Ryan VanZan's Web Design Articles and Rants

I've been officially designing websites as a sole proprietor for a little more than a year now, and I have some tips for those of you out there who wish to hire someone to build a website for you. I'll just get right to the list now and explain later.

1. Getting a good website means more work for you.
2. Your ideas and input are absolutely necessary.
3. Having a cool website makes you cool.
4. You absolutely CAN get a #1 ranking on Google.
5. Your website will not look the same on all computers.
   
6. Web designers are NOT computer programmers.

Let's start with number... um... 1. When you hire someone to build a website for you it means that you will have a lot of things to talk about (but only if you want a good website). You might have to do some writing. You'll definitely have to spend some hours meeting with your web geek. Finally, you'll have to spend a lot of time online because you're going to be obsessed with your website.

On to #2. You need to let your designer know what you like and what you hate. You'll have to do research by looking at your competitor's websites and tearing them apart, that part is actually fun!

#3. When your customers go to your website and they think to themselves "Wow! It looks like a 5 year old built this website!" they might think that you're 5. If they check out your website and think "Woweewoowa! This is a cool website!" they're going to think that you're cool too. A good website gives you credibility even if it's simple and small. It's better to have a good and simple website than a big lousy website or no website at all.

#4. Everyone asks me "Can I get a #1 ranking on Google?" The short answer is "Yes!" Anyone can get a #1 ranking on Google, but you have to remember that your ranking is dependent on the keyword(s) searched for. Here is an example: If I type the word "gnorphosis" into this page I will have a #1 ranking when you search for "gnorphosis" on Google. Why? Because I made that word up. My website is the only website in the world with the word "gnorphosis" on it and that's why I'm #1. If you search Google for "designer" my ranking will be so low that you wouldn't be able to find it. Of course, the popularity of a keyword isn't the only factor in your ranking, but it is a major factor.

#5. You website will not look the same on every computer. I mean it! That is the most frustrating thing about my job. The best any web designer can do is to make websites look good on all computers. The reason why is because different browsers on different computers running different operating systems interpret and display the website code differently. Plus, you can customize how a website looks on your computer by changing the font size, color, etc.

I'm not a computer programmer. I use a computer for my work in the same way that an accountant uses his or her computer. I am a website programmer and designer. Websites do live on computers, but so do your emails and Word documents. Most of the code used for programming websites is barely related to computer programming code. So, please don't ask me if I can fix your computer. I'm almost as clueless as you are about that!

Now you know some stuff that I know. I hope it makes your life easier and funner.

gnar·pho·sis [nar-fo-sis] noun, verb
-noun
1. An elephant hair used for tickling the underside of Emu.

-verb
2. Alteration of perceived reality due to the effects of ingesting undercooked pond scum.

Labels: customer, gnarphosis, programmer, tips, web design