Then there’s the evolving software and ecosystem. Just when you think you have the right workflow, it’s disrupted by AI, a change to Gutenberg, or another newfangled tool. And we can’t forget the responsibilities of managing website security, accessibility, and privacy. The challenges are never-ending.

That’s why long-term success isn’t a given. The things you’re doing today will undoubtedly change tomorrow. Some may disappear.

So, how can you improve your chances of being in business five or ten years from now? What separates the agencies that flame out from the ones that keep growing?

That’s what we’re here to discuss! Let’s look at some tried-and-true methods for thriving in a competitive industry. Each will help you build something that lasts.

Develop Expertise in Your Niche

Modern web development – even within WordPress – is a vast subject. Thus, being a generalist means keeping track of an enormous number of technologies. Who has time to do that and work with clients?

Narrowing your focus to a specific niche is better for your sanity and bottom line. And you don’t have to limit yourself to a single type of client or website. Picking a few related areas – WooCommerce and membership sites, for example – offers plenty of room for growth.

There are often similarities in these niches. Using our example, both WooCommerce and membership sites share things like:

• User/customer management;
• Payment processing;
• Sending customer communication via the website or a third-party service;
• Adding custom functionality to meet client needs;

Some solutions can be applied to multiple areas. That means using the same plugins or custom code across your projects. It’s better for efficiency and helps clients achieve their goals.

The other advantage is that you’ll develop a higher level of expertise. You’ll know what clients need and how to solve their pain points. That’s knowledge you can use again and again.

In addition, you’ll have the confidence to communicate what you’ve learned. For example, writing expert blog posts or speaking at events. Sharing your experience and depth of knowledge serves to enhance your reputation. Existing clients will recommend you, and new ones will want to work with you.

Identify the Right Opportunities to Level Up

There’s always something new in the world of WordPress. New features are added to the core app, while the plugin and theme market continue to expand. Plenty of artificial intelligence (AI) integrations are also part of the landscape.

It’s tempting to jump on the next big thing. You might see it as an opportunity to launch your business into the stratosphere. However, it’s important to consider how these tools and services fit into your plan.

Sometimes, going all-in on new technology distracts from your core mission. That results in stagnation for the other parts of your business.

On the other hand, the right opportunity adds to what you do best. Perhaps it’s a service that will benefit you and your clients or a technology that saves you time. These items help you level up rather than send you down a rabbit hole looking for gold.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider things that pique your interest. But it’s worth looking at how they impact your business – now and in the future. Identify the ones that will take you where you want to go.

Add Sources of Recurring Revenue

New clients are a big part of running a successful agency. They add to your portfolio and your bank account. But they’re also increasingly difficult to get.

The reality is that booking new clients can’t be your only source of income. You need something to keep you afloat during slow periods. For instance, an economic downturn may cause an organization to delay that fancy new project. What will you do then?

You can improve your business’ stability by adding recurring revenue. It’s a way to keep existing clients in the loop and improve your financial picture.

Services like website maintenance (WordPress sites need frequent updating) or search engine optimization (SEO) allow you to charge a monthly or yearly fee. It provides you with a steady income and keeps client websites healthy. It’s a win-win situation.

This arrangement works with clients of every size. You can create tiers of service based on need. So, a client with fewer needs pays a little less. Meanwhile, a larger client pays a higher fee for a more robust service.

The other benefit is it keeps an open line of communication with clients. They’ll stay more focused on their website and be more likely to spend on new features.

Find ways to add recurring revenue to your business. It will keep you busy and financially stable, year after year.

Put Your Clients First

Providing great customer service is a winning strategy in any era. It’s a quality that, when all else fails, separates you from the competition. And it’s not as difficult as you may think.

Customer service is all about honesty, integrity, and sincerity. Treat your clients with respect and common courtesy. Follow through on the promises you make. Go the extra mile to make sure their needs are taken care of. These little things add up to something big.

The relationships you build can be meaningful. Your clients will see you as a partner in their journey. That means they’ll stay with you – even if a competitor offers a lower price.

They’ll ask your advice on improving their website and trust your opinion. It’s an opportunity to help them grow while adding to your workload.

There’s nothing specific to WordPress with this strategy. However, think of it as providing a realistic view of tools and techniques. For example, you might explain the pros and cons of using a plugin or theme or assessing which web host is best for their needs.

Building such relationships takes time. But that’s perfect if you’re interested in long-term success.

A WordPress Agency That’s Built to Last

Whether you’re thinking about starting a WordPress agency or you’ve been around for a while – success is still possible. The keys are finding your place in the market and keeping an open mind. Opportunities to improve are always around the corner in this evolving industry.

Having top-notch design and development skills helps. However, they’re not the only factors. You’ll also need to focus on building great relationships with your clients. That can lead to a steady flow of recurring revenue.

In addition, don’t be afraid to set short and long-term goals. They give you something to work toward as you navigate your business.

Before you know it, years will have passed, and your business will continue to thrive. That’s the peace of mind and security agency owners and freelancers are looking for.

The post How to Set Up Your WordPress Agency for Long-Term Success appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Sure, I’ve done plenty of “design” during the past three decades. However, I’ve also found myself doing things that have nothing to do with it. Things that are far outside the scope of a web geek. I’d argue that half of my time has gone to these other roles.

