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As a website designer, you'll be entering a very lucrative market where there is certainly no shortage of work. Did you know that, according to American City Business Journals , small businesses who use the Internet have grown 46% faster than those that do not? What a sales pitch!
Did you also know that only (approx.) forty-four percent (44%) of U.S. companies are selling online? And, according to the Association of National Advertisers, many more businesses plan to establish a web presence before the end of the year. That's only speaking about the United States, of course!
Companies around the world are equally eager to get online. I'm geographically located in Canada, but my clients literally span the globe!
To add to the attraction, new websites are not the only businesses in the market for a website designer. Many businesses that already have websites are looking for reconstruction to make their websites more user friendly, easier to navigate and to improve usability and sales.
Where ever shall you start?
Did you ever read (or watch) Alice in Wonderland? Remember the signs? Go Here. Go there. This way. That way. Up there. Down here. Nothing was as it was "expected" to be , yet everything was just as it "should be." The hookah-smoking caterpillar was the sanest thing in that scene. Calmly, he gazed at Alice and asked "Whoooooo are you?"
The Internet is a lot like that.
In a lot of trades, an education is the way to go. Just try becoming a lawyer or a doctor without spending years in school. It's not going to happen. When it comes to website design, the best education to start with is self-education.
A fellow that I know spent about $500 (Cad) to take a course, at a local college, to learn to make webpages. He came to me in complete frustration because his websites only loaded in one browser and he didn't know why. Apparently his instructor was not aware of the fact that not all html code is browser compatible. A quick lesson in browser compatibility made this gentleman question why he had paid $500 to learn to create webpages that only a portion of his visitors will be able to see!
Html and website design is still a relatively new field. When a local college hires an instructor to teach an html or website design class, the person doing the hiring probably does not know enough about the field to test the knowledge of the "teacher." Will the instructor teach browser compatible code - or not? That's really the luck of the draw. If you want to ensure that the pages you create are browser compatible and load for all your potential clients… and the clients of your clients… your best bet is self-education.
The Easy Road?
Many, many "website designers" don't really know html, or they know very little about it. They do, however, know how to use a piece of website creation software to "drag and drop" elements to create webpages. Many website creation software programs, such as Frontpage, Adobe Pagemill, etc. advertise "ease of use" and the "drag and drop" interface as their selling points.
I will never forget the lawyer that contacted me one bright summer morning. She was frantic. You see, she had just discovered that her wonderful, informative website did not load in "the other" browser. Having only one browser on her system, she had not realized that her website did not load in the other browser until she tried to load her website at a client's office. The client, of course, used "the other" browser. When nothing but a blank white page loaded, her website did nothing to impress her client - nor did it say too much for the professionalism of her lawfirm.
To make a long story short, the lawyer's website designer did not know why the website did not load in "the other" browser. The designer had used a piece of software to generate the site, and didn't have the faintest clue why it didn't work in all browsers. Having paid considerable funds to have the site created the first time, the lawyer was not impressed at having to pay another designer to "fix" the site. You can bet the lawyer won't be recommending the first designer to any of her colleagues or clients.
If you're not one of "those" website designers, their lack of knowledge will be your selling point.
Avoiding Queen of Hearts Syndrome!
Remember Alice's disgust when she heard the the Queen of Hearts, red-faced, hollering "MY way. We'll do it MY way!" A lot of websites are like that. They only load in one browser, they only load in one screen resolution. They only look good on a Mac, or a PC. And the visitors are just as unimpressed as Alice was. Except the customer solves the problem - by leaving!
To ensure your success as a website designer, avoid the Queen of Hearts syndrome like the plague. Some guidelines to watch for are;
1) Browser Compatibility
Not all code is compatible with all browsers. Test your websites in all possible browsers!
At minimum, you want to ensure proper site load in current versions of Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, the current AOL browser and WebTv.
2) Platform Compatibility
Woe to the designer who thinks "html is html." Be sure you use browser safe color, not the windows palette. Macs don't run on windows and the windows safe color palette can look awful on a Mac. In addition, fonts look 40% smaller when viewed on a Mac. That "fine print" on the blue background just might be an unreadable blur on a grey backround to a Mac visitor.
3) Screen Resolution Compatibility
There is nothing quite so unprofessional as a website that is not formatted for all screen resolutions. This problem is easily solved by using tables, or by testing your website in all monitor resolutions.
4) Font Compatibility
When you specify a font type, remember that if the viewer doesn't have that font on their computer, they won't see your choice of font. Instead, they will see a very plain font that is reminiscent of an old typewriter. Also be sure to specify a Mac compatible alternative.
For example, if you want to display your text in Arial, your font tag should include the Mac alternative, which is Helvetica.
5) Navigation
Good navigation is crucial. Your navigation system should not change from page to page. After all, when you walk into a store, you want to know that they aren't going to move the exit door or shift the departments around from floor to floor, don't you? If your potential customers get confused trying to navigate your site they will usually solve the problem by leaving. In addition to your primary page navigation system, always include a text footer. This has become a standard on that people instinctively look for.
6) Load time
Many people mistakenly believe that images are the sole reason for slow loading pages. Not true. There are many html creation programs that add so much superfluous code that they create more page bloat than a well compressed image would cause. However, images should also be compressed or diced for quick loading. Test the load time of your webpages to ensure that they load in 25 seconds or less.
Great Resources!
One of the fastest ways to learn "what works" is to examine what does not work. One of my favorite resource sites, appropriately named, is Vince Flander's "Webpages that Suck." You may visit the site at:
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com
In addition, you may enjoy my "Website Design Hall of Shame" located at;
http://www.lindacaroll.com/webdesign.html
If you're looking for assistance with website compatibility issues, you'll also enjoy my html series at;
http://www.lindacaroll.com/books.html
The world in your hands!
As a website designer, if you pay attention to detail and avoid the Queen of Heart syndrome - designing websites that display in all browsers, platforms and resolutions, the world is truly in your hands.
With a little time and experience, no one will be asking "Whooooo are you?" Your reputation will precede you. Trust me on that one!
Good luck!
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Linda Caroll is working mom, a partner, a sister, a friend, a dreamer, a freelance writer, a website developer and a website success coach. A strong believer in the power of people, Ms. Caroll also teaches an online course, appropriately named the "Website Magic Workshop."
Linda has 19 years of experience in graphic design, copywriting, marketing, pr. &
business management.
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| She has been developing interactive websites since 1996, and has worked in the field of promotional computer graphics and desktop publishing since 1986. Her articles have been published by numerous publications, both online and offline.
In Linda's own words; "I believe that most businesses have good ideas. They simply lack the knowledge that would allow them to propel those ideas skyward. Dreams without wings. My goal is to teach people what works online so I can give them the wings - with which they can fly!"
Visit Linda online at:
http://www.LindaCaroll.com
http://www.WebsiteMagicWorkshop.com
 work at home
get paid to shop
write articles for traffic
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