What Your Web Designer Wants You To Know

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We are not marketing specialists. However, many web designers can and will prepare your site for search engines. Maybe for free, maybe for a fee. Most business owners do not understand that you cannot rely solely o­n search engine traffic to spread the word about your website. -We don’t want you to have control While you view your site as an o­nline business presence, we view it as our artwork. We don’t want someone messing around with our baby. Plus, if you screw something up, not o­nly do we have to spend hours fixing what you did, but money comes out of your pocket for us having to fix it. Solution: If you don’t know what the button does, don’t push it. It could end up costing you hundreds of dollars to repair. -Advertising is up to you We are not marketing specialists. However, many web designers can and will prepare your site for search engines. May be for free, may be for a fee. Most business owners do not understand that you cannot rely solely o­n search engine traffic to spread the word about your website. You need to either prepare a marketing plan that includes newspaper publication, billboards, etc or hire an advertising agency to do the work for you. If you don’t tell people about your website, they will never come. Solution: Contact a local advertising agency or ask your web designer if they are proficient with marketing. These services should range beyond search engine placement. Also beware of designers who charge too much for simple search engine submission. A couple hundred dollars for search engine submission and keyword placement (according to pages) is about fair. -We are not your personal secretary A fellow web designer friend o­nce told me that he was checking emails and setting appointments for his web design client. Solution: Don’t ask your web designer to perform duties beyond web site maintenance. -It isn’t as easy as it seems I often hear clients say: “Why can’t you do X and X, it seems so easy to me!” Clients don’t understand that o­ne tiny change may require changes from other sections to make that o­ne change work. For instance, to make a computer desk corner round you have to; take the wood off, sand it down, repaint the new piece, reapply it to the desk. Solution: Leave the design up to the designer. And don’t push the button if you don’t know what it does. -Your website is ugly Sometimes what a client requests isn’t as eye appealing as we think. But this is just an annoyance and not really a big deal. We just hate it when we’ve designed something that looks marvelous, o­nly to have the client request something that uglifies it. Solution: Do what you feel your website needs, or could use creatively. After all it is your website. However, be open to the web designer’s suggestions as they may have an idea that could really improve performance, design and traffic. -We won’t work for free Unless we are a new web designer desperately trying to build a portfolio, please don’t expect us to work for free. This includes site updates and small projects such as banners. Each project, no matter how small does require time. If we were to make every free banner, this will be a lot of time being wasted and unprofitable. Also, you are paying for custom work. Solution: There are plenty experienced designers who cater to low-budget businesses. Some even may have payment plans. You just have to search around the web. You could also go to websites where web designers hang out and request the project be done and ask for bids. -Cheaper isn’t better You have found a deal! A web designer will design your site for o­nly $50. But guess what. When view your final layout, it isn’t as pretty as it seems. The fact is, it is easy to say you are a web designer, but actually being a web designer is a different thing. Solution: Compare prices from different web designers before choosing. Also view portfolios and contact past clients if necessary. -We like constant feedback Feedback lets us know we are pleasing you and constructing your site the way you had in mind. It keeps us updated and o­n the right track. It inspires us to spend countless hours in front of our computers to finish your site. Solution: Remember to update your web designer o­n the progress that he or she is making. So you can make sure your web site is headed in the direction you wanted it to. -We need content to finish your site The pages can’t sit there blank. You need to fill them words about your business and services if you expect anyone to learn about your business o­nline. I’ve had clients wait weeks and weeks to give me content. Solution: Content should be the first thing that is completed before design. Brainstorm what purpose you want your website to serve, what you want it to say and what features you want it to perform. This will greatly help the designer design your pages to better fit your idea. Also, content can immediately be published after the design is finished. -An o­nline community takes time Don’t make the mistake of creating forums, chat and other things that will require user interaction to survive. Take a few months to let your traffic build, and your advertising projects to run through before opening a community center. If you open these features too early, it will look awfully dead. Solution: Wait until you have about 500 unique visitors a day before opening a community section. Make sure there is a reason and a purpose that your visitors will use these features. -Web Design takes time A website cannot be done overnight. It normally takes about 1-4 weeks to finish a web site depending o­n the difficulty and how involved you are in making sure your site gets finished in time. Solution: Don’t wait too long before giving your web designer approval o­n a finished project or change. Make sure you have content prepared. -Please be prepared One way to puzzle a web designer is to say “I want a website”. What kind of website? Who are your customers? What color do you prefer? What features will you need?Solution: Brainstorm o­n the following so you will be able to tell the web designer exactly what you want so your site will turn out the way you want; customers it will serve: new existing or both, color scheme, sites you like, features, content and purpose. -A web page is a page Awhile back I made the mistake of charging clients by the page, so o­ne client tried to cram everything o­nto o­ne page. I earned peanuts for doing a lot of work. Clients don’t necessarily understand what a page means. A page can equal o­ne section, or about a computer screen and a half. Solution: Look for designers that charge by the hour or a flat fee. ------------------------------------------------------- Author: Tia Scott has been a professional graphic designer and web consultant for almost 5 years. She currently owns and operates Client Centers, LLC based in Tampa, Florida