Web Design Blog

Are you merely wandering around looking for clients or do you have goals and targets for your company? For your team? The importance of goals has been covered many times as well as methods of goal creation. Here are some specific areas to create both short-term and long-term goals for: (Read more…)

Matthew Griffin has written an absolutely great post with 7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Charge by the Hour.  It’s great reading for a freelancer or any company that often uses hourly billing.

After running the Xemion Directory for several years, I’ve seen my fair share of web design company websites. I’ve noticed four elements that many companies leave off their website which negatively impacts sales: (Read more…)

First a little background:

Northern Voice is a web type conference- two days in total. It’s in it’s fourth year and it is held in Vancouver. The two days consist of Friday including the “unconference” and Internet Bootcamp. I think I called it Internet 101 in another post at AliciaHarper.com - oops my mistake!

I did find out exactly what an “unconference” was. An unconference is- simply put - anarchy! Total chaos and I loved every minute of it.

The day included 8 - 30 minutes sessions. While running in between sessions was very hectic, I really enjoyed the discussion the unconference offered. It was a nice break from the usual type of conference.

My schedule included, talks with David Orchard on Enterprise Social. This talk focused mainly wikis and how to engage people internally on using wikis . One comment was maybe not to call them wikis to the corporate “suits” as they don’t understand what a wiki really is.

From there my colleagie and I were off to: Podcasting 101 with John Bollwitt a very interesting session and really was about how to create a podcast yourself at home. The equipment needed and how make yours interesting.

After that was Videoblogging 101 with Roland Tanglao, Jordan Behan and Warren Frey. I actually found this very interesting as it’s not something I am that really familiar with. I sometimes use other media on some of my other blogs but, not video. The guys that held Video blogging gave us some really good advice about video - including what sites do what with video. I will definitely be trying this out. I just need a new video camera now!

After lunch was by far the most interesting part of the conference….

First up was Government and Social or Government and Wikis ( I can’t exactly remember the name) by Micheal Klassen of Thinking Cap . Now I really walked into this one thinking, “This will be awesome maybe I’ll get some tips on how to convince the CEO to let us have a wiki” Well was I wrong! The talk got hijacked by someone turning it in a talk about the left winged politics here in Vancouver. I have to admit. I was incredibly lost.

It only got worse from there. Next up was TransitCamp and Open Source Government with Dustin Quasar Sacks which was more like him getting up on his soapbox and speaking loudly like he was protesting something. The funny thing is I am all for open source and open government and playing an active role. But, I actually felt like a protester in this room… Very awkward. One lady even spoke up and said something like, “Ok we get it, can we move on?”. It was definitely comical and to be honest if I was close to the door, I would have left. I seriously felt like I was doing something illegal by being there. It would have been nice, if instead of dwelling on the problem of not having open government, we could think about what we can actually do to improve it. For most of us we know the problems - getting people to open up - transparency, etc - I want to hear your solutions or your ideas for solutions.

For a little background for those of you in the U.S., in Canada our government is not as open with the information it has. The U.S. has adopted or has always had it’s government information more readily available. (it’s in the constitution)

After that I totally needed a break from the “Unconference”… off for coffee.

Then back again for Social Media Mecca with Megan Cole, this was one I was very into. It was all about how social media shouldn’t be a one man show. There were some great ideas about how social media consultants should get together and share the work as there many many experts who specialize in just one area. Some ides, were to set up a non profit association or create an invite only directory for social media marketers. Overall very interesting topic.

Last was What’s next. Which was really about where bloggers go and what they do after they have been blogging for a few years. This one had great discussion.

I’m off to the real Northern Voice 2008 Conference tomorrow!

Disclaimer: These are my rules, but they don’t have to be yours. Feel free to criticize/suggest your own in the comments.

Though I’ve not been doing it as long as others, there are certain policies in freelancing that I’ve learned the hard way. Aside from the normal TOS that makes it’s way through every gig, there’s this unwritten code that should always be at the back of your mind any time you’re on the phone with a perspective client or handing out your card. These are rules that I refuse break or even bend, because I’ve learned what they cost me the last time I did.

1. Always work for Jesus. As a Christian, I’m obligated to adhere to biblical principles at home, at work and in all areas of life. Jesus is first. Period.
2. Never work for family, friends or neighbors (they know where you live.) This may not apply to you, but I’ve found (and heard) that family, friends and neighbors will often have unrealistic expectations pertaining to what you’ll do for them and how you’ll do it. Think about it: a purely professional relationship is so much simpler. If things don’t work out, you can (sometimes) part ways on good terms. However, if you take a preordained relationship and sour it with a business deal gone wrong, it tends to hang over your head and someone usually walks away with a sense of resentment or bitterness.
3. Never do a job on a handshake. This one may seem strikingly clear, but even in my own experience, I’ve been much too lax in this area. Not surprisingly, every single project that was done without written contractual agreements has failed. For both the sake of your client and your own–get it done right. Get it done in writing.
4. Always get a deposit. I had a client call that needed a rush job and I didn’t ask for a deposit. What’s worse, that client insisted that he’d have to “pay me in a couple of payments”, each one spread out over 60 days. It was a small project that took 34 hours in one week to complete (that’s on top of my full-time job in IT) and because I did it on a handshake, it ultimately failed. I’ve never received payment of any kind nor heard from the client.
5. Promise and deliver. Over-deliver if you can. Notice, I didn’t say under-promise. I’m a firm believer that you should let your yes be yes and your no be no. Find ways to over-deliver that will benefit your client but not leave you under paid.
6. There are always sacrifices. Choose them wisely. Sacrifices come in many forms: you sacrifice time with your family if you take on too much. Sacrifice your own reputation if you cut corners in quality of service. You might sacrifice money by taking on job over another. Not all of them are bad, but trust me, there are always sacrifices. Don’t be hasty.
7. Encourage and pursue loyalty. Statistics say that it cost ten times as much to gain a new customer than to retain an old one. Reward those who have been with you for awhile. If you’ve a designer that saved your neck a couple of times when you were busting at the seams with deadlines, buy them a steak dinner or something (in addition to normal payment, of course). Loyalty is what separates your greatest assets from your greatest liabilities.

You know looks matter. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair, but they do. If they didn’t, super models would be waiting tables. While it may be that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, I don’t think it applies to good design. Anyone who has been in this field for a few years can begin to tell the difference in a good design and a bad one. Even the good ones, you might judge with a critical eye and look for things that you would change, given the opportunity.  Great design is what your success depends on a lot of the time and if your design is lacking then your income would probably be directly affected.

Kent Shaffer of Bombay Creative hits the nail on the head:

“That is why it is vital to have great design because those who know nothing about you will judge you by your appearance. Aesthetics are a powerful thing. Whether graphic design or product design, your appearance shapes how others perceive you.”

Are you where you want to be in your career as a freelancer? If not, I encourage you: get better. Get good at what you do. You might be pretty decent at it now, but getting better will never hurt.  This article comes out of my personal desire to become a better designer. I think I’m already pretty good at it, but heaven forbid that I stop learning how to improve. Mark my words: the moment you stop learning to hone your craft is the moment you stop advancing.

No, this is not another post about some online time-tracking app. Although they are good to have, and plenty of them to go around, they are not as important as time management. This isn’t a GTD post, either. There are far better qualified folks than me to write about that; I’m talking about the real, down-to-earth disciplining yourself kind of time management.

You may not even know you need better time management. If you work in the creative industry, you probably do. Here are some things to ponder:

1. Do you always seem rushed when nearing a deadline?
2. In an effort to keep the client happy, are you stretching yourself thin and doing plenty of “little things” that you’re not getting paid for?
3. Do you find yourself getting sidetracked, either by other people or other tasks you’ve suddenly remembered?
4. Are you lacking in goals for business and financial success? Are you just rolling with the punches and taking what comes?
5. How often do you find yourself forgetting things and breaking your word because you’d forgotten to do something you said you’d do?

First off, you need to understand something: Time is a non-renewable asset. That is, these minutes that I’m spending typing out this article-I’m not getting them back. The time you spend dealing with that belligerent client or working those “pro-bono” cases-you aren’t getting that back either. “Wasting time” takes on a whole new meaning when you understand this.

Secondly, we freelancers need to realize that our time is our time. Why did we become freelancers in the first place? Tired of working for the man and wanted to be your own boss? Realized you could make more money working for yourself? You just like meeting new people? Great! It amazes me how many freelancers still work like they’re working on someone else’s time. Understanding that your time is your time is both liberating and horrifying. If things bust, you can’t blame your manager. If you can learn to say “no” when you really don’t have time, you’ll get things accomplished and let other people know that your time is valuable. Keep this in mind, though-If you have to say “no”, suggest a later time; time management isn’t about blowing people off and being selfish.

Jim Wideman, one of my mentors on time management, has this to say:

If you can’t manage your time, you’re always stuck reacting to people and situations. You’ll never be effective. You’ll never be a strong leader. But with time management, you’ll amaze even yourself.

He also points out that managing your time isn’t just about getting lots of stuff done. It’s about getting the right things done. If you’re like me, then you might remember things best when you write them down. In this case, I’d highly recommend Remember The Milk, or RTM for short. It’s a fantastic application that integrates well with Gmail, too! Actually looking at your tasks and seeing what you have to do can not only give you a better picture what to say “no” to, but it can increase your productivity by prioritizing as well.

