Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Elevated web design - 5 must know business tips

Whether you are a freelance web designer or looking for a salaried position business sense is important. What to wear, what to say, how to price, how to hire; these are all things you will need to know. Below are a few helpful business tips related to the web design industry.

1. Be Professional

For the freelancer the need for professionalism is as important as in the white collar world. First impressions are everything, if you're gaining a new client or applying for a job some things are everlasting. You will need to be clean, dressed nice and mind your choice of words and topics. The handshake is important, not too soft not too firm. Looking and speaking in a concise, polite manner is key to executing a great first impression.

2. Be Prepared

Being prepared isn't easy, but the benefits are great. First if you're applying for a job, make sure you have researched everything about it. Going into a job you should know what the job is, if and why you're qualified and have all of the important paper work and identification. Make sure to have pens and possibly spare paper. Being prepared means you're organized and careful and this speaks volumes on one's character. It seems like common sense but make sure you have gas in your car, directions to meetings and plan your time well. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

3. Pricing & Contracts

To get a rough idea of what you should be charging do some diligence. The occupational handbook is a good place to start. Check out your local competition and get a few quotes. This will help guide you towards a pricing model. Also consider you talent level and personal costs. How much is it going to cost you at a minimum to do any given job? Can you fulfill all of your promises? If not then perhaps you should reconsider. Also make sure you understand what any contract you use means. Know what you're signing, and make sure your clients understand what they are shining.

4. Stay Smart

Some opportunities are great but others should be avoided. A bad job or client can rob you of precious resources; your time and money. A lot of customers will haggle with you on prices and try to underbid you, be wary of this and stand strong in your pricing model. The old adage "give them and inch, they take a mile" applies here. Don't discount largely for these customers and insist that your pricing is fair and work excellent. Also as a web designer your reputation is everything. Never do a job poorly to spite a rude customer and never talk bad about an employer.

5. Network

Networking is one of the most important things in business. It's not what you know, it's who you know. You could be the best designer in the world but web design doesn't sell itself. Personal marketing and branding is the key to success, people have to be able to find you and for freelancers word of mouth is often their bread and butter. Knowing people also presents rare opportunities. When you know someone you can often gain inside offers, deals or tips. And when you're in need having a strong base is always helpful.

These are good tips but always remember to study your craft, look for web design inspiration, learn how to write and design for humans.


Thanks to William Atkin, is a writer with WiWorks, Utahs leading web services company.

DiggIt! Del.icio.us Yahoo Furl Technorati Spurl Reddit Google

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

5 Easy Steps to Design a Website

If you want to design a website for business or personal reasons it might seem like a tough task. Fortunately, there are many resources and tools online today to help you get a website up and running quickly on the World Wide Web (www)

Below are the five steps to creating your own website. 1. Decide on a website theme Choose a website theme that will flow with your business or personal goals. If you're selling search engine optimization services (SEO), choose a theme that fits well with search engine optimization services (SEO). Perhaps you'd like a website that offers training in a particular field or that provides useful information or services in fields such as health, insurance, marketing, finance, family, home and garden, web design, etc.

Use search engine optimization tools such as wordtracker.com to determine popular keywords in your field. This will help you narrow your theme and find a niche market. The more specific you are, the more likely you'll reach your targeted audience.

2. Choose a Domain Name You can visit almost any web host to find out what domain names are available. Your domain name is the web address people will type in to find your website and it is completely unique to you. It could end in .com, .net, .org, or a variety of other suffixes. Example: www.domainname.com Choose a domain name that meets the following criteria: 1. Not too long. 2. Easy to spell - even for kids. 3. Simple and easy to say. 4. Fits your website theme. 5. Easy to remember. Remember, your domain name will be used in all advertising campaigns whether in print or online, so keep it simple.

3. Choose Web Hosting Web hosting is a must for a website. This is the "web space" you'll buy so your website can appear on the World Wide Web. You can choose from thousands of web hosts today, but be aware of the pitfalls if you choose the wrong host. Choose a web host that is dependable, affordable, offers excellent customer service, and offers the features you need for your website. Free web hosting services are available if you're starting a personal website, but are not recommended for business websites.

Be aware that not all hosting services offer special add-on features such as PHP or MySQL capabilities. Not all hosting services offer a reliable control panel for site management and following your website's visitor statistics. So, be sure to choose a web hosting provider that offers what you need for now and future growth.

4. Design Your Website Once you choose a domain name and secure web hosting, it's time to design your website. You have two options: a) Learn web skills such as HTML and PHP so you can design your own website. b) Hire a web designer.

If you choose to learn web design, there are many tutorials and courses online to help you learn. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars taking a college course. Or, you can find a website that has the same features you want and ask who designed it. This will help you find a dependable designer who already has the skills needed for your project.

Either way, determine what type of programming language you will use beforehand. This will be based on the features your website will have.

5. Get Your Website Noticed

It's time to promote your website. You can promote in many different ways: search engine optimization, paid search engines, free search engine submission, e-zine advertising, and even off-line advertising. Include your website address on everything you print such as business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, envelopes, etc.

Probably one of the most effective ways to promote is by adding content articles to your website. Articles get noticed by the search engines because they are informational and useful. The more information you offer, the better your search engine rankings will be. If you sell insurance, write many articles about insurance for your website or hire a writer to write them for you. Whatever your theme, provide plenty of content for your users.

Use these five steps to get your website going. You're on your way to web success!



Thanks to IT Global Solution, is a website designing company, offering cheap web designing services for corporate with quality web designing UK, Canada, and USA at affordable Prices. For more information please visit Website Design and Development Company

DiggIt! Del.icio.us Yahoo Furl Technorati Spurl Reddit Google