subject: How To Start A Web Design Business? [print this page] If you are a skilled web designer, you should seriously think about setting up your own business. Web design agencies are in great demand as every business is looking to build an online presence with a website or an e-commerce store. Web design entrepreneurship needs minimum initial expense and can be managed from a desk at your home or a small office if you plan to hire some workers.
How to launch your website design business?
Starting up a web design business requires some start up investment and a lot of of hard work to develop a portfolio and a set of initial clients.
Calculate the initial investment: For a web design business, the early costs relate to:
* hardware - laptop or desktop
* internet connectivity
* web design software such as PageMaker, Adobe Photoshop, or whatever you prefer
Setup a website to market your services: The look and usability of a business website holds even greater weight if it is owned by a web designer. Apart from acquainting your customers to your services, design ideas and offers, the design of the website itself is an assertion of your skill as a web designer.
Research the market: The most imperative rule for any internet business is to stay in tune with internet trends. Examine the website design of leading businesses. Notable factors should be ease of navigation, easy to maintain design, and logically organized information.
Develop a web design portfolio: In the beginning, you may not get paid as well as you desire. Design websites for local businesses, non-profit agencies and volunteer your services if needed to build a strong portfolio, good reputation, and network with prospective customers.
Build customer relationships: A major advantage of doing gratis work is building customer relationships and advertising your services. Hand out well designed business cards, make cold calls, advertise via flyers, and send direct mails to prospective clients. Join an online lead generation service for web design leads. As you gain experience, the better you will get, and your business will get recognized. As you become established, you can get paid more and target better and larger customers and projects.
Discuss legal aspects of entrepreneurship with a lawyer: It is always a good idea to cover with your attorney, the legal issues such as the tax liabilities of owning a business and its possible incorporation.
How to grow your web design business?
A web design service can gain more projects by offering additional services, faster delivery of project, and competitive pricing.
Add-on services: Web designers can partner with other freelancing professionals to improve the quality and speed up delivery of their services. A copywriter can develop impressive content that enhances page ranking with search engine optimization (SEO). An internet marketer can drive additional traffic to the website and raise its visibility. Credit card processing service helps with online payments. Offering all-encompassing services attracts customers as all their website needs are satisfied at one place. They are more than glad to pay more dollars for the convenience and quality of such services.
Faster delivery: Web design services can save time by working with templates instead of designing a website from scratch. Of course, this depends upon the needs of a client and the budget for the project. In majority of the cases, acquiring a template and customizing it to the customer's needs is a viable choice.
Inexpensive rates: Cheap rates always makes you an attractive option. This does not mean that you sell yourself short. You should study the competition and quote a slightly discounted price. However, never forward a quotation without really considering what a project involves. Once a client accepts the quote, get it in writing along with design specifics, deadlines, schedule, project phases, payment schedule, etc.
As with all start up businesses, your web design service may not show substantial returns from the day go. However, as you expand your customer base, the quality of your services will get you greater attention and additional projects.