Lastly, I believe every successful freelancer is only as good as their name. I believe that a good name is worth more than money in the bank. If you are constantly saying things and then forgetting to do them or having to do them later than you said, you are indirectly being dishonest. Too many people chalk their tasks up to “I’ll get to it when I get to it” and never take a good hard look at what they’re doing and whether or not it’s effective. I think this is one of the primary causes of burnout-people do so many menial tasks that they lose their sense of self-worth and lose sight of what’s important.

I could go on and on about all the great tools that I use for time management, but I’d like to hear from you: what are you using to get stuff done effectively? Let’s hear it in the comments.

Today I attended a luncheon hosted by the BC AIM with Tom Leung, a product manager at Google. Tom is the product manager for Google Website Optimizer. I have attended a few webinars, etc.. about Google Website Optimizer so I was quite familiar with it. I also have used it a number of times. I thought I should share some of my take aways from the luncheon.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Google website optimizer, it is a web-based testing tool which helps website owners increase visitor conversion rates. Basically it allows website owners the ability to serve up different pages to the different visitors. It also tracks who saw what page and if they converted.

At the luncheon Leung really focused on converting your visitors instead of just bringing in more visitors to your website. Leung stated, the usually 2 - 3% of visitors will convert and that  Google website optimizer is cheap way to increase your ROI without throwing a bunch of cash at an expert, let you visitors tell you what they like.

Landing pages were one of the main topics at the luncheon. Landing pages for those of you who are unfamiliar, are defined by Taming the Beast as a specialized page that visitors are directed to once they’ve clicked on a link, usually from an outside source such as a Pay Per Click ad. The page is usually tightly focused on a particular product or service with the aim of getting the visitor to buy or take some form of action rapidly that will ultimately lead to a sale.

And of course we were talking about how to optimize them and use Google Website Optimizer as a tool.

Landing pages are the most important page of the conversion tunnel, because people have clicked a link or whatever to land on the landing page. Once they have gone onto the next page of the conversion tunnel, they have already shown some interest in your product/service. But the landing page is either make it or break it for visitors. If a landing page contains information that is irrelevant to the visitor or the page is too cluttered, a visitor who might have converted has closed the browser. If the landing page is a pleasant and there is a simple call to action the better the chance the visitor moves on to the next page.

So ready to use Google website optimizer?

As a designer, you might not use this information on every site, but Google website optimizer is a good tool to have  in your toolbox for potential clients. When they want to do something silly with their website, you can say, “Ok” and then test the page against the one you have created. You might be surprised at the results.

You might be curious as to what to test. Leung gave us a great start by saying that you can compare a text heavy page vs. a quick and to the point page, a left layout vs. right layout and a facts vs. aspirations page. This is just the beginning, there are many things you can change on a page, that might influence if the visitor converts or not.

Interested in getting Google website optimizer?

Google website optimizer is available to everyone. All you have to do is sign up for an adwords account - no you don’t need to use adwords or spend any money. Just sign in there and click on the website optimizer tab. From there you have all instructions you need to start optimizing your website.

Good luck and happy optimizing.

This is the biggest question when you start working for yourself. How do you find web design clients? Where do you find clients? And that is the question of the day….

First Impressions
Let’s start with you. It’s important when you’re just starting out to put your best foot forward. To get clients you need to be professional. You should look and act like a professional. Professional dress depends on your niche market. If you’re looking for clients in the legal field (lawyers), you’ll need to appear in business dress suitable for a courtroom. If you walk into a lawyer’s office expecting work dressed in jeans, tennis shoes and a rock band shirt, you’re probably going to be disappointed. A lawyer isn’t going to take you seriously. That being said, if you walk onto a cutting horse trainer’s ranch in the clothing you’d wear to visit a lawyer you’ll look like a “city slicker” and not get the kind of respect you’d need to land the work.

Start With a Network
One of the biggest ways that web designers get new clients is through word of mouth referrals. This is normally done through happy clients who refer new clients to you. If you don’t have any clients then you’ve got to come out of the dark and be seen. People won’t know you’re doing web design until you tell them. And no one will refer clients to you if they don’t know what you do or if they haven’t heard of you. Since web design is a service that requires trust on the client’s behalf, word of mouth is the norm.

If you don’t have an extensive network of clients to refer you to new clients then you need to expand the number of people you actually know. You can start with family and friends. This depends on how well they understand what you do. I still have my mother’s words ringing in my ears “It’s just a little ole website.” Um yeah Mom…. Right. It’s not to say that family and friends can’t help you out but be sure they actually understand something about what you do for a living.

After family you’ll need other resources for meeting people. Some good places to network are your local Chamber of Commerce, various clubs and associations in your region. You can also join organizations like Business Network International where networking and lead generation are the primary pursuits. The Toastmasters organization is a good place to develop your speaking capabilities which can parlay into speaking at your local Chamber of Commerce. You’ll need to have a nice business card when you go to these events so that you can pass it out to everyone you meet. There are excellent business card companies online that will allow you to inexpensively create a business card. The real key is to get some visibility.