Perhaps that’s because web design is still a relatively new industry. Outsiders don’t know much about it. The early days were especially rough in that regard. Being a web designer requires a lot of hand-holding. We educate clients as we go through the design, development, and maintenance processes.

Looking back, here are a few unexpected roles I’ve played. Maybe I deserve an honorary degree or two?

Psychoanalyst

I enjoy trying to understand why people do what they do. It’s a good thing, as I’ve found myself digging into client behavior a lot.

Part of the role is figuring out what motivates people. It’s a helpful strategy when projects stall, or someone keeps changing their mind. Motivating someone results in getting things done – which is always a positive.

You can also use these skills to get people to hold up their end of the bargain. Sometimes, clients don’t do what they say they will (like paying an invoice).

It’s not that they are being cheap or stubborn. I’ve found that it happens with people who are being pulled in too many directions. Their website-related tasks get put on the back burner.

The trick is to know when and how to approach them with a task. Reaching them at a certain time of day, for instance, may make it easier to get their attention. It doesn’t always work – but I like a challenge!

Teacher/Motivational Speaker

Website owners often face a learning curve. Most aren’t familiar with the technologies that go into building and maintaining a site. That’s still true today.

However, it was even more pronounced when I started in the 1990s. Some people knew nothing about computers – even checking their email was an ordeal. Couple that with buggy hardware and slow internet connections, and you had a tech support nightmare.

Working with small businesses made this situation harder. These folks didn’t have the resources to hire an IT specialist. So, much of the technical work was passed on to the person building their website.

That led to a lot of teaching and pep talks. I helped clients set up their hardware and software and learn how to use them. I even tried to install broadband for somebody (it didn’t go well). The boundaries of web design were shattered.

The biggest hurdle is getting people to believe in themselves. I still run into that issue when training people to update their websites. The unfamiliarity with a tool leads to nervousness, which leads to doubt.

Regardless of the technological era, the goal is to simplify things. Show someone how to do a task and allow them space to ask questions. Provide a quick reference they can look at when you’re not around.

If they master a task, look out. They’ll have more confidence moving forward.

Researcher & Fact Checker

Let’s face it: the online world is a playground for scammers. It’s amazing our society functions at all, given the constant stream of people trying to take advantage of us.

A lot of scams seem to target website owners. Those domain registration letters US residents get in the mail are but one example. There are also emails about a site’s purported SEO troubles and payment gateway phishing attempts.

Some scammers are more skilled than others. Their work is harder to detect as a ruse. Thus, clients send these items to me looking for clarity. Is this a real message? Do I owe them money?

I’ve learned to spot likely scams. Knowing who each client purchases web-related services from helps. But there are cases when I need to do some detective work.

I believe things will only get worse. Artificial intelligence (AI) will make scams harder to identify. For instance, poor grammar is a telltale sign of a phishing scam. AI tools can help crooks improve their language and more easily fool victims.

Digital Forensic Scientist

Troubleshooting problems on the web is nothing new. However, the way we build websites has become more complex. And the technologies that make up our digital lives are vast.

That means retracing the footsteps of a task gone wrong. In practice, it’s pouring over access logs to track the source of a malware attack. Or determining how an email was rejected by an ambitious spam filter. There’s also examining WordPress post revisions to see how a page layout was broken. And I can’t forget checking an obscure web browser to see why a client’s site won’t display correctly.

It’s a tedious role that seems well above my pay grade. One can spend hours looking for the source of a problem, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll find it.

What’s more, there are often several links in a given chain. It could be the hosting company, the email provider, or a WordPress plugin. Maybe a client had their password stolen. There are so many places to look and so many things it could be. Determining the culprit is often a wild goose chase.

These tasks are becoming a bigger part of my day. Sometimes they span multiple days or even weeks. Much like internet scams, I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

Design and a Whole Lot More

Web designers tend to be a catch-all when working with clients. They’re as likely to ask us about an email delivery issue as they are about their website.

On the bright side, it keeps our days interesting. There is no shortage of problems to troubleshoot or technologies to teach. But it also takes precious time away from our core tasks.

It’s a reflection of the industry and of the difficulties facing small organizations. Clients need a team of experts to manage these disparate areas. That’s not realistic, though. The result is that things get passed over to web designers – the one expert they do have on hand.

It has always felt like a part of the job – one no one tells you about. The title certainly doesn’t do it justice.

The post The Unexpected Roles of Web Designers appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

I have wrestled with what AI means for our industry during this time. There’s potential to make our jobs easier. However, there are also questions about where these large language models (LLM) get their data and how accurate they are. Not to mention the eerie feeling of replacing humans.

Is the glass half empty or half full? Perhaps we won’t know for a few more years. New tools and technical evolutions are sure to come.

One thing I can say is that AI has changed my workflow. And it’s about more than saving time. Tools like ChatGPT and GitHub’s Copilot have also changed how I approach development projects.

Here’s a look at how AI has impacted me so far. I hope you see a thing or two that resonates.

A Solution to Coding Challenges

I’ll admit it: I’m not the world’s best coder. My experience with PHP and JavaScript is riddled with fits and starts. I tend to make some progress – only to run into a debugging nightmare. It’s those little things that get in the way, you know?

AI tools have, for better or worse, saved me from scouring Google for solutions. I can paste the offending code snippet into ChatGPT, and it will explain where I went wrong. It will even provide a corrected version.

Issues such as syntax errors aren’t easy to spot with the naked eye. Code editors can point them out but don’t often provide easy-to-understand suggestions. AI acts like an extremely patient friend who holds your hand during these tough times.

I feel guilty for contributing to the decline of traffic to Stack Overflow and similar communities. On the other hand, finding quick answers has lowered my stress levels.

This feature is invaluable for freelancers who work solo. It’s like having a colleague on hand, 24/7. And even when the answers aren’t 100% accurate, they usually lead you in the right direction.

A More Holistic Approach to Development

Time is always of the essence when doing custom development work. Budgets are limited, and deadlines are short. Sometimes, this leads to a result that isn’t as good as it could be.

There’s also a tie-in with limited coding skills. It’s hard to build a top-notch feature when you spend most of your time debugging. I find myself rushing to get things done rather than polishing them.

AI has made a huge impact in this area. Its ability to quickly write code and solve problems allows me to approach projects differently. I can take a holistic view that encompasses how things should look and work.

The experience has been freeing. My focus has changed to implementing and then improving my code. There’s room to add details that make for a better user experience. I also have more time for quality control.

If anything, AI has brought some clarity to my usually-scattered mind. Working step-by-step through a project is easier than ever.

A Newfound Confidence in What’s Possible

Custom development has always scared me. I often doubted something was possible until I made it work. Funny as it sounds, having AI’s help at my disposal has improved my confidence. I no longer cringe as much when a client asks for something I haven’t done before.

That doesn’t mean the build process will be worry-free. There will still be bumps in the road and unexpected challenges. However, combining AI with my existing knowledge empowers me to determine the best way forward.

I think this is another side effect of working solo. Each task feels like climbing a mountain when doing it alone. Having access to the right resources helps to ease the burden.

To be clear, I don’t equate AI with a human developer. People are much better at things like planning and critical thinking.

Machines can’t yet compete in that realm. They provide an extra depth of knowledge and boost productivity, though. That makes a big difference when you’re used to doing it all yourself.

It makes me feel like I can take on projects I might have turned down before.

AI Provides a Helping Hand When I Need It

Believe it or not, I don’t use AI every day. Most of my web design and development work originates from my imperfect brain. As does 100% of my writing. I’m happy to keep it that way.

However, I have experienced numerous occasions where an extra bit of help is appreciated. That led to a lot of frustration in the past. Having neither the time nor money to hire an expert for small tasks caused a lot of headaches.

That’s where AI has been most useful. Writing a WordPress function or manipulating the DOM with JavaScript can be accomplished with minimal effort. They’re no longer sticking points that hold me back.

In the end, that’s what tools are supposed to do. We use them to do more in less time. The tools may change, but the concept remains the same. Maybe AI is just the latest in a long line of them.

The post How AI Changed My Web Development Workflow appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Or maybe you have a couple of projects under your belt and you’re looking for more detailed advice as to what path you should be taking to propel your career to the next level.

Today we’re going to go over some of the most important things inexperienced designers need to master, and what I wish I had paid more attention to when I was just starting out.

Proportion and Composition

You may think you have this down, but, if you’ve been working for less than 5 years, I’m pretty sure you don’t know as much as you think you do. Read up on composition fundamentals and practice them in your spare time.

Yes, that means cracking open those boring books you might have been assigned in school, or taking a trip down to the library and checking out some solid titles that will provide you with the information you need.

Color Theory

Same as above. Don’t just copy other people’s color schemes without understanding why and how they arrived at their color choices. Colors have a myriad of different meanings and associations attached to them, both by the designer and by the viewers. Just because you think a certain color scheme conveys ‘innovative technology’ doesn’t mean that everyone will feel that way.

Your client and users might see ‘kid’s dentist’ instead – which is why it’s a good idea to do as much research and testing as you can before choosing a color scheme. A signature color palette is as good as a brand for a designer. Choose yours wisely.

The Rules Of Typography

You need to have a solid understanding of type in order to succeed as a designer. This is non-negotiable. Don’t just leave typography up to professional type designers. Sometimes you will be asked to customize letterforms to suit a particular client’s brand image.

If you don’t know what type weight, spacing, or kerning mean, and if you can’t tell the difference between an x-height and a counter, it’s time to learn. Luckily, there are tons of free resources online that can help you learn the basics, and the more you practice, the more adept you can become at giving clients the type treatments they need.

Become a Photoshop/Illustrator Expert

I don’t mean just enough to get by or to finish the small projects you do for your clients. I mean knowing these programs (or whichever ones you use) like the back of your own hand. Even the weird, obscure stuff nobody knows about.

There are plenty of books and online courses to help you gain mastery of your tools. The more intimately you know your software, the more clients will come to trust you with more complex work, and the more they will recommend you to their colleagues who are looking for high-level designers.

Asset Libraries

Design takes time – at least if you’re doing it right. You need to develop your idea, and try variations of it in order to get to just the solution that works for you and your client. But that doesn’t mean you can’t speed up some parts of the process.

You can develop a backlog of fonts, vector images, and templates to make your work go by faster. This will take time as well, but the key is knowing what is worth curating and what should be discarded.

For example, if your font library has thousands of typefaces in it, and none of them are organized or grouped in a helpful way, it can be more detrimental to your productivity than not having enough typefaces. (And yes, I’m speaking from experience.)

I’m always a fan of learning the fundamentals, as the more solid your foundation in design, the more easily you can adapt to whatever new trend or demand comes along. Even if you’re an experienced designer, there are always new things to learn about design.

The post What Should New & Inexperienced Designers Be Learning? appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

The challenge is that some clients don’t provide lasting revenue. After their project launches, money tends to dry up. You may have trouble justifying the cost of keeping them.

What costs? The responsibility of looking after their website, for one. If something breaks, you’ll be the one to fix it. The same goes for making small changes. This requires time. And it can get in the way of more profitable tasks.

It doesn’t have to be that way. The right strategies can ensure that every client is a profitable one. The key is in providing value. Here are a few ideas for increasing revenue from your existing clients.

Work With Yearly Maintenance Plans

Website maintenance plans are a great way to boost revenue. And they’re especially important in the age of content management systems (CMS). Apps like WordPress require frequent updates – not to mention a 24/7 focus on security.

The concept is simple: charge a yearly fee in exchange for a well-defined service. Specify what you’ll do and how much time you’ll commit to the job. Clients get peace of mind, and you’ll gain some extra cash.

Not all clients prefer this type of arrangement, however. They’d rather contact you when they need something. It’s particularly convenient for organizations that don’t make many changes to their site.

In that case, you could offer an hourly rate. But you might charge a higher price in exchange for this convenience. That way, you’re still making an acceptable profit.

An hourly rate is completely optional, though. The goal should be to funnel as many clients into a maintenance agreement as possible. This will provide you with predictable, recurring revenue.

Offer Subscription-Based Services to Clients

Maintenance isn’t the only subscription-based service web designers can offer. There are related items that can add value as well:

Web Hosting

There are benefits to hosting your client’s website. First, it ensures that their site is on a platform you are familiar with. This can make building, maintaining, and troubleshooting more efficient.

It also adds to your bottom line. You’ll be able to charge monthly or yearly fees for the service.

Just to be clear: this doesn’t mean setting up a server in your office. Instead, you can resell server space from an established hosting company.

The potential downside is that you’ll likely be the point of contact when something goes wrong. Therefore, you may want to charge a premium to cover the extra responsibility.

SEO & Analytics

Search engine optimization (SEO) has become a cottage industry. But it’s a relatable subject that web designers can master. Thus, it’s a natural extension of your core business.

And SEO goes well beyond the initial setup. Monitoring results through analytics provides important data. From there, you can adjust your strategy to align with client goals.

The adjustments can take many forms. It could be a few simple content changes. Or you might change a site’s structure to better serve users. Regardless, there are opportunities to generate revenue.

This service may be a perfect fit if you enjoy digging into numbers. Clients will be happy to pay for your expertise.

Content Creation & Email List Management

There is also subscription service potential for designers with marketing skills. Creating content for clients and helping to manage their email lists are prime examples.

Many clients have an ongoing need for both services. For example, those without an in-house marketer might need help writing blog posts. This keeps users engaged while your client can focus on running their business.

Email list management could be a stretch for some. But if you’re already creating content for their website, writing newsletters isn’t so far-fetched.

There is money to be made in the right situations. And these projects may fit in with what you’re already doing.

If All Else Fails, Raise Your Prices

If you’re already doing one or more of the above, good for you! That means you’re seizing the opportunity to enhance your services list. And you’re making the most out of your existing client relationships.

But the cost of everything is rising. Thus, you may need to raise your prices to keep pace.

This move shouldn’t be taken lightly, though. Clients who are already tired of increased costs may not be willing or able to pay more.

Therefore, this should be a rare event. Yearly increases, for instance, will eventually alienate some people. But doing so every 2-3 years may be more acceptable.

It’s OK to pad your bottom line. But it’s also wise to empathize with clients. Money for the sake of money isn’t a good reason to raise prices.

It Pays to Focus On Existing Clients

It can be easy to look past existing clients. Some of that may be due to the industry’s narrative. It seems like we’re constantly being advised to go bigger and better.

As such, we don’t always maximize their value. That’s a shame. Existing clients are vital to helping your business grow. We can rely on them even when we’re having difficulty booking new projects.

So, take the time to examine your client roster. Get a sense of how much revenue each one generates. Find areas where you can add value. Then create a plan to increase those numbers.

The extra money you make will add sustainability to your business. And your clients will get the services they need to succeed. It’s a win for everyone!

The post How to Increase Revenue From Your Existing Web Design Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Haggling over price is as old as commerce itself. But we still need to make a living. Thus, if we provided a discount every time one was requested, we’d go broke.

That’s why full price should be the norm for most clients. Doing things this way has several benefits.

For one, it keeps your bank account in good shape. Plus, it helps you predict future revenue and serves as a motivator. A case can also be made that it reduces stress. You’ll avoid becoming desperate for that next project to come along.

Still, that doesn’t mean discounts are never a good move. There are scenarios where it might make sense for your business. Here are a few times when a discount should be on the table.

Charity Website Projects

Many businesses offer discounts to non-profit organizations. For example, everyone from internet providers to banks provides money-saving deals. Some see it as a moral obligation. Others may look at it as a chance to gain some positive publicity.

For web designers, especially solo entrepreneurs, it can be more complicated. We don’t have the financial resources of bigger companies. Deep discounts can disrupt our revenue stream.

There is room for compromise, however. Perhaps discounts could be reserved for causes that are close to your heart. A local charity with a tight budget is a prime example. A food bank, a homeless shelter, or an animal rescue are possibilities.

In those cases, you might find building a website to be a true labor of love. As such, money shouldn’t be the main object.

It is important to be judicious about who receives discounts, however. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re putting in hours of work without fair compensation.

Loyal Clients Looking for a Website Redesign

The truly lucky among us will have clients that stick with us for years. Not only are they a pleasure to work with, but they also pay on time and make referrals.

These folks help to keep your business going. Because of that, they deserve a special place on your client list. They are VIPs.

Providing a small discount on a website redesign is both good business and a way of saying “thank you.” If they’ve generated substantial revenue, any amount you can knock off the price is worth it.

This helps to continue building goodwill in your relationship. In turn, you’ll know that you can count on their continued patronage. And they’ll be happy to spread the word about your business.

During Tough Times

Inevitably, one of your clients will go through a difficult time. It could be part of a widespread crisis such as a pandemic. Or maybe something localized like a fire or bankruptcy.

Regardless, this might be an appropriate time to provide a discount. Again, it’s about helping to strengthen your relationship. This demonstrates that you have your client’s back.

There’s also some practicality involved. If you charge recurring fees for maintenance packages or web hosting, it may be difficult for your client to pay. Providing a discount or splitting up payments might make the ultimate difference in whether you get paid.

Not sure what to do? It may depend on your experience with a particular client. If they’re generally on time with payment and great to work with, this makes the decision easier.

When NOT to Discount Your Web Design Services

The scenarios above are the exception. Plenty of people will ask you for discounts. It’s usually better to say “no.”

Prospective clients are shopping around for the best deal. That’s their prerogative. But web designers will not benefit from a pricing war. It’s a race to the bottom that will leave you with regret.

Some proclaim that providing a discount now carries the promise of “more work” later. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book – don’t give in. Unless future revenue is guaranteed in writing, you’re unlikely to ever see those brighter days.

Existing clients are a bit more complex. As we mentioned earlier, it’s fine to provide discounts to your VIPs. They’ve more than made up for whatever deal you offer.

But some people simply don’t want to pay for anything. And they expect others to bend to their demands.

It can be a sign of a one-way relationship. One where your experience and expertise aren’t valued. It might be better to see them walk away in an angry heap than to feed their ego.

It’s Your Business, Your Decision

The lesson here is simple: just because someone asks for a discount doesn’t mean they should receive one. You might even make the case that the opposite is true.

Some people do deserve a break, though. For example, non-profit organizations and loyal clients. Their actions may move you to offer lower pricing without being asked.

It’s your web design business. Therefore, you get to make those decisions. Choose wisely!

The post Should a Web Designer Ever Provide Discounts? appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

The web can be a scary place – even for seasoned designers. Trying to wrap our heads around privacy issues, security, accessibility and new technologies can make anyone’s head spin. So, just think of what they can do to the people who depend on us for help.

In some ways, it’s even worse for our clients. Why? Because there are any number of bad actors out there who are constantly trying to trick them, hack their site or otherwise extort a few extra dollars. Not to mention the perfectly legitimate things that, while innocent enough, can put a non-techie into a cold sweat.

With that in mind, here are a few items that tend to put even cool clients into panic mode. But don’t worry. Each one includes some tips for talking them off the emotional ledge.

Mysterious Spam Invoices

If you own a website, or even a domain, odds are you’re going to start receiving all manner of nuisance messages. Whether they appear in your inbox or your postal mail, their aim is to get you to spend money – often out of fear.

One of the more famous examples of this are phony domain registration renewals. A company (if you can call it that) will send a letter that looks like an invoice, claiming the client’s domain name is about to expire. It will probably mention all the terrible things that can happen if they don’t renew this instant. And, oh yeah, the cost is massively marked up.

The only trouble is that your client has never heard of this company. So naturally, they’ll ask you about it. They may wonder if they’ve missed the deadline and why the price is suddenly higher. Have they already lost the domain? What will happen to their business?

Honorable mention goes out to those great “let me fix your website” emails that show up regularly. But they’re only kind of scary.

What to Do

When your client comes to you with a scam message, tell them so. But also tell them, if necessary, who their domain registrar is and why it’s important to have that information on file. It’s a great chance to educate them.

Red Alerts from Google Search Console

No, it’s not just spam that gets a client’s heart racing. The emails sent out by Google Search Console can be even more frightening.

The search/email/operating system/home device/phone/world-dominating giant has been known to inundate our inboxes with all sorts of “helpful” messages about our websites. Sometimes it thinks buttons are too close together or text is too small. In other instances, it complains about missing attributes within breadcrumb links.

That’s not to say these messages can’t point out some legitimate website issues. But often, it’s more likely to cause the recipient to worry about something that is realistically harmless. Worse yet, it gets forwarded to a web designer, who suddenly needs another glass of wine.

