Web Design - Educating your clients
So much of being a freelance web designer is about educating your clients. It is important that your clients understand the process and how things are going to work. It is also very important that both client and designer understand what producing a website is all about.
When a client wants a website they contact a web designer. That seems simple enough but the client is usually unaware of the different types of people that the term web designer covers. To them a web designer is a person that makes a website happen but the truth is more complicated.
What’s in a name?
A web designer could be a someone with a graphic design background who will draw up a design for a website for someone else to implement. Sometimes these designers have learned a bit of coding and can produce some HTML and CSS. Other types of web designer may be more familiar with receiving a completed design as an image and they will then produce a site from that. Other designers are more into the functionality of the site and have a background in web development.
In an agency the many roles required to produce a site may be handled by a number of individuals with specific tasks and abilities. As a freelancer, however, you often have to handle a multitude of different tasks all by your self.
Is registering a domain name design? No it’s not but for the client it is essential to making the website happen. The same goes for hosting, email setup, search engine submissions, analytics, promotion, link building, SEO, copywriting and many more. Some of these things you may be able to do, some you may have to but you shouldn’t expect, or be expected, to do them all.
Part of educating your client is explaining to them the requirements of a site and what you a capable of providing. You should be clear that things like analytics, SEO, promotion etc. are not part of the design process. They are all things that the client should consider and understand but it is not a web designer’s job to provide them. This can be hard to do because no one wants to scare off a client. If you can build up a relationship with people who provide these services then you can always refer your clients to them for that part of the project.
A little explanation needed
Clients often like to understand more about what they are paying for. Websites are becoming more and more integral to commerce these days so it won’t hurt them to know what it is all about. A successful site makes for a happy client and a happy client will bring you more business either directly or from word of mouth. So even if you don’t supply the services that make it a success if you provided the explanation and advice that set the ball rolling then you’ll make yourself very popular.
It is understandable that a client is unaware of all the details of how a website works but too often web designers see to be as well. I often see sites that look fantastic but that the designer hasn’t considered the SEO implications of his/her code or they haven’t informed the client what it takes to get visitors to a site.
A nice looking site on its own is like a print brochure sat in a box. If it doesn’t get to someone who wants to see it then it is pointless. Just putting a site on the web isn’t going to guarantee that people visit it. Bad copy and structure may even mean that it isn’t appearing in the search engine rankings for you main keyword at all.
So what can your clients expect from you? When you have finished your work what are they left with? If it’s a fancy looking site and not much else that’s fine, as long as they understand that and understand what still needs to be done by someone else.
So, where does that get us?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to what you’re good at. If you design great looking sites then don’t be tempted outside of your comfort zone to provide other services. If it is important that you provide these services to get clients then may be you need to partner up with someone with complimentary skills to yours. Whatever you do play to your strengths and make sure the client understands what you do and don’t do.
Twitter: RetroCollage
says:
We can subcontract on our own for services that we might not provide. That way, we can understand and have some control over the auxiliary services. An unsophisticated client really doesn’t know where to start to get those other services.
retrocollage´s recent blog post ..Collage for Toy Trains- The Art of the Obsolete
The webdesigner is maybe the most important factor to a website. The webdesigner is the one who creates the website, and designs it – gives it a color, a meaning. The webdesigner is the one who makes your website brandable, who creates your online image as a website/company/something else. The webdesigner is one of the most important persons for a website, you really need a webdesigner in order to get your website looking fancy and good, and almost bugless. Great article, I hope the people will understand from now on what a webdesigner has to do, and what he hasn’t got to do. Have a great day, Maria.
Maria Pavel´s recent blog post ..Choosing A Career As A Certified Nursing Assistant
Twitter: AlisonMSmith
says:
Clarifying what your expertise is — so the client knows BEFORE the work what will be done — is key.
Alison Moore Smith´s recent blog post ..Losing Weight After Pregnancy
Twitter: darrenmonroe
says:
And clarifying what their expectations (your clients) wouldn’t hurt either.
