Web Design Blog

In a word: NOTHING. They are not web designers or developers. Just as you have no understanding about their business, they have no understanding of the technical jargon you know. Some clients might be a bit more savvy than others however 9 times out of 10 the mom n pop shops out there know NOTHING.

So what should a good web designer to do about it? You Teach.

How do you teach a client who doesn’t know, understand and may not even want to know about web design. The first thing to do is look at what they do know. For instance, most people don’t understand computer networks and how the internet work so they have no understanding that the domain must be registered and the website must be hosted. An easy explanation is that the domain is like getting a phone number and the hosting company is like buying a house. Your website has to have a phone number and a place to live. The client understands phone numbers and houses. We’ve just hooked our concepts to things the client already knows.

Another thing that has to be thought about is explaining how long it takes to build a website.

Some clients will accept whatever you tell them. However others will question you and then there are some who will say things like “You know how to do this so it shouldn’t take you that long.” You need question why someone who doesn’t know anything is telling you how long it will take. There are telling signs of lack of knowledge that we all recognize. Be sure to pay attention to the signs and do not get suckered into a time constraint you are not capable of meeting. One way to make sure that someone understands the importance of your job is to compare it to a contractor building a house. You are building them a virtual location on the internet and they need to understand that it does take time to construct the frontend and backend code. Plans have to be drawn up just the way a contractor works from the plans an architect builds. So comparing yourself to a contractor, architect, interior designer and landscaper as well as a plumber and electrician are all good courses of action. Most business owners actually have concepts about the amount of skill and cost of those types of professionals. They also understand the diversity and time constraints of those activities.

The key is in the perceptions of the client.

A client has very few preconceived ideas about web design or they have very skewed perceptions of web design. My favorite concept comparison deals with the skewed perceptions some small business owners have about web design. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the client or potential client who tells you “I’ll have my teenage nephew design it for me for (insert cost in the very low range).” My comparison for this situation is: “Would you have a teenage kid pick a physical location, purchase the land, build your building, do the landscaping and interior decorating as well as stock the shelves?” In essence this is the scope of a web designer’s job. It is part of your job to ensure that your potential clients understand and appreciate the scope of your profession.

Anyone have any other comparisons that would work for web design? Please feel free to respond.

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