Category: Clients

Building a great website requires a team effort between web designers and their clients. That holds true whether you’re a solo freelancer or part of a larger agency. Web design clients who buy-in and provide us with guidance are crucial ingredients for success.

So often, those of us in the industry talk about what we need from our clients – and that makes sense. But, in order to really serve them, we must fulfill their needs as well. However, it seems like that subject tends to fall under the radar.

With that in mind, let’s explore some things that our web design clients need from us. Some of it may be common sense, while others are a little less obvious.

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An Open Mind

Being open to new ideas is a two-way street. Sometimes, clients may approach their website with ideas that are at odds with what we may think.

Just like everyone else, we web designers are susceptible to being set in our ways. Our experiences can lead us to what we believe is the perfect formula for a website. It may be certain design characteristics, or it could be development tools and techniques.

When a client suggests something outside of our comfort zone, it’s natural to become, well, uncomfortable. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean their ideas are unworkable. It may be a case of getting past those initial thoughts and gaining a better understanding of what’s being said.

Of course, not every idea a client has is a winner. But it’s still important to come into each project with an open mind. You could be missing out on something great.

Beyond that, the fact that you truly listened can help to create a solid client-designer relationship as well.

Honest Advice

Listening is only part of the relationship-building process. Honesty is also a key factor.

That applies to client ideas and requests, but it also goes deeper. For instance, providing guidance as to the pros and cons of a feature or functionality. The same goes for pricing and the value received from a particular product or service.

Honesty builds trust and empowers our web design clients to make good decisions. Without that honest advice, project outcomes will likely suffer. Details can be overlooked and money might be spent in the wrong places.

Sometimes, the easiest thing to do is to simply go along with whatever a client says. It’s the path of least resistance, and the thinking goes that it’s also a way to finish off a project faster.

In reality, honesty pays off all the way around. When more informed decisions are made, projects are less likely to go awry. Theoretically, it also leads to faster and better results.

A Proactive Approach

Our clients are often experts in their own field. Whether they run a business or non-profit, they’re likely immersed in their jobs. That means they won’t have as much time to devote to their website.

Because of this, important items could slip through the cracks. WordPress core, themes and plugins may become outdated. Site errors may be wreaking havoc on performance and usability. In short, a website can fall into any number of bad situations without proper vigilance.

That’s where we can be of service. By staying on top of what’s happening in terms of software, security and industry trends, we can keep our clients’ sites running smoothly.

Be proactive by staying in touch with your clients. If you see an issue, or even the potential for an issue, reach out and let them know. They’ll appreciate the effort and any headaches you’ve saved them. In addition, this helps their organization maintain a good reputation with their audience as well.

A Helping Hand

Not everyone with a website is tech-savvy. For these folks, the learning curve for tasks like adding content can be relatively steep. But a helping hand from their web designer can make a big difference.

Using your knowledge to educate clients empowers them to take advantage of the amazing website you’ve built. That could mean anything from fresher content to fewer support requests coming your way.

Still, support requests go along with the territory – even if we hope they’ll be minimal. When they do come in, offering fast and friendly service is vital. It lets your clients know that you have their back and can be depended upon.

Overall, it’s about being there when clients need us (within reason, of course).

Keeping Client Needs in Mind

Web design projects can be full of challenges. Sometimes, that can lead us to simply focus on the task at hand without much thought of those we are working for. It’s an easy trap to fall into.

But client needs do matter – for a lot of reasons. The most important being that it forms the basis of a partnership. We need each other in order to reach a successful outcome.

Even after the site launches, being there to provide guidance ensures a better relationship – not to mention a well-maintained website. As a bonus, it could lead to repeat business and referrals.

While web design is a highly-technical field, there’s a human element that can easily be missed. But if you can master this aspect of the job, both you and your clients will be better for it.

Web designers wear a lot of different hats, depending on the project. Sometimes we’re project managers, trying to coordinate an effort get assets from various sources. On other occasions, we play the role of a marketer, tech support representative or even psychiatrist. But, beyond design and development, the hat we wear most often is that of educator. But educating your web design clients isn’t in the initial job description – so why do we do it?

It’s something we do out of necessity. Most organizations don’t have web-savvy experts on hand. As such, there’s a learning curve for clients when it comes to design, functionality, content management, SEO, maintenance and a whole lot more.

To some designers, this may seem like an extra burden. After all, shouldn’t we just focus on building great things?

While there’s some merit to that argument, there are also a number of reasons why educating your web design clients is worthwhile. Let’s take a look!

Better (and Faster) Project Outcomes

The first benefit is purely practical. Sure, you probably enjoy your job. But no one enjoys a project that seemingly drags on forever. Helping your clients understand what’s involved in the design and build processes can get things moving forward.

Quite often, a project stalls because clients are unsure of how things work. What type of content is acceptable? Are there any technical limitations to what we want to do? There are a ton of potential questions they may have.

Building a website is not like shopping for clothes – clients don’t simply pick out everything they want, then head to the cash register to pay.

On the contrary, a lot of consideration has to go into how a website works, what it looks like and what features to include. Therefore, clients need to understand the basics, along with the pros and cons of these decisions. It affects everything from budget, marketing position to user experience.

