #2: WooCommerce 3.0.0 Scheduled for Release April 4th https://wptavern.com/woocommerce-3-0-0-scheduled-for-release-april-4th   26:56 Main Topic: Our Biggest Website Mistakes   27:06 Lee's classic mistake: not backing up a Multisite before updating it. Also, making assumptions about a client's expectations.   32:12 David looks at the two classes of website mistakes. How he edited a plugin in production without having FTP access. Another story about not having a restorable backup. Also, have a clear-cut business plan before you invest thousands of hours of time.   36:49 Why Jackie is obsessed with backups, and the story behind it. Don't change DNS records without having a screenshot of the old records. FTP-ing files to the wrong site.   43:01 Sallie's horror story about MX records and email forwarding. Many mistakes are around communication or discovery.   46:16 Always check out prospects before you allow them to be a client. Some scams that get run on web designers. Not all hosting panels handle DNS records the same way. Migrations are tricky.   54:05 Jonathan has some great stories about some nightmare projects. How to do research on potential clients.   59:20 John learned some lessons early on about scope, stakeholders, communication, and doing too much for too little.   1:04:27 Everyone needs their stupidly low priced website to learn their lesson. Think about what value you are providing, and how much you actually need to stay in business.   1:06:57 Jonathan has an interesting client who tried to lowball him on price.Don't lowball yourself on price. Re