Niche Market Networking
All of the above works fairly well. If you think about marketing itself, like commercials, you’ll have an understanding of what I’m talking about. Take for instance a commercial for a toy. Where would you find that commercial? Typically on a TV channel that shows cartoons and children’s shows. The target market is children. In marketing you’re trying to put your product in front of your target market. If you’ve defined toy-makers as your target market then you need to go to the events they attend and advertise in the magazines they read. It’s about being where your target market will see you.

Online Networking
Local networking is a great place to start but you should be doing a variety of networking. Participating in online forums like Xemion’s forum is a great way to network with other web designers and developers. The more you help your fellow web designer/developer, the more authority you gain. I know most think in terms of the signature links seen at the bottom of the posts for search engine optimization purposes but we’re not talking about SEO right now.

The key is to become an authority. Blogs will help lend that air of “authority” to your overall impression. You might think that helping other web designers/developers is counterproductive. The fact is that helping others can lead to virtual teams of designers and developers who develop symbiotic relationships doing subcontracts for each other. In this day and age, no one is an expert at everything. It’s important to realize that concentrating on specialized skills will make you more money over time. As you write about your particular specialty more work comes your way.

James just posted a nice article on LinkedIn. It’s one of the places you can network with online individuals. Some of my best clients and partnerships have been gained through online connections. Facebook, MySpace and others like it can contribute to your finding online connections for more work. The key is to participate and interact in these networks.

Show Them What You Have
I don’t think I can emphasize this enough. You need a portfolio. If you don’t have one, start making one. Build websites for nonprofits and/or dummy sample sites. Make up a city and build a site for each typical business in a city. People won’t know what you can do until they see it.

Advertise
People won’t come unless they know you’re in business. Networks and referrals are generally where most clients will come from but don’t leave out advertising. Lots of businesses don’t know anyone who knows someone doing web design and development. It’s hard for them to find a web designer. A few suggestions are things like putting out fliers at local businesses, running newspaper ads and setting up a yellow pages advertisement. The one thing you will want to do with any kind of advertisement is track where your new clients are coming from and pour money into those advertisements that are producing while cutting out the ones that aren’t producing clients.

Getting Their Names
Building a list of potential and previous clients is one of the most important ways to build a business. These are people who have prequalified themselves by buying from you or supplying their contact information to you. Obviously you need to keep in touch with past clients. This keeps you fresh on their minds when someone asks them for a referral. The other side are new people for whom you haven’t yet done any work. How do you get new contacts on your list? One way is to create a survey. You can survey them about what they know about web design, how they found a web designer if they have one or even if they think they need a website. Normally you’ll have to sweeten the pot with something to entice them to fill out the survey otherwise they may not supply their contact information. A simple one page site from a template with their content pasted into the site is a good way to get the ball rolling. You could also end up with a much bigger client. The key is to get their contact information.

Once you build your list, it’s important to develop a habit of contacting them. Contact them when you have a new website in your portfolio or a new service to offer. You should also contact them about topics in web development that might interest a business. Things like SEO and website marketing. Think about what concerns your current clients might have that you’ve answered. Use that information to create interesting articles to send to your list. Once the people on the list know how much you care, the more likely they are to hire you. It’s part of building trust.

Offer Something Enticing
When I offer services or develop a proposal, I always hold something back. This gives me something that I can offer to a client as a “freebie”. We all know how good we feel when we get a “gift”. It makes us feel special. Making your clients feel special is probably one of the top things you can do for your business.

Clients like good service. If you aren’t responding to their needs daily, you’re not doing your job as a consultant. Over delivery and quick response is part of what will separate you from the competition. It’s also what clients will spread by word of mouth. It’s that fast customer service that can make a difference. You don’t want your client thinking you’re too busy for more work do you?

Job Boards
I’ve played around with the job boards in the past. I’ve actually gotten a few clients off Craigslist. I want to caution you about these places, the clients are generally cheap. They are looking for a bargain. Micah stated before that you can get away with discounts and kickbacks to clients so that you can get your name out there but at some point you do have to stop. The bidding system that works on the job boards like elance can really degrade your morale. Use these sites with caution. You’ll have to be cheaper than the other guys to start out and risk being known as the cheap guy.

I’ve gone over most of the methods I’ve ever used or learned. If you’ve got some other methods that might help other web designers please leave a comment.

Web Out
Des

Removing the confirmation password from signup forms has become a growing trend. Two recent examples I noticed include Twitter (follow me) and Raven SEO Tools. This is an awful move for usability. I’ve mistyped my password and confirmation password enough times to realize that I’m not a perfect typer. Nothing is more annoying than going through a forgot my password request, especially when a simple form confirmation would prevent this from happening.

Am I crazy? Why is this trend spreading?