Serving as a guide to your clients can make a positive impact, both in getting the project completed and in the quality of the final result.

It Builds Mutual Trust

Having a strong, trusting relationship with your clients is vital. This can create customer loyalty that keeps them with you year after year. And it may also result in some lucrative referrals as well.

But the biggest benefit here is the ability to work together. A relationship that’s strained or very one-sided may make you cringe every time the phone rings or an email arrives. That certainly doesn’t help you do your best work.

When there’s a mutual trust, however, the process can be much more productive. Designers know that, when a client asks for something, they likely won’t tear the whole thing up minutes after you finish it. Why? Because the details were discussed honestly.

Clients, on the other hand, realize that you have their best interests at heart. When you make a suggestion of how to approach a project, they’ll be more likely to listen.

Fewer Support Requests

Every website needs maintenance at some point. It could be a CMS software update or a new feature that needs to be added. They go along with the territory and designers can usually prepare for them.

But it’s those little support requests from clients that can throw off our schedules. The “how-to” questions or the “oops, it’s broken” pleas for help.

These things can happen to anybody. But a client who has a basic understanding of how to manage their website should be less likely to run into these issues. That will hopefully translate into fewer support requests coming your way.

Plus, clients will feel empowered. Seeing someone who may have had initial nervousness around technology learn to help themselves is pretty great as well. They have a newfound confidence and you have the good feeling that comes along with helping.

Educating Your Web Design Clients Is an Investment

Educating clients – whether through formal training or friendly advice – takes time and patience. But it is very much worth the effort.

There are a number of long-term benefits. It helps to create stronger designer-client relationships, results in better project outcomes and may even save you a few panicked support requests.

In addition, the potential monetary benefits shouldn’t be ignored. Training clients is something you can build into your services and provide your business with another source of revenue. You can even use group educational events like webinars as a way to drum up new projects.

All told, by educating your web design clients you are making an investment in both them and yourself. It’s something that can benefit every web designer.

One of the best parts of running a web design business is that you have the ultimate say in what it will be. You can work with who you want and charge whatever fee you think is reasonable. You can’t find that level of control just anywhere.

This is one of the great freedoms of being a freelancer or part of a small agency. You get to forge your own path. But, how do you determine which way to go?

Some designers will be happy to dabble in a little bit of everything. That means working on different types of projects and perhaps a wide range of budgets.

But others will undoubtedly want to focus in on a particular niche. This can be a bit more difficult to determine – and it’s our subject for today.

Let’s look at some items to consider when deciding where you want your web design business to go.

Your Tools of Choice

Before you think about clientele, it’s important to consider the tools you want to use in your web design business. This decision is a pretty big one, as it can determine your project workflow and the types of functionality you can offer.

There are any number of established paths here. For example, you might be interested in working with self-hosted content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Drupal. Then there are also SaaS products like Shopify, Wix or Squarespace. Alternatively, maybe your sole focus is on progressive web applications that use React or some other popular framework.

Of course, choosing one doesn’t mean you have to push the rest aside. But it is worth mentioning that the more of these types of tools you work with, the more things you have to learn.

To become really well-versed in a platform means that you’ll have to spend time with it, discovering all the different intricacies. There are only so many hours in the day to do that, so finding focus here is vital.

If you have previous experience and happen to like a particular tool, maybe the decision has already been made?

Projects in the Right Price Range

Like it or not, money is a major consideration of any web design business. If you’re a full-time freelancer, you’ll at least want to make enough to cover the bills. Or, maybe you envision yourself with a beach house and a Ferrari. Either way, it requires careful thought and planning.

When first starting out, it’s tempting to take on projects in just about any price range. It makes sense, as you need both money and some beautiful websites to fill out your portfolio. However, it’s not a practice that will sustain your business for the long term.

Over time, you’ll start to see how each project helps or hinders your finances. Some low-end projects will undoubtedly end up costing you if you spend too much time on them.

The ultimate goal is to figure out how much time you can afford to spend on a project at a given price. Then, set a baseline.

For example, you might determine that $2,000 is a good starting point for pricing, provided you spend no more than 20 hours on the project. From there, the price would increase as the amount of estimated time goes up. As an aside, it’s never a bad idea to estimate more time than you think you’ll need – unexpected issues always pop up.

It’s also worth thinking about how many new projects per year you’ll need to book in order to reach your income goals. If you find that it would take 10 new clients a year, maybe that’s reasonable for you. If the answer is more like 20 new clients, well, you may want to rethink your pricing.

In the simplest terms: Is it better to have one $5,000 project or five $1,000 projects? Continually taking on smaller gigs means you have to hustle that much more to earn a living.

These numbers are just examples. In the end, you have to figure out what works best for your business.

Client and Project Types

The final consideration in our guide is figuring out the type of clients and projects you want to work with. These can be lumped together or not at all, depending on your personal preference.

Targeting by Industry or Size

If you’re a designer with inside knowledge of a specific industry, that may give you an edge over the competition. Having worked in the medical industry, for example, could lend itself to building websites exclusively for doctors and hospitals.

The advantage here is that you can become known within that industry and develop a great reputation. Word of mouth can be highly-effective when you have proven yourself and can boast a list of happy clients.

On the other hand, not every designer wants their focus to be quite that narrow. In that case, you may look more towards businesses that can spend within your pricing range. This offers up a variety of different types of clients, which can save you from the boredom associated with doing the same projects over and over.

Targeting by Functionality

Then there are the types of projects you’re looking to book. Again, this can be as broad or narrow as you like. It also ties in with the tools you’ve chosen to work with. If, for example, you know that you want to use WordPress, maybe your preference is to work solely on WooCommerce shops.

Much like targeting an industry, this strategy helps to position your business as an expert in whatever project type you specialize in. Building up your portfolio with successful eCommerce projects, for example, can be a huge advantage in gaining lucrative new clients.

You might also find that working within a specific industry points you in this direction. These clients may have similar needs in terms of functionality – something you can use to bolster the types of services you have to offer.

Defining Your Ideal Client

Understanding the tools, budget range and type of clients/projects you want to work with will provide a great foundation for knowing your market. From there, you can learn to spot the ideal clients who can help your business thrive.

Still, knowing how you want to work and who you want to work with is only half the battle. It still takes patience and effort to get your name out there. But persistence pays off.

Here’s hoping that your journey leads you to where you want to go.

When a crisis such as COVID-19 comes along, it can throw so much of our daily lives into disarray. Routines are disrupted, plans are changed and everyone scrambles to adjust.

For your web design clients, this is a time of great uncertainty. Some, especially small businesses, may be in a fight for survival.

This is when a website can serve as a lifeline. Business owners can use it as a means to share important information. And, unlike the chaos of social media, visitors will be able to easily find out what they need to know. They’ll also be able to come back time and again to check for the latest updates.

All of this can mean a lot of extra work for web designers. And the emergency nature of these tasks can pile stress on top of an already-demanding job.

So, how do you deal with it? Here are some ways to both help your clients and yourself during a crisis.

Try to Remain Calm

It’s really hard to do your job when you feel panicked or overwhelmed. But that feeling is also understandable. Your inbox is full, your phone won’t stop ringing. Anyone would get frazzled in this type of circumstance.

Still, you have things to do. The first step in all of this is to take a deep breath and realize that you’re going to be O.K. You’ll undoubtedly feel stress, but you have the ability to get through the tough times.

It may also help to think about the fact that others are going through the exact same thing. You aren’t in this alone. Knowing that virtually everyone is being impacted can help put things in perspective.

In addition, it’s worth taking a moment to think about how you are helping. The fact that you’re making even a small difference for your clients (and their customers) is something to be proud of.

Organize and Communicate

Clients will come to you with requests to add emergency info – and they’ll want it done quickly.

To cope, you’ll need to come up with a process for handling these tasks. Perhaps it’s first-come, first-serve. Or maybe you want clients to fill out a support ticket to help keep track of everything. Whatever your preference, it’s important to have a way to manage things in a way that makes sense for you.

Then, once you have a process that you’re comfortable with, it’s important to let your clients know. Send an email newsletter out that outlines what you’re doing. Also make mention of how the situation could affect the timeline for getting things done.

People tend to be more understanding of policies and procedures when they know about it ahead of time. Communicating your plan will allow your clients to know what to expect.

Streamline Tasks

While every client’s needs are different, there are probably a number of similarities. If you look closely enough, you might just find some ways to use them in order to increase efficiency.

For example, if all or most of your clients are running WordPress, that’s something to take advantage of. The technical similarity means that you could use a similar process for posting information. It might be a helpful plugin or the use of a feature such as custom fields.

In addition, there might be certain design elements and code snippets that could be reused. Having even a basic template in hand means that you won’t have to reinvent the wheel for each client.

This could be a huge help in crossing items off of your ever-growing to-do list. That, in turn, makes for happy clients and a bit less stress in your life.

Remember the Human Element

Above all, a crisis is a time for people to work together towards a common goal. Web designers have a positive and productive role to play.

Customer service is always a big deal. It’s a defining factor in the success of your business. But it is especially appreciated during a difficult time of crisis. It’s important to keep that in mind when interacting with others.

Handling yourself with professionalism and empathy is the right thing to do. It will also help strengthen your bond with clients.

There will always be periods of time that are challenging. Look at them – not just with concern – but as an opportunity to be your very best.

It often feels like web design is a feast or famine type of business. Either you’re up to your elbows in work or you’re sitting there, twiddling your thumbs.

And while the busy times can be stressful, the slower times can be downright scary. Not only can you find yourself being bored, you might also wonder how you’ll make enough money to keep the lights on. A prolonged period without much work can be a matter of survival.

But don’t worry – we’re here to help! Here are some tips for finding new projects, along with ideas to help stabilize your design business during those doldrums.

Look to Existing Clients

Finding new clients can be a difficult and time-consuming process. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need a steady flow of them to keep you busy. That next project could actually be right under your nose.

