There are several qualities and skills you would want of a web designer, but did you know that most of those qualities extend beyond the technical skills required of the position? If you are a web designer, you should consider the technical skills you hold to be a minimum qualification in the same way an employer requires a high school diploma, or college degree as a minimum qualification. After all, nearly anyone with basic HTML and Photoshop skills can transform a free web design template from Open Source Web Design. You need to stand out amongst the rest.
So who stands out amongst the rest? A leader does. A good web designer is one who can provide complete leadership over the development of the site. A bad web designer is one who merely follows client direction, and fails to notify and inform the client of potential improvements, or pitfalls. To shine above the rest, take note of the following ten points.
- Meet with the client (at no charge) to discuss their needs. Find out the purpose of the site and who their audience is. Determine what requirements exist….does the site have to have certain features? Determine what resources are available for the project (budget, staff time/skill). Listen and occasionally make suggestions. The client will appreciate your goodwill in agreeing to meet as well as your interest and attention to the project. Once you’ve heard the details, take the time to explain that if you are offered the opportunity to create the site that they can expect items 2-9 from you. If you have more suggestions please post your comments.
- Take the time to put together a contract even if you are OK performing work without one. Preparing a contract demonstrates professionalism and provides you with the opportunity to clarify the site’s purpose, expectations of one another, and it gives you an opportunity to sum up any verbal agreements made about how the site will be designed and organized.
- Create a detailed timeline, which clearly defines who will do what and when. For example, if the client needs the site complete and live in 60 days, then your timeline should reflect when their content will be to you, when they can edit your work, and when they need to have their edits back to you. Clarity is key and I dare you to be too detailed oriented.
- Beat the timelines you agreed upon with the client. Nothing says “you’re on it” to the client like having it done yesterday.
- Provide the client with a site map that demonstrates the site’s navigation and how pages are linked. Site maps on websites traditionally use an outline format such as this one, however I would strongly encourage you to take it to a more meaningful level for your client. Draw rectangles on a page and use arrows showing how pages link to each other. Providing both formats will not only demonstrate that you are “on the ball,” but it also provides an opportunity to confirm agreement.
- As soon as the client sends you content, review it. Make sure you are clear on what goes where. Identify any missing information and advise of changes to content so that keywords are inserted and properly used through the page/site. If content is late, get in touch with the client. Demonstrate that you are paying attention to the details and you know what’s coming up next.
- Generally speaking (unless you’ve made another arrangement) it is the client’s responsibility to provide you with proofed content (always good to clarify this in your contract). However, if you notice a spelling error, make the change and simply notify the client. Don’t pretend to not see a problem.
- Offer suggestions regarding the incorporation of tools like Google Analytics, AdWords, AdSense, AddThis, YouTube, Twitter etc. and explain their value.
- Advise the client against bad web design requests. For example, if the client requests words be emphasized through underlines, you need to advise the client that doing so would be bad form. Additionally, if a client wants to stream a one hour video you need to let them know of the implications for the user etc.
- Validate your pages for HTML, CSS, and 508 Compliance. Its likely your client won’t understand initially, but once explained, they will certainly appreciate what this means with regard to their website being widely accessible to various browsers, mobile phones, and those using assistive technology.
In that initial meeting with the client you need to demonstrate that you are more than just a “techy”. Explain what you offer technically, but be sure to cover the points listed above. Most importantly, if you are marketing yourself as a leader you need to make sure you follow through on your campaign promise else find yourself working as an HTML Monkey through Craig’s List for $10/hr.
