Friday, December 10, 2010

Web Design Business

How to get good at a lucrative web design business - it will require some hard work and testing, but it can certainly be done, even if you are just starting out. A lucrative web design business is one great way to explode your internet business. Also, a lucrative web design business is a great way to maximize your online business revenues.

One day a business owner friend of mine asked if I knew how to change an image that he had on his website. I thought I would give it a try. I was able to do it and he gave me 0. I thought "Cool". That was easy. I still didn't think about a web design business.

Some design companies use their own name for their business name (eg Scott Web Design). This does not tell potential clients anything relevant about you and your work, although it might give away irrelevant information, such as your ethnic origin, and, if you use your first name, your age, sex, and possibly your socio-economic background. Research shows that we make judgments about others based on their name.

Given the ever increasing demand for web development and freelance designers over the last few years, I've found it quite amazing the number of people who label themselves as "web designers" or "developers". It seems that almost everyone that has a little knowledge of HTML, or at least enough to be dangerous, considers themselves a qualified designer.

Around half of all businesses fail within the first five years. Just because you do not have a shop or rented office or any stock does not mean you are not running a small business. Starting your own web design business makes you every bit as susceptible to failure as the next person if your business head is not screwed on right. You must know how to deal with clients, accountants, bankers, and know how to keep your business records in good order.

Once you have decided on a niche, you have to research it thoroughly by putting together a business plan. You need to look at web design from different angles - the opportunity it presents and how your strengths and weaknesses fit into the big picture. A level of experience will serve you well in this area but lack of experience should not deter you.

The demand is for web professionals who can translate an offline business into an online presence so if you have never created a website before, this isn't the business for you. You need to be familiar with website programming languages such as HTML, CSS, javascript, and DHTML. Even PHP, ASP, and even flash would be helpful as well. You also must be familiar with search engine optimization, how the Internet runs in general, and a good eye for graphic design is a definite plus.

It was then that my business started to take off and I started getting enquiries about work. Work then leads to other work as clients refer others to you. In this regard starting a web design business is no different to any other. It's all about networking.