What to Do

Whatever rubbish Google sends, it should still be looked into – just in case. Still, it’s worth mentioning that these messages need to be taken with a grain of salt. Clients shouldn’t worry that their site won’t be indexed or that they’re somehow being punished by an algorithm.

Let them know that Google’s automated tools can often focus on the minutiae. And, while you’ll be glad to review the issue, it most likely isn’t a major concern.

The Cache Trap

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a client request a change, which you make, and receive a message back stating that they “can’t see it”.

Even though I can’t see you (Google probably can, though), I’d expect many hands to be in the air. That’s because “cache panic” is probably as old as web design itself. For years, it’s been a game of cat-and-mouse where we attempt to help our clients clear out browser cache – a sometimes painful experience.

I mention this because it seems to be more prevalent than ever with certain website configurations. Managed WordPress hosting services have been particularly difficult in this area. With some, it’s not just browser-based cache, we also need to worry about server-based as well. The result is a lot of wasted time, trying to get everyone on the same page.

What to Do

First, get a stress ball. Next, teach your clients about the wonders of cache and how they can clear it from their browser. In most cases, that will do the trick.

If you find that your web host has tough-to-clear server cache, it may be worth trying a staging environment. This would allow you to make changes on a non-cached location, while enabling your clients to see updates before you push them to production.

Shapeshifting Tools

Change is difficult – especially when it comes to software. And it seems like, just when we find a comfortable routine, it all gets blown up by what vendors like to call “UI enhancements”.

This can really throw a monkey wrench into the lives of clients who update their own website. After all, they’re not web designers and don’t have time or interest in keeping up with the industry. They simply wake up one day, log into their website and find that their whole process is turned upside down.

The most recent example of this is the WordPress Gutenberg block editor. It looks and functions quite differently from the old Classic Editor. Not to mention that early versions lacked the polish we see today.

This led to a lot of confusion, frustration and, yes, even a little fear that things would break.

What to Do

Frankly, it often falls on designers to stay ahead of the game with these kinds of changes. If we see major developments coming along to the sites we manage, we should act to make the transition as smooth as possible (or delay it indefinitely).

In the case of Gutenberg, that meant educating clients about the new editor. And, in some cases, perhaps installing the Classic Editor to keep the status quo. It’s all about minimizing discomfort.

Web Designers: Lifting the Fog of Fear

It seems like just about every day, there’s something to put a scare into our clients. Whether it’s a crafty scammer, a nitpicking search giant or advancements in technology – we web designers are bound to be asked about it.

Certainly, having to calmly explain these situations can become tiring. There is no shortage of other things on our to-do lists. But on the bright side, it can be very satisfying to help clear up misconceptions and bring even a tiny level of comfort to someone else.

That in itself is a reward and it also helps to build a high level of trust between designer and client. And, looking like a superhero isn’t so bad, either.

The post Things That Will Scare Your Web Design Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Technically, creativity and commerciality can’t exist without each other – you need funding to continue designing, and there would be nothing to design for pay without creativity.

Is there a difference between so-called “commercial” work and work that’s done purely for the joy of creating? Should they be separated?

A Jumble of Confusion?

Should you risk confusing potential clients with a mish-mash of work, or should there be a clear separation of commercial work and weird, creative stuff that is less commercial?

Personally, I think that the best potential clients for you would benefit from seeing the full extent of your creativity. It allows them to more accurately judge whether you’d be a good fit, not just for a one-time project, but also for future work, and any fun opportunities you might miss out on if they only see you as a one-dimensional designer.

But what will it do to your personal brand to mix styles? As I said, it can be a good thing to be weird and creative, because clients may take notice of your creativity. Personal projects are very important to maintain as a designer.

They can help you open up new avenues of creative inspiration that you may never have discovered had you only stuck to your client work. I’ve heard many stories of people being hired for amazing freelance and in-house jobs simply on the basis of a great personal project that got a lot of traction.

Too Weird To Appeal?

On the flip side, you may feel that your personal projects are really, really out there in terms of appeal, and might do more harm than good if you combined them with your professional work. The question becomes: can your personal work actually be too weird to associate with your commercial projects?

Well, yes, it can.

There is such a thing as too much disparity between what you do for clients and what you do for yourself. If that’s the case, just keep them separate. You can make a new brand for your weird stuff, and keep the commercial stuff in its own space.

Analytics & Tracking

Keeping things separate makes it easier to track what’s working to gain you clients, and what’s not. Every piece of work you publish online, personal or professional, is going to contribute in some way to people finding out more about who you are as a designer.

You want to always make sure you’re sending the message you want to send to anyone who is watching. If there’s non-commercial work mixed in with commercial work, it can confuse things as far as tracking and analytics goes.

This goes for any kind of work that you don’t want associated with the work you present to potential clients. Say you did a piece that you’re really not proud of, maybe just for the money or for some other reason. You can’t stand to look at it, but you’re afraid to remove it from your portfolio for some reason. Time to get rid of that thing!

If a potential client sees it and wants to hire you to do the exact same thing, what are you going to say to them?

Never include work that you hated doing in your portfolio, because you’ll often find that that is the exact thing clients will want to hire you for the most.

