Post by Maxi on Feb 4, 2007 20:31:38 GMT -7
( This is a repost from my blog - thought it would be helpful here )
How to be a good web design client.
Or at least make an effort. AND how a good designer earns trust!!!
This is meant to open up the two way street for clients and designers. If you want a web site, or to improve your existing site but don't know where to look, ask people like me ( if you think you can't afford me - you might be surprised ) or people in the industry. The problem is "everyone" is a web designer now a days. And alot of the time you get what you pay for. The reality is you pay for quality like anything else. If you go on the cheap your results will be cheap... if it sounds to good, yadda yadda.... So it's obvious that you'll be watching every penny - and you should. BUT don't let that leash get so short you restrict your new business partner... your designer. That's what he/she is. Well the ones that take you serious are. If you don't sense they are then walk away. Find a designer who is passionate and excited about your business, product and your site,... any of your advertising. Let them earn your trust and while this is new to you, be open minded.
Let me tell you about my world....
Sure I do creative stuff, design a bit, programming ( very little ). I love the outdoors - fishing, and my Jeep especially. I run a multimedia business doing video, graphics and web design. In fact however, I am more like a coach, a teacher, and a therapist at times. BUT when I try to help, sometimes it’s taken the wrong way - a client comes to me thinking that since they know their business, service, or product inside and out that they will be able to dictate to me how their web site is supposed to run.
This also applies to their commercial, or their brochure or whatever promotional vehicle they choose. While we do need to partner for the project, it is very hard sometimes to educate and instruct a client on how the process works. Too often a client comes to you wary and takes your guidance as a sales pitch. Or they may just be overwhelmed by the technology. People strongly believe that they can buy a $50 web design program and conquer the Internet. You have to let them down gently while educating them. It’s easy to see why a client could and often times, do think you are full of crap when you describe what goes into an effective web site.
And still they think they can get the same effect and more bang for their buck by paying their nephew to do it instead of you. If as a designer, I get those kind of clients. I offer them my services as a consultant, and I send them away - they will be more trouble than they are worth and they are not serious about making their site or business successful. Clients also don’t want to be educated most of the time. Seldom do they realize or see themselves as partners with you and resist your advice. They believe that since they know their business and their clients they art direct or instruct you how their site should look. This is always a bad move, and you end up with a site that appeals to the company internally or the business owner themselves - but not to outsiders.
Instead of effective marketing, you’ve created a vanity piece. When the site flops and traffic is almost non-existent this will be the designer’s fault and not the client’s company itself. That is why you must, up front, establish that your role is not only to design, but to educate, and consult. That your offering your skills and services as a member of their team and you must earn their trust. I will just address web site design and web promotion for clients or potential clients. My goal is to help clients be better team players. I will address some of the common mistakes clients make when offering suggestions for site design, and explain why it’s bad. Keep in mind, It’s never a bad thing getting feedback from clients, or idea’s - it should be strongly encouraged - but it is important to make sure it is a two way street. Otherwise, you end up with a designer just trying to get the client out the door and a client who is unhappy with their site. The following come from different clients I've worked with at different points in my career. Here are some of the common mistakes made...
Bad Navigation
You want to make sure your users do not have any trouble finding information. It is a good practice to have a set of your main links at the top of the page as well as the bottom. It is more convenient for your users to click on a link at the bottom of your page than to have to scroll to the top of the page. The link, be it a button or text needs to be clearly understood by visitors. If you as the client understand it, but no one else will - you need to change the name of the link to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Otherwise you have a link that may not be clicked on. That is always bad!
If you create drop down menus, your visitor should not have to click on one page in order to find a link to navigator to another page. Users will get frustrated and leave if they can not find what they are looking for. Everything on your site should be at most, 3 clicks away as a rule, give or take a click.
Slow Loading Pages
I do not know what is more annoying than going to a website and waiting for it to load. Visitors do not want to wait for their information. We live in a fast pace world and want everything immediately. Granted with high speed access this is less of a problem BUT because of high speed access you shouldn’t design a “heavy” web site.
