Web Design & Web Development Blog

as imagined by consumers

1. “My friends brother’s can build me a website – everyone is a web designer”

Sometimes this is the case, when that person is a web designer by trade. It’s funny how something simple like changing a navigation to something more usable can improve a websites conversion rate by a mile. Sure, I can build my own house if I got a book or two, but would I really want to live in it?

2. “I have FrontPage/DreamWeaver, therefore I am my own web designer.”

On the same note as the previous one. These are just tools, just like a sledgehammer, but does that mean you can carve a work of art? Can you chisel out the fine details by hand (edit HTML code). I still encounter several designers who use such tools, but still cannot make a simple hyperlink by hand, let alone diagnose bigger HTML and CSS problems.

3. “A great web design is cheap, and is a commodity these days”

This is true, if you want a cheap site. You get what you pay for still rings true, but be sure to shop around for a good web designer. The cheaper the site, the better your product, business, sales, marketing, persuasion copy needs to be. Great web designers are getting more difficult to find these days amongst the sea of wannabes.

4. “Moving a little box, or other changes, on my website should only take a few minutes”

Structural changes can take the longest. Plan, outline, wireframe, your site before filling it in. Then once it’s filled in, avoid the layout constantly.

5. “It looks so easy, so it must be easy”

A web design is not a Microsoft Word document. Browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc…) are all different and confused amongst themselves, and our job is to make all of them work, while be limited within huge constraints.

6. “I saw this other site that looks and acts great, so I can have the same thing, right?”

Sure, but would you know the difference between a $1,000 website and a $100,000 website? Most people wouldn’t. Sure you can have anything you want, just be prepared to pay for it. I have lost track of how many people wanted a site like Nike.com or some dynamic, drag-and-drop, t-shirt factory website; oh, and all for under $1,000.

7. “I want my site a certain way, and my way is right”

Again, no. If you hire a very experienced web designer, chances are they know more than you do. I have seen numerous great websites go down the tubes when the client wanted to change it. If your web designer says that your ecommerce website does not need a splash page, and that it will only reduce the number of people that buy from you, then believe him.

9. “My website will be finished on time and on budget”

Web design is like anything else. Unforeseen delays, challenges, and changes are all possible and probably quite likely.

10. “We web designer is on-call, can make changes on demand at my will”

Especially not true if it’s an independent freelancer. Typically, keeping them on the phone to make changes while you dictate them only works for smaller changes.

10. Every website is created equal

There is a lot of short and long term value that can go into a website design that a consumer should be aware of as they shop around.  A custom, high quality website design is often needed, while other times it’s not (for the ultra-budget minded).

I will detail some of these out in upcoming posts.