Existing clients can in fact be a great source of new work. Websites are in a constant state of evolution. Therefore, you’re likely to find any number of items to enhance your client’s websites.

Older sites, for example, may need a lot of TLC when it comes to accessibility or responsiveness. Then there are cases where outdated or broken software are in use. And, let’s not forget about the good old redesign.

Each of these situations provides an opportunity to fill your schedule and earn some cash. In many cases, all it takes is your mentioning any potential issues to your client. It may be something that they have either had on the back burner or hadn’t even realized.

So, take a little time to review the websites you already maintain. See who could use a retrofit or redesign. This kind of proactive approach can be a revenue booster. Plus, it shows your clients that you are thinking of them.

Run a Promotion

A little marketing savvy can go a long way towards jump-starting your business. The right promotion can really work. It’s why retail stores, car manufacturers and service providers are constantly running them.

There are any number of different promotions you might opt for. Perhaps it’s a 10% discount for new clients, or a “redesign special” aimed at existing ones. Maybe it’s as simple as a free t-shirt. Just be sure that whatever you do, you won’t end up taking a loss. Be generous, but don’t give away the farm.

Where should you promote it? The ideal starting place would be your own website, of course. It provides an opportunity to spell out all of the details. From there, drive traffic to your site through social media feeds and maybe even promote your posts to gain some highly-targeted eyeballs. Other options include your email newsletter, local business groups or media outlets.

As for budget, that’s totally up to you. If cash flow isn’t great, take all of the free advertising you can get. Otherwise, even a small bit of spending could make a difference.

The most obvious benefit of any promotion is that it gets your name out there. So, even if someone doesn’t take you up on the offer immediately, they may well remember you down the road.

Beyond that, people love incentives. Maybe they’ve been putting off that business website for a while. However, knowing a discount is coming their way could help to tip the scales in your favor. A promotion can put that idea to the front of their mind.

Create Passive Income

Among the most common bits of advice given to investors is to “diversify”. The same goes for freelance web designers and small agencies. Create extra avenues for income and you’ll be that much better off during slow times.

The web is teeming with opportunities to build “passive” income – money you make through selling a premade product or service. Examples of this could be in offering up a WordPress theme or plugin, but there are other possibilities.

If you’re into photography, you might put some of your images on a stock photo marketplace. Skilled writers could self-publish an eBook or start a website where members pay to access your content.

The idea is that money can trickle in over time, without requiring a massive effort on your part. And while this type of situation may not be a great fit for everyone, it is something that could prove effective. All you need is an idea, a little talent and the gumption to get things started.

Best of all, you can use whatever downtime you have to work on your idea. Staying productive in itself is rewarding and great for building confidence.

It’s About Creating Opportunities

The overarching theme here is that it is up to us to make the most of our design business. Sometimes, opportunities can seemingly come out of nowhere. That’s wonderful – but not necessarily something we can count on.

What will sustain us, however, is being proactive. Things like reviewing our past projects for new ideas, providing incentives to clients and building other sources of income can help you take charge of your business.

This lessens the likelihood of a slowdown. But, should one occur, it also means you’re better prepared to handle it.

The more time you spend working as a web designer, the more you start to realize that this industry is about way more than just design. For example, you might spend a significant amount of time dealing with clients.

While you might consider that to be in the realm of sales or customer support, I’d argue that it’s also a bit of psychology as well. So much of what we do really comes down to bringing out what clients need, even if they aren’t exactly sure what that is.

Sometimes, that includes taking vague statements or uninformed suggestions (including ones that may have disaster written all over them) and redirecting a client towards a more solid strategy. That takes knowledge, persuasion and empathy. In some cases, it could require you to lead your client to draw their own conclusions about the right path to take.

One thing you’ll inevitably learn is that what a client wants may be very different from what they need. Here’s how you can help them come to that realization.

Have an Open Dialogue

If a client comes to you with a terrible, costly, design-ruining idea – how do you handle it? How do you get them from this place of unintended mischief to one of reason and realism?

Well, part of the psychology we need to employ includes knowing when to be diplomatic. This means to not completely shoot down their idea, regardless of what you actually think of it. Doing so could possibly insult them and make the process of getting things done that much more difficult.

Instead, start a real conversation about it. Ask probing questions that allow them to better explain what they want to do. This could either lead them to realize that it’s not worth doing or maybe you even find out that the whole thing is more feasible than you first thought.

If, however, a bad idea is still on the table, then it’s okay to share some of your concerns. For example, if they’re asking for a color scheme that isn’t good for accessibility, tell them so. In fact, this is actually a perfect opportunity to educate them on an important issue. And the more informed your clients are, the more likely they are to make sound decisions.

Provide Parameters and Guidelines

To expand on that last point above, quite often a client will veer away from the elements that make for a great website. And that’s usually because they don’t know what those things are. That’s why they hire professionals, after all.

As such, they may ask for typography that isn’t very legible or performance-crushing media files that play as a page loads in. It isn’t that they are looking to create a poor user experience. In reality, they may not have actually thought about the impact those things could have.