Don’t believe me? Just do a few more crappy projects and you’ll see for yourself.

Be Like A Mullet

You may have heard of the joking description of the mullet haircut popular in rural areas in the US: business in the front, party in the back. Sometimes, it’s good to organize your design work like a mullet. Yes, I’m serious.

Put your professional work that’s relevant to meeting the needs of your clients front and center, and place your “fun” projects that you work on simply for your own enjoyment on the back burner, to be shared with your friends and other designers who are interested in seeing it.

Even publishing work under two different names can help make the separation clearer to everyone.

The post Separating Your Personal & Commercial Design Work appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Or perhaps you’re the online type of networker – stalking people on Twitter and LinkedIn, carpet bombing potential clients with form letters and links to your portfolio, sitting by the inbox waiting for it to fill up. Any of this sounding familiar?

I love networking. But not because I do any of the above. Many designers assume that there’s only one way to network, but the truth is that’s just not the case.

Today, I’m going to show you a much easier and more effective way to go about making networking connections as a freelancer, and also tell you why you should never, ever approach networking in the manner described above.

Not Working Out

Why is it bad to network in the “traditional” way? Well, you tell me. How effective have your networking efforts been in relation to the work you’ve gotten? Are potential clients beating down your door, standing with their hearts in their throats with exciting, challenging, high-paying work tailor-made just for you? If you’re reading this article, the chances are good that they’re not.

The reason that it’s bad to network the traditional way is because everyone networks that way. Contacts get bombarded with offers from freelancers just like you at every event, and in every email, mailer, and flyer. If you simply fall in line and do what everyone else is doing, chances are you’re going to get what everyone else is getting: ignored.

The main problem with traditional networking is the mindset most people have when going into it. What’s the number one reason you network? To get more clients.

When you’re running out of leads and you need more work soon, you pull out the business cards, dust off your best business-casual wear, and head out to try and drum up some business. That’s the mentality with which most people approach networking – something to be done when you need work.

However, there’s another way to look at networking, which will work out much better for you in the long run. That way involves seeing networking as something to be done before you need work. Yep, that’s what I said.

Networking is all about building relationships. It’s about a back and forth, constant communication with a person with whom you have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Most people don’t provide valuable information to strangers who contact them once a year when they need something. That would be a waste of effort on their part because there’s no way for them to receive any kind of positive reciprocation from that person.

Put yourself in their shoes – if you were contacted once by some freelancer looking for a job and took the time to respond, then you never hear from them again, how would you feel? It can be frustrating to deal with those types of networkers because it’s obvious that they’re simply using you for what you can provide to them.

To stand out, you need to become the kind of networker who doesn’t ask for anything from your contact and who actually only seeks to provide them with value of some kind.

A congratulatory email, a link to content they might find interesting or relevant. Keeping in contact with people in your network doesn’t have to take much effort, but it is important to make sure they know your primary objective is not to suck them dry and then vanish.

Top of Mind

Staying at the top of people’s minds is another vital aspect to effective networking. If you meet with someone in person and don’t follow up by phone or email, you’re missing the opportunity to form a genuine connection.

Your contact will merely assume you were one of ‘the masses,’ and when you do contact them again (maybe several months to a year later), they’ll not only not remember who you were, but they may also be irritated by your sudden intrusion into their busy schedule. That’s not what you want.

Instead, try following up immediately with someone after an in-person meeting. Email them in intervals – not enough to spam them, but enough to notify them that you still exist and appreciate the time they took to speak with you and provide you with any help you may have received.

A great way to stay at the forefront of people’s minds is through your work. Many designers don’t think to notify prospective clients of new projects, but this can be one of the most effective ways you can advertise your awesomeness without coming off like a pest.

Everyone wants to know about cool new creative projects; this is your chance to show off your newest personal work and establish yourself as a forward-thinking creative professional.

I’ve already written an article about why it’s important for designers to make time for personal work, so for now, I’ll merely say that a monthly email to potential clients about some new project you’re involved in that shows off your critical thinking skills and originality is, to many people, far more intriguing than a formulaic resume and cover letter.

Practice Makes Perfect

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The vast majority of the time, you want to ask questions and take notes, allowing the other person to speak freely. But if you slip up and say the wrong thing, it’s not a big deal.

You should probably refrain from insulting their family members or anything like that, but people are generally gracious when they know you’re genuinely interested in making a meaningful connection with them.

As the saying goes, the more mistakes you make, the fewer of them you’ll make. The more you practice, the better you’ll become. Again, sincerity is the goal here, not perfection.

Be sensitive to the other person’s time. If you contact someone to request a meeting, make sure you time it properly so that your request is neither disregarded nor an annoyance.

Don’t email someone on a Sunday morning – their emails could be received through their phone, which might sound an alarm, and if they’re asleep, your email might come as an obnoxious wake-up call. Not good.

The post Networking For Designers 101 appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

David gets his pots and pans out, pulls what he needs from the fridge as it’s needed, and dives hands first into the cooking. He likes to follow his gut, and make the magic happen spontaneously. In the other room, his guests are talking and making quick work of the wine and the asparagus dip, and David is in the zone.

