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Workers Comp Website – 10 Things To Know When Switching Providers

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Workers Comp Website – 10 Lessons Learned Since Last Week’s Switch

J&L moved its workers comp website provider last week.  Many problems came up that need to be shared so that our article and newsletter readers will not have or be prepared for the same type of problems.

Our last workers comp website became slower and slower as we added graphics and SEO information into the articles.  We took the plunge last week.   Next up are the 10 problems to prepare for during the switch.   The switch looked so easy.  It was not as easy as advertised.

pic Workers Comp Website nuclear blast
Public Use License – US National Archives

Switching a workers comp website (or any other type) –

The lessons learned were:

  1.  Having an IT background does not matter – I have an intensive background, but not in new programming languages or website structures.  I tried to import the website manually and boom and use importer software (see picture) that is what our website looked like.
  2. Pay for someone to do the switch at the new provider – an extension of my #1.  After spending a whole Saturday freaking out as my IT background did not save the day.  It was the best $30 J&L spent.
  3. It takes a week for the website to completely switch over – save your old website and emails for awhile.  I switched back three times to my old website provider over the last three years as the grass was not greener in the new pasture.  Most hosting services let you try out their website for 30 days.  I switched back last time after 28 days.
  4. Delete (be careful) your old website on the old provider after you are sure the new provider worked for you and your company.  Google HATES duplicate content – they will consider your new content as a copyright violation.  Yes, they will do that very quickly.   A website can be unranked very quickly by Google.
  5. Do it over a weekend as you will probably lose a few emails.  I bcc:’ed all my outgoing emails back to another company email address to make sure the outgoing mail server was working.
  6. Find a good provider – not the cheapest – check the ratings
  7. Be extremely patient – a huge key to success, the Cutcompcosts website switch.
  8. Speed is now key in the Google ranking – UX is the new term for getting ranked. Google now measures how the website functioned for your visitors.  Phone UX will become the new setting checked more by Google.
  9. Understand the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.   The second one is more of a
    Hosting a workers comp website foundation service
    Wikimedia Commons – Victorgrigas

    freelance type of hosting service and web provider.  The first one- WordPress.com websites can be very hard to move to another provider.

  10. Do not forget the visitors and users of your workers comp website.   If you keep them in mind, your website will show it.  Google now pushes user experience as the #1 consideration (makes sense).
  11.  Bonus – The web is the new home of many shysters.  One of the most recommended website providers in some articles is the one we just moved away from due to slowness and bad customer service.  Check out this in-depth review of providers by type.  Remember that cheap is not best.
  12. Bonus-Do not forget about phone and tablet access.  Almost 1/3 of our visitors come from a phone.  Your nice big website may need to be repurposed for the phone.

 

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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