So, when discussing design and functionality, it’s important to lay out some basic principles. The website, for instance, needs to take user behavior and preferences into account. Branding is incredibly important, but it also has to be balanced with ease of use. And the mobile experience needs to be just as good as it is on the desktop.

Certainly, the web also provides an untold number of statistics on these subjects. If that’s something you think will get the message across, by all means go for it. But even a simple set of guidelines such as these can be helpful:

• Navigation should be easy to locate and use;
• Typography should be chosen and sized with legibility in mind;
• Design elements should be consistent throughout;
• Page load times should be optimized as much as possible;

Of course, there are a number of other points that could be made. But this is a good starting point.

By sharing your expertise in these areas, it helps to ensure that the project aims toward pleasing users rather than a client’s preferences alone.

Encourage Them to Look (And Click) Around

Sometimes explaining concepts to a client isn’t as effective as showing them. When viewing a website from the perspective of a user (and not that of the site’s owner), you can more easily pick out the good from the bad.

It’s pretty common to ask clients to look around at various outside websites – whether they’re from competitors or just generally ones they like. But it’s not only a good idea to browse through the site, it’s also beneficial to go in and use its various features.

They can find out, for example, what a poor eCommerce checkout experience feels like. Or perhaps there’s a convenient feature that helps them get things done faster. Going through these processes can make someone think twice before adding a potential pain point to their own site.

Overall, taking a tour of other websites can serve as a solid foundation with regards to how things should look and work. Hopefully, your client will gain a different point of view on what to include and what to leave out.

It’s a Process

It’s worth noting that helping a client determine their needs is a process. Things usually don’t happen overnight. Therefore, a little patience is required.

You may find that some people are resistant to other ideas (including yours). However, with a little effort, they may start to come around in time. It may even take them seeing and experiencing why something doesn’t quite work in order to start engaging in a more productive conversation.

Sure, you won’t win over every single client. Projects that start out with a lot of promise may not turn out as you’d hoped. But by steering someone towards user-centered design, you’re bound to increase your success rate. In the end, that means everyone’s a winner.

Communication may just be the most overlooked ingredient in building a great website. I’d argue that it’s just as important as awesome design and development skills.

Without it, the final product is going to suffer. The site may look nice enough, but is it on target with regards to branding and messaging? Will the functionality match up with your client’s intended goals?

Despite its importance, communication is also one of the hardest skills to learn. In addition, it’s a two-way street. Even if you’re gifted in this area, your client may not be.

Let’s explore some ways to improve the dialogue with clients and better ensure a successful project.

Reach Out

One thing to realize about your clients is that they often have busy schedules. In other words, dealing with their current or future website is just one of many things on their to-do list.

As the old saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This means that people tend to deal with whatever situation is right in front of them in that very moment. If your website project isn’t in their immediate line of sight, then it’s probably going to stay on the back burner.

To avoid a project that hangs in the air indefinitely, it’s up to you to reach out to clients. Check in on the status of that content you’re waiting for, or the example sites they were supposed to send. Offer your help and to answer any questions they might have.

Taking this little bit of initiative can kickstart the process of actually getting things done.

Dig for Details

It can be difficult to gain an understanding of what a client really wants. They may sometimes give vague instructions or be otherwise noncommittal when it comes to the look and features of their site.

This can be quite frustrating as you are left to guess the best path forward. It can also lead to a seemingly unending cycle of revisions and, once again, a stagnating project.

You may even get the impression that this person is being hard to deal with. However, that’s most likely not the case. It may just be that they really aren’t sure what they want or are having trouble explaining it.

This is another instance where being assertive can help. Ask probing questions, provide either-or scenarios and try to make the discussion a productive one.

It’s important to remember that this is a process and that things aren’t always clear from the get-go. Sometimes, it requires peeling back a few layers before we can find that solid foundation for moving forward.

Keep Clients Updated

Another key element in communicating with clients is keeping them abreast of progress. After all, they’re investing a good bit of money into their website. It’s only natural to want to know where things stand.

This can be a bit of a delicate balance for designers. You don’t want to overwhelm your clients with constant updates. Yet you don’t want to underwhelm them when there just hasn’t been much progress.

Depending on the scope and timeline of the project, usually a weekly update is enough. And, even if you’re struggling with a specific aspect of things, it’s okay to share that as part of your status report.

Things such as technical roadblocks or even an unexpectedly busy schedule are bound to happen along the way. Most people are pretty understanding about it, so long as you let them know. Rather, it’s the uncertainty that comes with a lack of communication that is more likely to spark a less-than-kind reaction.

Create Opportunities with Mass Communication

While so much of client communication is person-to-person, there are other opportunities to stay in touch. By taking advantage of available tools, you can get your message out to highly-targeted groups.

Social media is a big one these days. And it can actually be a good place to talk to clients – albeit in a more generalized way. Use it to let them know about articles and tools that may be of interest.

Sure, your feeds may be followed by non-clients as well. However, that can be a positive. By sharing worthwhile information, you become a trusted source. And trust is key for turning prospects into paying customers.

The other mass communication tool is the good old email newsletter. This is still a great forum to share ideas. And, unlike social media, it’s easy to target clients or even a subset of them.

