Web Site, Relaunching

            The work to be done on a Web site usually doesn’t end simply because the site goes live.  Most sites of any complexity require ongoing maintenance; technological changes compel operators of Web sites to upgrade their pages in order to look current, offer new features, and maintain compatibility technological changes compel operators of Web sites to upgrade their pages in order to look current, offer new features, and maintain compatibility with new software and standards.  By one estimate, major sites have tended to relaunch in some fashion every ten months or so, and with a few noteworthy exceptions, retail sites seem particularly susceptible to relaunching.

            The main difference between  a relaunch and more pedestrian maintenance sometimes boils down to how the maintenance cycle is organized.  Usually a relaunch implies introducing a collection of changes and improvements, analogous to versions of software applications.  Because applications are centralized on Web servers, however, it is easier to release small, incremental  changes more frequently than is practical with traditional client/server software.  As a result some sites undergo constant retooling and revision but never announce it a relaunch, while others make a point of touting their new and improved wares.  It may also be a matter of work organization, such as as when a separate  team of Web developers focus on the new site, which becomes a clearly defined  project in itself, as opposed to the staff who keep the existing site running.

            Thus relaunching a site can be seen as a type of maintenance scale.  Occasionally a Web site is relaunched  because the old version was fundamentally flawed or ill-suited to company’s needs, but more often relaunches are closer incremental  improvements on an existing set of concepts and technical infrastructure.  Thus relaunches are a way of life for major sites like IBM.com which reached its eleventh version in 2001.