High quality graphics and rich interactive media is the number one course for slow loading web pages. I know your website will look more attractive with these rich graphics but it is not worth it. Export your images at a lower quality to achieve faster loading pages.
Unattractive Color Scheme
This is an important and underrated area in web design. You want your visitors to feel comfortable. Do not design your website so that it is a strains their eyes. Have warm attractive colors that compliment each other well. This is where you as the client need to trust your designer. It’s never meant as an insult, but it is usually taken to heart when a designer suggests changing your color scheme. This is for the best as the designer is trying to create your brand, or your corp. identity and not trying to insult your daughter’s favorite color, or your country’s flag, or the colors of your college - whatever. It’s amazing what people use to justify bad color combos.
Do use common sense of course, trust your designer’s eye as he or she has been around the block and knows what works and what doesn’t, usually. Do not use bright backgrounds. Having a red, yellow or green background can draw to much attention from the users and they will be distracted from what is important on the website. In addition, do not use dark text on a dark background. You should make sure your text is easy to read and is more prominent than the background.
Page Layout
Be consistent. Consistency is important. Do not make each page different. Make sure they all look the same and the navigation is always in the same location. Have the important information located at a section that is easy to find and do not forget to have a common theme throughout the site. Using a content management system ( CMS tool like Drupal or Joomla or countless others. )
Sideways Scrolling
I hope this would go without saying BUT most developers are aware of this web design malpractice. Typically I do not see many websites where the users have to scroll horizontally. There should never be any reason for this. On the opposite end of that spectrum, sometimes a client may have an older machine/monitor - or they have their monitor set for 800x600 - the new standard is monitor resolution is higher than that, usually 1024x768 and higher. Client’s have to be made to understand that designs are made for this standard, and just because it “doesn’t look right” on their monitor it shouldn’t be changed to fit their screen, we are appealing to the masses. It’s a hard sell sometimes.
Non-Cross Browser Optimization
Just because your website looks perfect in Internet Explorer does not mean it will look the same in other browsers. Usually it won’t especially if your site is designed with something like Frontpage. Each browser handles HTML Tags differently. Be careful when designing your website. Constantly check your websites progress and make sure it is compatible in all browsers.
AND THE GRAND DADDY OF ‘EM ALL,...
Not Taking Advantage of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION & SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
Optimize your website! The only excuse for not having a search engine optimized website is laziness. Add a title to your website, META tags, ALT tags, relevant content, title tags on links and other SEO practices. Internet marketing is its own beast to tackle and that is a huge understatement! This is the element that hardly any client takes serious.
WHY?
Several reasons. One: It sounds like crap when you pitch it to a client. Each search engine works differently, different algorithms, different priorities of keyword placement, how their spiders work, how the conduct business - the list goes on and on. You have to be honest and tell the client that SEO is a moving target and not, NOT an exact science - and you can not,... CAN NOT guarantee top ten, number one, or high performance. You can’t blame the client for being wary or thinking, why bother. Unless they’ve done their research, it’s a hard sell to get the client to understand that it can take weeks, months, and years to get a decent ranking. Alot of site inadvertently employ black hat seo techniques ( underhanded ) - they think if they stack their page with hidden words, or they have different URL’s that lead to one site, or they use tons of keywords - the list goes on and one and believe me, the search engines know all the tricks...and you’ll be
penalized if you do them. Sometimes a site can be black listed, and it is an uphill battle to get back in the search engines good graces.
Internet marketing takes a lot of time and dedication, but making sure your website is SEO friendly is the first step to attract a lot of traffic to your website.
It is an art form all it’s own and as a client, you have to work with a design firm you trust as well as educate yourself. Keep in mind that you can spend thousands even millions on your site but with out top notch SEO and SEM you might as well buy stock in beta video decks,... or use NetZero as your main pipe. It has to be taken serious and it has to be factored in.