Darren Scott Monroe´s recent blog post ..Get Paid 1 Million Dollars to Scratch Your Butt and Sniff Podcast
Twitter: mjcpk
says:
That’s right. It’s far better to address any unrealistic expectations at the beginning. Good communication can save everyone a lot of pain and ensure much better results at the end of the project.
mjcpk´s recent blog post ..Psychology in web design
Web design is the prominent factor which draws in a visitor to the site. The web designer has a lot of responsibility in providing the client with the required design.The client should be given the details about what work will be done prior to confirming the deal.
shree´s recent blog post ..Kloudz Computing Enters The BlackBerry App World
Twitter: mjcpk
says:
I’m afraid I have to disagree with you here. If a visitor has never seen your site before they cannot be drawn to it by the design as they won’t have seen it.
The point I was trying to make was that just creating a site is not enough to bring people to it. Without inbound links, search engine listings etc. the site just remains part of the deep web and is never found.
mjcpk´s recent blog post ..Psychology in web design
Great points, I know a lot of wonderful graphic artists that dabble in web design, the sites look beautiful but will never be as successful as they could be. I agree that there needs to be clear communication between the 2 parties, so no expectations are unaddressed…
nicolesellsre´s recent blog post ..109 Red Rock Dr Huntsville- AL 35811 in Turner Farm-For Sale Under 235K
I agree with mjcpk and it has a lot to do with managing expectations.
On the other hand, the industry itself is also to blame for this. When trying to get prospects to become new clients, the prospects are approached with a complete shock-and-awe campaign.
)?
Why claim that you can do it all, the design, the coding, the hosting, the SEO (except when you do have all those specializations within your company of course
One simple example I always give to my clients when we talk about SEO: “Most SEO companies tell you they’ll get you on page 1. All companies in the world want to be on page 1. Now you (client) tell me how I am ever going to guarantee that I will get you there.”
But the way those SEO companies communicate with the market, is the reason why prospects are skeptical when you tell them what the reality is.
And thus, slowly but surely, this industry is shooting in it’s own foot…
teamnobs´s recent blog post ..Guarantees
Twitter: joannaciolek
says:
My company works with small business owners on creating not only great looking but effective websites. Since I offer both design and marketing, I understand how both are closely related to one another. Without SEO design these days you’re not going to get far, unless you are an already established company. Local marketing is gaining momentum as well so it’s important to incorporate all of that knowledge into building a site that’s search engine friendly, usable and converts.
Joanna Ciolek´s recent blog post ..30 Best Design Resources for Freelancers- January 2011 Edition
Twitter: jesicawillss
says:
Thats nice points. Web designers are the great assets for the company because they create websites as well as design it too by their creativity and best industry knowledge..
Jesica Wills´s recent blog post ..iPhone Game Development – Your Eye Catching And Entertainment Application
As long as you can convey on a screen what a client wants, your off to a good start.
bobbyd67´s recent blog post ..Let’s Get Digital- Digital SLR Photography Basics
I stick to web design. On-site SEO is an important part of what I do. I would never be able to charge someone and tell them I could get a web design to the top of the engines, however. The offsite stuff is changing all the time.
Even in some cases where I might be able to do reasonably well in that area, I’d rather spend my time designing and creating over chasing links any day.
Chris Sansone´s recent blog post ..Web Design New Jersey
That’s really what I love about the internet. It offers such a vast pool of opportunity to do anything and everything at the same time. I think it’s important for web designers to really understand user experience and functionality of search engine optimization.
Knowledge can help play a big part in how a website is structured and designed from the ground up. You can never guarantee 1st page placement on Google, but you can guarantee to provide something that will get searched. We’ve seen many customers come to us with a “completed” website asking for SEO, and we have to show them the changes that need to be made to the “completed” website. I think contrary to common belief, it’s important to know and understand both sides of the fence before doing business on 1 side.
Jorge A´s recent blog post ..Important Hints For Locating An Effective SEO Company Easily
I find it so hard to explain to some customers that I can design the site with search engines in mind, write the appropriate keywords in the content and avoid images for text etc.. but I can never guarantee first page of Google.