Even better is that clients can respond directly to your mailing, starting what could be a real conversation. At the very least, it’s a solid way to keep them in the loop.

One bit of advice: Avoid making flat-out sales pitches. They’re already your clients, they’ve already purchased something from you. Make sure that whatever you post or send out is of some genuine value.

Better Projects, Better Relationships

Effectively communicating with your clients isn’t so much about being perfect. Rather, it’s about making the effort to better understand who they are. The goal is to find out what they’re hoping to achieve and then devise a plan to help them do so.

The end result is a project that accurately reflects their wants and needs. That, in turn, will help you build a solid, lasting relationship.

Just think, if you are able to regularly accomplish this feat, you’ll have loyal clients and be set up for long-term success. It’s a winning formula that both you and your clients will benefit from.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of booking a new project. You immediately start thinking of it’s potential to boost your portfolio and your bank account (you may have even received a nice down payment).

And there’s often a great level of excitement from your client as well. They just can’t wait to get started and want to have things up and running as soon as possible. This is just fine with you, as you love crossing items off of your to-do list.

So, everybody’s just raring to go, right? Perhaps they are, for a little while. But over time, all of that initial elation fades away – along with any signs of progress. All of the sudden, you find yourself in the middle of a stalled project.

Why did this happen? And what can you do about it? We have some ideas! Let’s explore the common ways a project can slow to a crawl (or worse) and some ways to jumpstart it back to life.

A Wakeup Call

There is always a high level of optimism at the very beginning of a project. And clients usually have a lot of big ideas, too.

But when it’s time to actually do the work, reality sets in. What sounded like a piece of cake in meetings turns out to be more difficult than initially thought. This is a common theme when working with clients.

However, it’s not just the degree of difficulty that gets in the way. Time, or lack of it, can also play a major role. Clients who are already swamped with work may just not have an opportunity to get together content and other promised assets.

The result is that the website you were supposed to build in six weeks is past due, and it’s because you don’t have what you need to finish the job.

The Domino Effect

For web designers, this situation is frustrating on several levels. First, it can have a negative impact on your schedule. If you blocked off a certain amount of time to finish a project, you might be left waiting around with nothing to do. And once it finally does start to move forward again, it could clash with other work you have to get done.

Along with a reshuffled schedule, a stalled project can also hurt you financially. When you’re counting being paid for your work at a specific time and it doesn’t happen – that can really hinder your ability to pay the bills.

Plus, this can also put a heavy strain on the relationship you have with your client. There’s a certain level of mutual trust and cooperation that is needed to ensure a positive end result. In some instances, you may feel like your client isn’t holding up their end of the bargain, thus throwing your life into disarray. This, as much as anything, can make it difficult to move forward (even after you finally receive those product photos).

In short, a whole lot of trouble can come out of a stalled project. And the worst part is that, from a designer’s perspective, it can sometimes seem completely unnecessary.

How to Keep the Ball Rolling

While you can’t necessarily avoid every instance of a stalled project, there are some things you can do to help try and keep things moving forward. Among them:

Establish Benchmarks

Having a mutually agreed-upon schedule of project benchmarks can be just the incentive a client needs to get things done. This is something you can discuss before things start and include in your contract. If the project is rather large, you might even consider adding some level of financial penalties for missed deadlines.

However, this may be easier said than done. It’s advisable to speak with a legal professional when adding this type of language to a contract as it could backfire on you. Not only that, but some clients may balk at the terms.

Offer to Help

Not all delays are due to negligence or being too busy. Sometimes, a client may be a bit overwhelmed by the process of putting together materials for their website. They may not know where to begin or are just unsure about asking for help.

So, if things don’t appear to be moving along as you expected, reach out and offer your assistance. Check in and see if they have any questions or need some advice. You might find that, by being proactive, you can restart progress.

Break Down the Process

Another reason a client might feel overwhelmed is that they think everything needs to be taken care of at once. But for most projects this just isn’t the case.

One solution may be found in more clearly communicating the design process. Inform your clients about the steps involved and what you need to complete each one. A more iterative process might just lead to fewer fits and starts.

Keeping a Watchful Eye

One of the less talked-about parts of a web designer’s job is that of project management. It is so often up to us to keep things running smoothly. Although, instead of making sure employees stay on task, we’re usually focusing on clients.

This is difficult, as we can’t really control what our clients do (or don’t do). Therefore, our best weapon is communication. If we don’t lead by spelling out our processes and their requirements, the project will most likely stall at some point.

Using some or all of the tips above can help you keep clients in the loop. While they don’t guarantee success, they do put all of the expectations out in the open. This way, if your client still doesn’t deliver, it’s on them. At the very least, you can say that you made the effort to keep the project moving forward.

When you start a web design business, there are so many unknowns and things you may not have even considered. Maybe you’re a talented designer or developer – but that’s only part of the equation.

After all, even the most talented among us aren’t going to be successful without the ability to recruit and retain paying customers. Otherwise, you career becomes one endless side project. It may sound fun, but it also leaves you wondering how you’ll pay the bills.

The future of your business depends on creating solid working relationships with your clients. In other words: You need to keep them happy. But how?

