[Rant] I HATE Website Design

[sapphirescales]

I've been doing website design for many years even though I hate it. Why? Because there's such good money in it. I charge at least $5,000 to design a website and I try to be very picky about my clients. But it never fails, a stinker client always seems to make it through my filter.

Why are people so stupid? I ask myself that question every single day. I very clearly tell them that making (or re-designing) a website isn't going to magically cause their phone to ring of the hook, but they still expect that. I use the analogy that a website is like a business card. You can pay Kinko's to print you out a bunch of business cards, but if you just keep them in the box and never hand them out, they're not going to do any good when it comes to getting you new business. I design and print the cards. That's IT! You need to either hand them out yourself or pay someone else to hand them out.

I do some local SEO for a few of my select clients (I just did local SEO for an e-Cig store and they're getting almost 20,000 impressions every single month now!), but for most businesses there's no way to get that kind of volume through local SEO. I point them towards AdWords but they don't want to pay. What - you think that all you have to do is plop down $5,000 and you'll never have to market your business again? If it were that easy then EVERYONE would do it. Even McDonalds has to advertise.

Anyway, I don't even like designing the websites themselves, but clients like these make me want to just quit this part of my business entirely. This is true of any business, whether you're fixing computers, designing websites, or something else: crap clients are the source of 97% of the stress. The other 3% comes from the job itself. This is why I charge so much in my business. It's not the job that they're paying for - it's me having to deal with them!

 

[phaZed]

Not to mention the success of a business on the web is not only advertising, but demand for their service/product.

I have done a few church websites, as per one of them I regularly manage, "We need to get more parishioners". Their attendance has been dropping mostly to the death of older, current church-goers - and the lack of new blood.

Some SEO and cheaply placed Adwords later (remember, the coffers are low)... and.... no change in attendance. They then come to me about a year later and say that the website isn't helping and asked what else could be done.

So, I pull some info on religion as I already know why they are not getting people and head over. I have a solid argument laid out about church attendance in the US, the rise of non-believers, more churches than ever, etc:

And then they say, "OK, but what can we do about the website?" and totally disregard the conversation we just had for 10 minutes... bewildered faces... can't connect the dots.

Websites are supposed to be magic, even when nobody wants what you're selling!

 

[Moltuae]

And then they say, "OK, but what can we do about the website?" and totally disregard the conversation we just had for 10 minutes... bewildered faces... can't connect the dots.

Websites are supposed to be magic, even when nobody wants what you're selling!

That's so unlike religious people to be delusional

Not to mention the success of a business on the web is not only advertising, but demand for their service/product.

And, in addition to that of course, there's much greater competition online.

I've had retail customers (with already established bricks and mortar stores) approach me to build a website because they're looking to venture into online sales. They initially seem to think that all they need to do is put all of the products they sell onto a website in order to make lots more sales. I have to explain to them that to succeed online, the only way they're going to make lots of sales is if their products are either unique or cheaper than anywhere else online. With B&M stores price is much less important -- customers are unlikely to spend time and money travelling from store to store just to save a few quid. Online it's easy to compare prices of course, so unless you have a unique product or a very loyal customer base, you won't sell a thing if your products are available cheaper on other websites.

 

[fencepost]

Online sales might be relevant for places with unique items, but if it's commercially-available stuff they're much better off focusing on letting people know what they have (right here)(right now)(instant gratification)(we have the thing you need to have today).

As for the churches, they might not want to hear it and it's an 18-25 year program, but if they want more members they'd better start encouraging their current ones to "get busy!"

 

[maclaptech]

I've been doing website design for many years even though I hate it. Why? Because there's such good money in it. I charge at least $5,000 to design a website and I try to be very picky about my clients. But it never fails, a stinker client always seems to make it through my filter.

Why are people so stupid?

Were you not the one who replied to one of my posts and said I shouldn't think customers are stupid, and if I do, I will just attracted stupid customers??? Yet you seem to be dealing with the same exact issue???

 

[sapphirescales]

Were you not the one who replied to one of my posts and said I shouldn't think customers are stupid, and if I do, I will just attracted stupid customers??? Yet you seem to be dealing with the same exact issue???

Yes, I was. The difference is I don't automatically assume all my customers are stupid or are out to screw me like you seem to do. It's very rare to get a stupid, unreasonable client. The vast majority of my web design clients are a pleasure to work with. It's just that one stinker that seems to make it through every year that makes me want to quit offering web design.

 

[maclaptech]

Yes, I was. The difference is I don't automatically assume all my customers are stupid or are out to screw me like you seem to do. It's very rare to get a stupid, unreasonable client. The vast majority of my web design clients are a pleasure to work with. It's just that one stinker that seems to make it through every year that makes me want to quit offering web design.

I never assume all my customers are stupid. That was your take on it. What I do believe is that some customers are stupid and there are many that love to scam us so we have to have firm policies to protect us. If we don't, then those that want to scam us will get away with it every time.

 

[callthatgirl]

I dislike a few Technibble members and have for years and they come after me and I still post here. Kinda how life works.

 

[MatthewB]

I dislike a few Technibble members and have for years and they come after me and I still post here. Kinda how life works.

Wow, couldn't agree more. Keep it real folks.