Pan over to Jenny. Jenny is a more methodical cook – she opens up her recipe book and starts pulling out everything she needs to complete the meal. No cooking yet – just preparation. It takes her a while, but she manages to arrange all of her utensils and ingredients in neat groups. Everything is pre-measured; not even a speck of flour is spilled on the countertop. Her guests are just as rowdy and are drinking just as copiously, but Jenny will not begin until she’s certain that everything is in its proper place. Finally, she begins to cook, following a rigid schedule, almost like a surgeon.

So, who do you think made the better meal? I dunno – you’d have to ask the guests! But that’s not the question our little story was intended to ask. The question is: who served their guests faster?

If you guessed Jenny, you’re absolutely right. All other things being equal, Jenny was the one who would have been able to produce a large quantity of food in record time, all to the exact same quality standards, so that her hungry, hungry guests would be satisfied.

Why? Because she did something that all professional chefs do every single day. We’ll get to what that is in a minute. David may have been able to pull it off with his more lackadaisical approach, but with a dozen starving guests all waiting to eat ASAP, who wants to take that kind of risk?

Breaking It Down

Let’s look at what made Jenny come out ahead of David in the time management department. Obviously, she was careful in her approach, but there’s more to it than that. Jenny used what’s known in the culinary industry as “mise en place.” Mise en place is a fancy French term that simply means “everything in its place.” Feel free to blurt it out the next time you’re eating out with your friends. You’ll either look like a super sophisticated foodie, or a total pretentious dork.

Anyway, all professional cooks use mise en place to help them get organized. When you’re working in a commercial kitchen, you don’t have time to guess or estimate how much of this ingredient you need, or how much time that dish will take to cook. You have to know beforehand – otherwise, you fall behind and you won’t be able to produce the hundreds of plates that pass through the average restaurant kitchen each night.

Just as a pro never starts cooking before setting up all of their ingredients and cooking utensils, a designer should never just jump into designing without everything being “in its place” first. This means setting up obvious things, like your tools, hardware, materials, reference, wireframes, et cetera – but it also includes stuff you might not think to finalize before you get started.

Like your client contract, which details specifically when you expect to get paid, how much, and what your ETA is for getting work done. Or your client survey or questionnaire, in which you get down to the nitty-gritty of what your clients are looking for, not just for your current project, but in general. This gives you a framework for determining what your clients are expecting to get, and will help you figure out how to give it to them.

Other things, like standards checklists, bookkeeping, revision planning, and, my favorite: a plan to properly present and sell your ideas to your client, are massively important to making sure everything runs smoothly. These might not be the most exciting things to check off your to-do list, but they are some of the areas in which designers most frequently run into trouble when not done properly.

How many times have you heard of freelancers who failed to communicate a brilliant idea to their client, all because they never prepared or rehearsed what they were going to say in the meeting? Or a designer who got so caught up in tiny little scope creeps that didn’t seem so bad until suddenly they realized they’d done thousands of dollars of work for a client who had no intention of ever paying them for it?

We’ve all heard of these unfortunate case; perhaps we’ve even been there ourselves. But so much of what constitutes “client burn” is preventable with steady and persistent attention to detail, to making sure every piece of the puzzle is accounted for before the work begins.

Right Brain Or Left Brain?

There’s a philosophy among some designers and artists that the creative process, being, well, creative, should be less restrained and more intuitive. “Going with your gut” and engaging your “right-brain” are the most important things, so the argument goes, to harnessing maximum creativity.

Which is great, if you’re a more free-spirited creative who shines through relentless experimentation and abstract investigating. I’m not too sure I buy into the idea that people use one side of their brains more than the other, but the general idea of certain people being more suited to certain work styles is pretty valid.

Right brained freedom is fine and all, if that’s who you are as a designer. But if, like me, you consider yourself more methodical in your approach (in case you couldn’t tell, I’m much more a “Jenny” type of cook – and designer – than a “David”) that’s perfectly fine as well.

Left brain dominant people are no less creative than right-brained ones, and there’s even plenty of evidence to suggest that control and limitations actually help boost your creativity in many cases. If you’ve ever been to design school or taken a class in any creative discipline, you’ll know that instructors rarely tell you to “do whatever you want.” They give you guidelines and limitations to work inside of, which at first might seem to be limiting your creativity. But a wise instructor knows that the opposite is actually true.

The creative process usually goes faster if you plan ahead and work inside of limits. Simply jumping in is not only confusing to many people, but it’s also more likely to be non-productive if you don’t have the right temperament for it. If you find yourself struggling with conventional creative wisdom that tells you to “just dive in,” try doing the opposite of that instead.

Indulge your inner accountant or engineer, and meticulously plan out a creative project the same way you might plan a wedding ceremony or a major travel itinerary. You might just discover a powerful set of creative muscles that have been hiding in plain sight.

Living the Mise en Place Life

Mise en place is more than simply physically preparing to do something complex or challenging. It is a state of mind. Think of it as almost like a meditation ritual or a personal philosophy that guides your ethical judgment.

When you incorporate the mise en place idea into your business and creative process, it provides your brain with lubrication, just like putting oil in your car. You prepare yourself to power through your work with less stress and fewer headaches, which means you can take on more work and get paid more for the value you provide to your clients.

The post How a Culinary Technique Could Make You a Better Freelancer appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.