In my 20+ years as a freelance designer, I’ve had a number of experiences – both good and not-so-good. Here are a few things I’ve learned about retaining clients over the long haul.

Communication is Key

Having good communication skills is essential in this business – especially if you’re working directly with clients. But there are some misconceptions about what this entails.

First and foremost, communication during a project’s development phase is of the utmost importance. Keep in mind that no one wants to be left in the dark. Clients need to be kept abreast of progress and aware of any challenges you see in achieving project goals.

Once the project is launched, you still need to keep up with your clients. However, some designers take this to mean inundating them with upsells and other marketing. While it’s OK to send an occasional newsletter or social media post, don’t overdo it. Someone who just paid a good bit of money for your services doesn’t want be bothered with constant “offers”.

More important is to be proactive about things like software updates, security and third-party subscriptions. For example, if they’re using a commercial plugin on their website, you’ll want to let your client know when a license renewal is coming. Or perhaps a change to a search engine algorithm means that some adjustments to their content may be in order.

These may seem like little things, but they mean a lot. They show clients that you are looking out for them and aren’t simply out to take their money. In turn, this establishes a level of trust between you that bodes well for the future of your relationship.

Be Honest

Communication is only as good as its actual content. Just as it’s not wise to send a constant stream of sales pitches, dishonesty is also a huge turnoff (and, sooner or later, a deal-breaker).

It’s not that we necessarily start out with the intention of being dishonest. Often it can come from the fear of letting someone down. And it may not even be about anything very important with regards to the bigger picture. That’s all the more reason to just be honest.

Be truthful in your billing, your skills and your assessment of a situation. If you don’t know the answer to something – it’s OK. Let your client know that you need to do some further research and get back to them.

Perhaps most importantly, own up to a mistake. None of us are perfect and we’re all going to do something wrong from time-to-time. Refusal to admit mistakes can only serve to put you into a deeper hole, while harming your relationship.

Honesty has its consequences, as well. But they are often better than the alternative.

Make Them a Priority

Everyone wants to feel like their needs are being attended to. As such, you’ll want to be as responsive as you can when it comes to handling client requests. Whether their site needs maintenance or they just have a question, it’s important to take care of things in a timely manner.

Once again, it always seems to come back to communication. Even if you aren’t able to get to something just that minute (not every request is that important), it’s helpful to let your client know when they can expect it done. Just as important is to make sure that it’s done within whatever time frame you’ve provided.

The idea here is to provide a first-class experience. It’s not about getting to each and every item on your to-do list immediately. Rather, it’s making sure that your clients feel good about you and your service.

Think of it this way: In a world that is often chaotic, clients will appreciate the fact that they can count on you to get the job done. Prove your reliability and you’ll be far ahead of most of your competitors.

Build Better Client Relationships

The great thing about all of this is that it’s not inherently difficult. The main challenge comes in finding consistency in your efforts. This can take a little time, but it’s very much worth doing.

Now, some of you may be thinking that being an outstanding communicator also means that you need to have a warm and fuzzy personality. That you need to be a social butterfly. However, that’s not the case.

The tips above don’t require the gift of gab or even a witty writing style. It’s more a matter of avoiding procrastination and letting clients know that you are there for them. You don’t need to win a personality contest to do it.

And now that you know what it takes to keep clients happy, you can put it into practice. The result will be better relations with your clients, year after year.

We’ve all been there. Those situations where there is too much to do and not enough time to get it done. It’s a common problem in just about all fields, but it seems especially so for freelancers. Because, when you’re working solo, everything rests on your shoulders.

Therefore, the temptation to work after normal business hours is strong. And while it can result in making some serious progress on your workload, it can also stress you out.

Working when seemingly everyone else is relaxing can feel a bit unavoidable. Maybe it’s just part of the lifestyle we’ve chosen for ourselves. Even so, if we’re going to do this, it would be helpful to set some ground rules. This way, we can stay on the good side of that fine line between productivity and exhaustion.

With that in mind, here are some basic guidelines to follow when it comes to burning that midnight oil:

Do Extra Work Only When You Have To

The working life of a freelance designer is very much feast or famine. Sometimes you have so much work piled up that you may need a small miracle to get it all done. But there are also times where you’ll be sitting there with virtually nothing to do.

The funny thing is that, even when you don’t have a million things going on, it can still feel like you just have to be productive. Don’t fall into that trap. Take advantage of the slow times to do things outside of work.

Making yourself sit through work sessions purely out of a sense of duty is actually counter-productive. Instead, give yourself the freedom to get out and have some fun. When your workload gets insane again, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to take on the challenge.

Set Aside Specific Times to Work

Just as you have a daily work schedule, you should also do the same when it comes to overtime. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to decide whether to binge-watch your favorite show or fire up the laptop and write some code.

While that may seem like a harmless decision, having some downtime for your brain is important. Wrapping yourself up in work 24/7 is unhealthy and can lead to an eventual burnout.

The healthier alternative is to schedule in some time to tackle that extra work. Pick a time that’s relatively quiet and allot yourself a specific number of hours to get it done. For instance, you might set aside a weekend morning between 8:00 – 11:00 am. This way, you know when you’re going to work and when you’re going to stop.