If you have had issues with clients, feel free to share them here. Not in an insulting way, we are trying to help clients be better communicators, and partners in design.
How to be a good web design client.
Or at least make an effort. AND how a good designer earns trust!!!
This is meant to open up the two way street for clients and designers. If you want a web site, or to improve your existing site but don't know where to look, ask people like me ( if you think you can't afford me - you might be surprised ) or people in the industry. The problem is "everyone" is a web designer now a days. And alot of the time you get what you pay for. The reality is you pay for quality like anything else. If you go on the cheap your results will be cheap... if it sounds to good, yadda yadda.... So it's obvious that you'll be watching every penny - and you should. BUT don't let that leash get so short you restrict your new business partner... your designer. That's what he/she is. Well the ones that take you serious are. If you don't sense they are then walk away. Find a designer who is passionate and excited about your business, product and your site,... any of your advertising. Let them earn your trust and while this is new to you, be open minded.
Let me tell you about my world....
Sure I do creative stuff, design a bit, programming ( very little ). I love the outdoors - fishing, and my Jeep especially. I run a multimedia business doing video, graphics and web design. In fact however, I am more like a coach, a teacher, and a therapist at times. BUT when I try to help, sometimes it’s taken the wrong way - a client comes to me thinking that since they know their business, service, or product inside and out that they will be able to dictate to me how their web site is supposed to run.
This also applies to their commercial, or their brochure or whatever promotional vehicle they choose. While we do need to partner for the project, it is very hard sometimes to educate and instruct a client on how the process works. Too often a client comes to you wary and takes your guidance as a sales pitch. Or they may just be overwhelmed by the technology. People strongly believe that they can buy a $50 web design program and conquer the Internet. You have to let them down gently while educating them. It’s easy to see why a client could and often times, do think you are full of crap when you describe what goes into an effective web site.
And still they think they can get the same effect and more bang for their buck by paying their nephew to do it instead of you. If as a designer, I get those kind of clients. I offer them my services as a consultant, and I send them away - they will be more trouble than they are worth and they are not serious about making their site or business successful. Clients also don’t want to be educated most of the time. Seldom do they realize or see themselves as partners with you and resist your advice. They believe that since they know their business and their clients they art direct or instruct you how their site should look. This is always a bad move, and you end up with a site that appeals to the company internally or the business owner themselves - but not to outsiders.
Instead of effective marketing, you’ve created a vanity piece. When the site flops and traffic is almost non-existent this will be the designer’s fault and not the client’s company itself. That is why you must, up front, establish that your role is not only to design, but to educate, and consult. That your offering your skills and services as a member of their team and you must earn their trust. I will just address web site design and web promotion for clients or potential clients. My goal is to help clients be better team players. I will address some of the common mistakes clients make when offering suggestions for site design, and explain why it’s bad. Keep in mind, It’s never a bad thing getting feedback from clients, or idea’s - it should be strongly encouraged - but it is important to make sure it is a two way street. Otherwise, you end up with a designer just trying to get the client out the door and a client who is unhappy with their site. The following come from different clients I've worked with at different points in my career. Here are some of the common mistakes made...
Bad Navigation
You want to make sure your users do not have any trouble finding information. It is a good practice to have a set of your main links at the top of the page as well as the bottom. It is more convenient for your users to click on a link at the bottom of your page than to have to scroll to the top of the page. The link, be it a button or text needs to be clearly understood by visitors. If you as the client understand it, but no one else will - you need to change the name of the link to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Otherwise you have a link that may not be clicked on. That is always bad!
If you create drop down menus, your visitor should not have to click on one page in order to find a link to navigator to another page. Users will get frustrated and leave if they can not find what they are looking for. Everything on your site should be at most, 3 clicks away as a rule, give or take a click.
Slow Loading Pages
I do not know what is more annoying than going to a website and waiting for it to load. Visitors do not want to wait for their information. We live in a fast pace world and want everything immediately. Granted with high speed access this is less of a problem BUT because of high speed access you shouldn’t design a “heavy” web site.
