Considering today’s digital era that we’re living in, your business website is your digital mirror. These days, customers are always online and hence they judge whether or not they want to buy from you by taking a quick look at your website. A poorly designed website could force you to lose out on customers and it is seen that is most circumstances, this is one of the biggest factors behind why businesses fail. If you thought design is the only thing that constitutes a good website, you’re wrong as there’s more to it. Yes, prettiness is definitely one thing but there are other things like conversions, user experience and how speedy your website is.
If you’re someone who still hasn’t focused on website designing, it’s high time you realize that you make it a priority in 2019. Here are few statistics that can not only excite you but also motivate you.
According to Magicdust, a web design company in Sydney, your brand website is exceptionally important for shaping the reputation of the brand. Hence, website design has to be a priority in 2019 as web design is not just for the benefit for the customers but it is also directly linked to search engine rankings. Hence, if you’re still not a part of the herd, buck up your shoelaces and spruce up your web designing skills.
Checklist for starting a web design business – Baby steps to becoming an entrepreneur
If you pay heed to the stories of the greatest web designers, you’ll feel that starting off a web design business is too simple and easy a process. But it is better said than done. Not only do you require honing your web designing skills but you also require a full-fledged plan that has to be mixed with your sincere efforts in order to get a fruitful result. So, if you think you have the tenacity to convert your dreams into reality, here’s help for you. Check out the tips given below:
Depending on the strengths that you have, you can choose the basic services that you’re going to offer and your weaknesses will help you determine those areas on which you won’t spend your energy and time. Let those areas to be handled by someone else who is proficient in them. Before you hire further staff, know what you’re best at and what those tasks are that you can handle yourself.
You’ll definitely be providing services you’re good at but that doesn’t mean that you can offer people whatever you’re planning to sell. Rather, you have to know what your customers are looking for and thereafter tailor your services as per their needs. Previously, there was a rush among businessmen to have a website (almost compulsorily) but now the focus is on designing the most exciting and innovative website.
Once you’re sure about your market, make a list of your offerings. What you offer your clients depend on your set of talents and skills and the more you’re clear about your offerings, the higher will be the possibility of attaining success. Before finalizing your services, here are few questions to ask yourself:
When you’re trying your best to start your web designing business, you are aware that people will hire you for the same service. Now what if your own brand website is not designed in an appealing way? The potential customers will all notice your website to get a clear idea about the quality of services that you offer. So, it is better to design an attractive website that is fast, responsive and engaging so that the viewers enjoy their browsing experience.
If you think social media is still restricted to refurbishing your social connections among your friends and family, you’re wrong as its reach is far beyond that. Social media has become one of the most lucrative ways of promoting your services, luring potential customers and driving traffic to your website to form a network. Hence, you need to understand the vitality of all kinds of social media platforms in order to maximize your profits and stand out of the crowd.
The secret of freelancing, finding your own clients and growing your business
Before you strategize yourself as a manager handling a pack of designers full-time, you’ll most likely begin as a freelancer. Being a rookie, freelancing is certainly challenging as you’re not only your own BOSS but you’re also in-charge of each and every small detail of your business. However, once you are firm about the decision of playing the role of a freelancer, here’s what you will have to do:
Cracking your first client – A counter-intuitive technique
Where shall I find my first client?
This is the most common question among freelancers as it’s hardest to get the first one! Regardless of how compelling your business is, if none has heard about you, they won’t hire you. If you want to move fast with obtaining your first client, here’s what you need to do:
Who are you serving and what do you do for them? What makes you different from the other freelancers? Try filling out this sentence: ‘I am a .............. who helps ................... with .............. Unlike my competitors, I....................’ Though it is pretty easy to overlook this step but you’ll be realizing it sooner or later that you were wrong. The cornerstone of marketing is to have a crisp positioning statement.
When you have a crispy positioning statement, this lets you describe the type of value that you offer and it also lets others describe what your company goes with consistency and ease. Remember that the worst positioning statement is, ‘I assist everybody with everything.’ This is going to be counter-intuitive as you become a generalist.
One you have worked out your positioning stamen, it’s time to write to your audience. But when you have zero audience, how should you start writing to them? Here you have to exploit the rule of ten. All you need to do is to tell 10 people about your business positioning system. If you have more than 10 contacts, that’s great but if you don’t, make a list of ten. Members may include colleagues, previous clients, family, friends and anyone else.
Start off with a newsletter and ask others to join. Remember that this is the way you can begin getting an audience and the only thing that the audience wants is to directly benefit from your writing. Through a newsletter, you can build a list systematically and get to know about all those people who express their interest towards you. You can thereby build a relationship allowing them to hire you and also refer you to other people.
If the above mentioned points are not enough, it’s high time you begin content marketing. However, content marketing doesn’t mean blogging! The best form of content marketing is grassroots. You have to publish free, valuable, relevant information where the best clients hang out. The trick is to find out the watering holes of the ideal clients. Search for discussions and groups where you can offer value like Reddit, Facebook groups, forums or other communities like Slack.
If you can remain helpful and active in communities, this is the example one-to-many marketing that people can participate in. Just replying to 3 threads in one Facebook group could lead to thousands of people identifying you as a helpful expert and a trusted advisor.
Having your own web design business – Learning the pros and cons
As there’s no denying the fact that online presence is extremely vital for a small business owner. One of the ways in which businesses can demonstrate their businesses online is through a professionally designed website. Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of beginning a web design business.
THE PROS
Among the several benefits of jumpstarting a web design business of your own, few that are mentionable are as follows:
THE CONS
Just as the benefits, there are also few possible challenges of having your own web design business which can include the following:
Therefore, now that you’re aware of the nitty-gritty details of starting a web design business, what are you waiting for? Get on board and start off with your home-based business to generate as much income as possible.