Things I've learned that make life easier #2: Challenge complacency

Part and parcel of not putting things right straight away is making sure people realise that there is something to put right. Managers, especially those who aren't web-savvy, can get mighty complacent about their website, particularly if it isn't being used for e-commerce (there's something about that bottom line that draws managers' attention straight to the fact that nothing is happening on the site).

You'll naturally feel uncomfortable telling them straight out that their website isn't doing its job. Kindness and politeness dictate that you highlight the positive, to avoid hurting feelings. If you have less status than these managers in the organisational hierarchy, it may feel like career suicide to tell them that they are wrong (that said, if you're in a place where expressing a professional opinion is career suicide, change organisation).

But if you let people be complacent about what's wrong, there is no chance at all that they will give you the time, resources and attention to put it right. So unless you intend to labour away alone and in obscurity on improvements that people don't see the need for and may actively resist, you need to find a way to highlight the negative.

Web stats are great for this. When you can show managers a wealth of intuitively-presented data about their site, it's usually easy enough to challenge their complacency. So your site has a lot of hits - have you seen the high bounce rate? You're sure people are accomplishing specific tasks - want to check that? Oh, surprise, they're not. If you have a poor site and enough data, something negative will show up - with any luck, something the managers can spot for themselves.

Highlighting the negative doesn't mean being impolite, or even superior and condescending. If you have the data to back you up, and use the politest tone you can muster to present your issues, the conversation may even be remembered as vaguely positive. Just remember: panic about the web will mean more resources for you - don't be afraid to cause it.