Image copyright © Lodian, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2420722

As much as websites have gotten easier, there’s still some things that you have to know how to do. Knowing HTML is a good place to start. Knowing how to compress images for web display is a good second skill. If you don’t know either… Let’s just say that you’re driving on bald tires. You can probably go for a few hundred miles, but I’m not riding in the car with you.
If your site is a blog and somebody else designed it for you, you can probably get by posting new articles, but if your site is more complicated – like a shopping cart, for instance – you’re eventually going to need some backup. You really have two choices…

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright © surprise truck, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3892975

This one is tough, and I would imagine that it comes up for anyone that works freelance. Clients obviously can’t afford what you’re charging and they ask for a special rate because they “know people”. Why is this so common? I can give you some examples of where this kind of question does not come up…

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I simply can’t say it better than the folks at Common Craft. This is the “Next Big Thing,” people. If you have a good, viral podcast, you will have a great marketing tool!

Yes, yes… you may have noticed that I have yet to start one… I’m working on that!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright © Piutus, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=4193650

I get this call all the time. A client was just contacted by email or by a salesman on the phone. They were promised that they could get a higher ranking in Google if they paid some “service”… and the rate wasn’t cheap. If you gave me half of what you’re about to pay them, I’ll increase your Google rank and keep you there.

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright ThunderChild5, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2649467

How many mistakes have I made as a freelancer? So, so many… Hopefully, we’ll get to cover them all eventually, but let me touch on one that could kill you before you even get started. Please, with any project you’re considering, get a deposit before you start any work.

Do you think this is a little extreme? Think you might scare away prospective clients? Well, that’s kind of the point. Let’s think about what can happen if you don’t take a deposit…

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright lunchtimemama, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=896537

I’m not sure where people are getting their information. Is it “common knowledge” that you can start a website that nobody has heard of, sell some banner ads, and retire in the Bahamas?

If that’s the case, the common knowledge is wrong. The only way you can sell banner ads is to have a wildly successful website. You know… tens of thousands of hits. That’s a few more than your friends and family. It’s very, very, very unlikely (like winning-the-lottery unlikely) that you will be able to have a successful, ad-based website right out of the gate.

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright ralphbijker, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=4169713

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. With any large-scale project, whether it be building a website or building a house, there’s three things that everybody wants:

1. Make it Cheap! Nobody wants to spend a lot of money. This is the #1 request of clients who want website, but it holds true of just about everything. Why do people shop at Wal-Mart? Probably not because of the Quality!

2. Make it Quick! For most website projects, clients want the thing to be done “yesterday.” Now, I’m going to give folks the benefit of the doubt here. I’m sure they realize that a website can’t magically materialize out of nothing. Right? Please? Tell me they don’t think this stuff is easy. Right?

3. Make it High Quality! Everybody wants their website to be the best. Everybody wants their project to be the best thing since sliced Spam (you can get it sliced?!). Better than FaceBook! Bigger than eBay! More profitable than [insert billion dollar company here]!

Are you ready for some tough love? Are you ready for some common sense wisdom?

No. You can’t have all that.

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright welovethedark, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=865031

As web designers, we see it all the time. The “I want to be unique and different, but I want my site to look JUST LIKE that site I just saw that is selling the same things and has the same concept as I do…” (Did that sentence even remotely make sense?)

A cynical person would say that there is no individuality left in the world, “you can’t reinvent the wheel, you can only improve it; yadda yadda yadda.” While that is true, you can appreciate other websites and take artistic pointers, you don’t have to copy.

Ask yourself how the designer or owner of that website would feel if they were to come across your website and see that you had copied their vision right down to the logo, color scheme and tag-lines.

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Image copyright ninjapoodles, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2428979

It’s no secret, a shopping cart site takes a lot of planning. Before you even think of hiring a web designer, make sure that you have all of your ducks in a row.

Where do I begin?

1. Website Name & Domain Registration. Everybody uses GoDaddy. You should, too.

2. Web Host which supports PHP and MYSQL. We recommend Blue Host.

3. Company logo

4. Color scheme. If you just want a template site, check out Template Monster.

» Read the rest of the entry…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites