Like most things on a ‘standard’ website you will need to review and update parts from time to time as technologies and costs change. A good example of this is the standard contact form that needs to change to avoid spam and to remain secure. Here is an sample conversation that demonstrates this:
[Website Owner] Is there something that can be done to help in blocking the spam emails that I get as I’m getting at least 2 of these every day from the website and its starting to drive me mad.
[Delicious Webdesign] Afraid you need to put up with them or we can create a new email form for you that has an ‘anti-spam’ measure that ensures that ‘real people’ fill out these forms. This type of form allows you to select ‘compulsary’ fields and has an email success / email failure pages We re-design / upgrade your contact form as part of any website re-design in the future or could do it now (approximate time to do it 1.5 hours / cost approx. £50)
[Website Owner] Thanks for coming back to me, but should my site not of had this already when you designed it..? As surely this was all part of the original design that it keeps my enquiry page save from any spam mail and works for enquiry for my company only..
[Delicious Webdesign] Contact forms evolve and get updated all the time, needless to say in a couple more years there will be better forms. Your one works perfectly at the moment but there are ‘spam bots’ out there that simply scan the internet all day looking for exploits. Since building your website with your contact form we have used 3 different types of form and now use the most secure one with most options. We always look out for better / newer technologies and implement them when we think they will be improved but can’t do free upgrades for previous websites. It’s the same as designing a website that looks and works perfectly at launch but years later when browsers evolve (new versions of Internet Explorer / Firefox etc) we can’t ‘guarantee’ that the website will look and work perfectly, just checked your website and it still functions and looks correct in the latest browsers you will be glad to know.
[Website Owner] What is all that stuff about.?? As you no mate I’m not up with all your Internet chat as it’s not my game that’s why you designed it for me look after it and also host it.
[Delicious Webdesign] Sorry for confusion what I am saying that the contact form ‘technology’ changes and you have an older version of that form – the example I gave you was the most up-to-date contact form
[Website Owner] So basically it’s point less paying £50 out for you to change it as there will be a newer thing out again and it will just cost me more and more each time. Unless there is something free you can do to help me out?
[Delicious Webdesign] Well I wouldn’t say pointless – you would instantly get a more secure, modern and user-friendly contact form – it’s the best form currently and can’t see it being bettered anytime soon as the ‘anti-spam’ part of the form that makes you answer a security question (like what is 2+4?) to prove you are a real person is quite advanced and very effective.