High quality graphics and rich interactive media is the number one course for slow loading web pages. I know your website will look more attractive with these rich graphics but it is not worth it. Export your images at a lower quality to achieve faster loading pages.
Unattractive Color Scheme
This is an important and underrated area in web design. You want your visitors to feel comfortable. Do not design your website so that it is a strains their eyes. Have warm attractive colors that compliment each other well. This is where you as the client need to trust your designer. It’s never meant as an insult, but it is usually taken to heart when a designer suggests changing your color scheme. This is for the best as the designer is trying to create your brand, or your corp. identity and not trying to insult your daughter’s favorite color, or your country’s flag, or the colors of your college - whatever. It’s amazing what people use to justify bad color combos.
Do use common sense of course, trust your designer’s eye as he or she has been around the block and knows what works and what doesn’t, usually. Do not use bright backgrounds. Having a red, yellow or green background can draw to much attention from the users and they will be distracted from what is important on the website. In addition, do not use dark text on a dark background. You should make sure your text is easy to read and is more prominent than the background.
Page Layout
Be consistent. Consistency is important. Do not make each page different. Make sure they all look the same and the navigation is always in the same location. Have the important information located at a section that is easy to find and do not forget to have a common theme throughout the site. Using a content management system ( CMS tool like Drupal or Joomla or countless others. )
Sideways Scrolling
I hope this would go without saying BUT most developers are aware of this web design malpractice. Typically I do not see many websites where the users have to scroll horizontally. There should never be any reason for this. On the opposite end of that spectrum, sometimes a client may have an older machine/monitor - or they have their monitor set for 800x600 - the new standard is monitor resolution is higher than that, usually 1024x768 and higher. Client’s have to be made to understand that designs are made for this standard, and just because it “doesn’t look right” on their monitor it shouldn’t be changed to fit their screen, we are appealing to the masses. It’s a hard sell sometimes.
Non-Cross Browser Optimization
Just because your website looks perfect in Internet Explorer does not mean it will look the same in other browsers. Usually it won’t especially if your site is designed with something like Frontpage. Each browser handles HTML Tags differently. Be careful when designing your website. Constantly check your websites progress and make sure it is compatible in all browsers.
AND THE GRAND DADDY OF ‘EM ALL,...
Not Taking Advantage of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION & SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
Optimize your website! The only excuse for not having a search engine optimized website is laziness. Add a title to your website, META tags, ALT tags, relevant content, title tags on links and other SEO practices. Internet marketing is its own beast to tackle and that is a huge understatement! This is the element that hardly any client takes serious.
WHY?
Several reasons. One: It sounds like crap when you pitch it to a client. Each search engine works differently, different algorithms, different priorities of keyword placement, how their spiders work, how the conduct business - the list goes on and on. You have to be honest and tell the client that SEO is a moving target and not, NOT an exact science - and you can not,... CAN NOT guarantee top ten, number one, or high performance. You can’t blame the client for being wary or thinking, why bother. Unless they’ve done their research, it’s a hard sell to get the client to understand that it can take weeks, months, and years to get a decent ranking. Alot of site inadvertently employ black hat seo techniques ( underhanded ) - they think if they stack their page with hidden words, or they have different URL’s that lead to one site, or they use tons of keywords - the list goes on and one and believe me, the search engines know all the tricks...and you’ll be
penalized if you do them. Sometimes a site can be black listed, and it is an uphill battle to get back in the search engines good graces.
Internet marketing takes a lot of time and dedication, but making sure your website is SEO friendly is the first step to attract a lot of traffic to your website.
It is an art form all it’s own and as a client, you have to work with a design firm you trust as well as educate yourself. Keep in mind that you can spend thousands even millions on your site but with out top notch SEO and SEM you might as well buy stock in beta video decks,... or use NetZero as your main pipe. It has to be taken serious and it has to be factored in.
If you have had issues with clients, feel free to share them here. Not in an insulting way, we are trying to help clients be better communicators, and partners in design.