Just having that schedule in mind can help you better separate work from the rest of your daily life.

Define Clear Goals

Whether you’re working within or without of your normal business hours, having a specific goal or progress benchmark in mind will give you purpose. It may even be more important when putting in extra time, as you’ll be able to more easily walk away from the computer once you have accomplished your goal.

This will also help you avoid the temptation of trying to fit too many tasks into an extra work session. Since you’re not working within the parameters of a typical workday, you might attempt to take on a variety of projects. Even worse, the possibility of multitasking. Feverishly switching between apps or browser tabs during what’s supposed to be your “downtime” won’t help you relax.

Another item to be aware of in this context is email. We live in a world where we can be reached 24/7, but it’s vital to set boundaries. Answering, or acting upon, messages you receive after hours can be stressful and lead to the expectation that you’re always going to jump the moment something comes in. It’s not the ideal precedent to set.

A (Sometimes) Necessary Evil

Putting in those extra hours is something that just about every web designer will have to deal at one time or another. How you feel about that really depends on your personality. Some designers love the opportunity to sit in a quiet room with no distractions and just get things done. To others, it may feel more like a prison sentence.

Regardless of your feelings, having the right approach will help you make the most out of the time you spend.

Competition within the web design industry is fierce. With the sheer number of agencies and freelancers out there fighting for clients, it can feel like no project is uncontested. Throw in the ever-growing list of companies that offer DIY solutions for business owners and the market becomes even more overcrowded.

For many of us, it is those services such as Wix, Squarespace and even WordPress.com that can cause a good bit of uneasiness. After all, part of their pitch insinuates that anyone can build a website. If that’s really the case, then who has a need for those of us who are web professionals?

Not so fast. While there are certainly cases where DIY services make sense, they aren’t right for everyone. You may even have some clients who came to you after they found that out the hard way.

As ever, it’s important to make yourself stand out from the crowd. If you tend to work with smaller clients, that should include differentiating yourself from the DIY segment. Let’s look at some strategies for making the case.

Understand Your Market

Have you ever handed someone a proposal, only to have them scoff at your pricing? They might even bring up the fact that they can “build it themselves” for $20 a month, or whatever a DIY service charges.

Sure, that argument has some truth to it. However, the important difference is that you’re choosing to pay for access to a tool as opposed to a real, dedicated professional. It’s sort of like buying the parts to rebuild your car’s engine and giving it a go, rather than hiring a trained mechanic to do it for you.

To be blunt, if someone believes that a website should only cost such a pittance, then let them go off and do it themselves. You won’t be losing much in terms of revenue or someone who appreciates your unique talents.

These people are not your target market. Therefore, there’s no need to try and bargain with them. Instead, the goal is to weed them out, before you have to waste your time on a proposal.

Educate Potential Clients

Even though the internet is omnipresent in our society, there’s still a lot of misunderstanding about what web designers and developers bring to the table. It’s up to us to provide some basic education.

Use your website and other marketing materials to explain (in layman’s terms) your process and your expertise in the field. Offer up testimonials from happy clients and maybe even some case studies that demonstrate what a great problem solver you are.

Some occasional blogging can also be beneficial in this area. Write about the trends you’re seeing and common problems that business owners may face when it comes to their website.

And, while you don’t have to give specific pricing info, you might consider publishing your minimum starting price. This type of information will scare away the $20 a month crowd and help to establish you as someone who knows their stuff.

Show the Value of a Custom Website

If anyone is shopping around and is still on the fence about whether to build their own website or hire a professional, value can be a deciding factor. But in this case value isn’t defined by simply how much a client spends. Instead, it’s about what they’re actually getting for that money.

A DIY service will likely have a number of attractive themes and layouts to choose from. Plus, they’ll make it easy to add or change things via a drag-and-drop UI (one of the reasons WordPress introduced Gutenberg). This is all well and good. But does it really constitute a custom website?

It doesn’t. And that’s something web designers need to shout from the rooftops. A truly custom website includes one or more of the following:

• An original look, tied to the client’s branding;
• The ability to add the exact functionality needed;
• The ability to create new functionality, if it can’t be readily added through existing means;
• Portability that lets you move a site to virtually any host;
• A custom back end, tailored to client need, that allows for easier content management;

Simply put, a custom website offers a higher level of freedom. That comes with a higher cost. But it may also result in a much better fit for a client’s needs. Once they see the real value behind your offerings, the bargain bin products won’t seem nearly as attractive.

Everything Has Its Place

It’s quite understandable that web designers may feel a little anxious about DIY products. And it’s also easy to see why business owners would be curious to try them. These tools have a legitimate place in the market.

However, that doesn’t mean our businesses will just wither away. DIY is a solid choice for those with small budgets and an adventurous spirit. For everyone else, a custom, professionally-crafted website is still the best choice.

More than anything, it’s about putting honest and accurate information out there. Our job is to make sure that potential clients know the difference between these two offerings. That way, they can make comparisons and choose the best option for their needs.