What are the most important KPI metrics to track for Ecommerce website?

(The following is purely hypothetical)

Assuming I would plan to build a website about frogs. On that site, people could upload pictures of their frogs (or submit them) which then are posted in a blog-like format. Similar to this website: http://cuteoverload.com/.

The functions would encompass a news-blog functionality and perhaps the ability for people to register and create an account on the site (not a forum account) on which they can view their submitted photos and the like.

Now I have several questions about this scenario:

1. Logistical

1- Assuming the site would have around 100 photos submitted by people per day, what hardware do I have to rent to support that traffic? (storage space)

2- What are the specific differences between renting a webspace and renting a "box"? I assume box means renting a complete dedicated box and the former being a smaller part of a box.

3- What would the average running costs be? Rough estimates for American or Western European hosting.

2. Business

1- Assuming I call my site "frogsite.com", do I own the rights to the name of that site once I grab the domain name or is there extra legal work needed to copyright that name?

2- Assuming I would hire someone to create that site, in what price range would I be in? (Not asking for an exact quote, only trying to approximate in what ballpark it would be in). This assumes average pricing for western europe/USA based companies.

I'm thinking about making a version of each of the pages in each of the laguages but I think there must be a more eficient way of doing this, do you have some advice?

Thanks a lot!

1.) Does .com, .net, .org matter when choosing domain names?

2.) What the difference between Hyphenated domain names in non-hyphenated?

3.) Do you have to name your website like the name of your company?

Thanks

Is it better as a web designer to create standard HTML sites or Wordpress sites for business clients? It looks like Wordpress is gaining momentum but I am also hearing that they need regular maintenance such as when plugins need constant updating.

Is this an issue for any Wordpress designers out there?

Looking for feedback

-Artie

Original thread:

http://killersites.com/mvnforum/mvnforum/viewthread?thread=11509

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey all,

 

I am new to this forum.... looks like a good one

 

I am interested in starting my own web design business, but am unsure about exactly what I should do to get started, besides just design. I have one site, going on three, that are still under development.

 

So how do I start designing for people? Do I just do a couple free jobs to get started? Do I need a site, that displays my work, etc?

 

Thanks in advance!

Josh

Josh,

 

Sounds like you are about where I was a couple years ago. I actually started in high school -- figured out I enjoyed graphic design and web design, and decided I wanted to do something with it. I currently run my business as a side project, usually accepting only one or two clients at a time since I have a regular job and take college classes full time as well.

 

Where do you get started? Probably after you finish up with the sites you are currently working on, you should settle on a name for your business (unless you are simply going to use your own name) and design/build a simple portfolio site to showcase your work. Ultimately, that will become your best selling tool for explaining who you are and what you do. If you can, do this while you have the time and aren't busy with client projects. As I have learned, the longer you wait to do it, the better chance that you won't. It's hard to spend time on personal projects when you have paying projects to think about. smile

 

Depending on your skills, it may be a good idea to come up with a logo and some basic templates for your business, (letterhead, business cards, a design proposal template and an invoice template). You are about my age, and I have found that having some of these items has boosted my credibility and made people take me a bit more seriously as a designer and entrepreneur. If you can't do this yourself, perhaps see if you can find another professional or student who you can trade services with -- they'll do some identity work for you in exchange for a website.

 

As far as getting started and getting more clients, the best way I have learned is through word of mouth, and also through online. If you offer good service and reasonable prices and keep your client's happy, they'll refer you to others. Also, it helps if you take some time to create a quality website that is optimized for search engines. My latest client is someone who found me via my website (how the did that, I really have no idea, since I don't rank highly for anything at the moment...) and they have quickly become my highest paying client.

 

Should you do free work? It depends on the skills you have and your situation. Unless it is for a non-profit organization or a cause you feel deeply about, I wouldn't suggest it. However, you may offer clients that since you are just getting started and need the experience, you would be able to offer them a deal. That way, there is a clear understanding that you won't always be cheap, and they won't undervalue your services.

 

Setting up a business does take a bit of legal understanding... Where are you based? If you're in the USA, I'll go into that a bit more. Otherwise, you'll have to do that research on your own.

Just ran across a series of articles on Freelance Folder that might be helpful... especially the one on branding.

 

http://freelancefolder.com/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-freelancing-part-1/

Yes, i am in USA. Currently, I have a site that I was going to use to showcase some of my sites that I have created. So yes, any of the legal/business advice would be a great help?

 

Also, right now what my skills lack is image creation, since I am not very good with either gimp or photo-shop, most of my sites lack very many images. Any suggestions/help in this regard? Also, how do I know what to charge clients?

 

Thanks so much for you help!

OK... some legal details... As a disclaimer, I really don't claim to be an expert on this subject, but I'll pass on whatever I have picked up in the last few years of doing this.

 

OK, this applies primarily to California, where I live, so you may have to check on your state's rules if you live in a different state...

 

If you live in California and operate a business that does not include your name, you need to register your business name with your County and set up a DBA (Doing Business As). Basically, this registers your business name and your contact information with the state, and allows you to legally operate. In addition, once your DBA is approved, you have to place an ad in a local paper stating that you have started a new business. Usually, after you register your DBA, a couple local papers will contact you with ways that you can post your ad in their paper -- it's pretty easy. If I remember correctly, registering the DBA costs about $20, and the newspaper ad costs somewhere between $30 and $50.

 

Also, if you are using a business name that does not include your own name, you may want to double check that it is not in use with some major corporation. While the chances of you getting sued over a business name is probably pretty low, you could be pressured into changing the name to avoid legal hassles.

 

There are tax rules that you will need to research more, especially if your business will be your sole means of income. I need to go back and refresh myself on those rules, so I really can't cover it in much detail. However, if you are self employed, the government will take out about 25 to 35 % in taxes, and if you are earning a significant amount per year, you are expected to file estimated payments with the IRS four times a year to cover the tax bill that will come due in April. However, (as in my case) if you have another job where the employer is paying part of your taxes for you, and you aren't making a great deal of money working freelance, it is much less of an issue.

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post... It really helps to have a standard contract that you use and ask clients to sign before you start work with them. The contract would cover what services you are offering the client, what the cost of the project is, and which parties have which responsibilities. This document should also protect you in case the project falls apart and either side decides to cancel the project and other legaleze if things don't work out. When I was first starting out, I didn't use a contract, but I have found that it is very useful to have a document that lays out the exact agreement between me and my client. I simply won't do a project without a signed contract.

 

As for your lack of image creation skills, that is definitely something you will want to improve in. There are many sources of online tutorials out there online that may help you, or you may consider taking some classes at your college or a local junior college -- that is what I have done. Knowledge of photoshop or a similar program is very useful, since that is the part of the website that most people will see directly and understand. Most clients don't want or necessarily need to understand the coding that is involved.

 

What do you charge clients? I don't think anyone has an answer for that one. =P It depends on your skills and confidence level, and often where you live as well. If I remember correctly, I started at around a $20 an hour figure, and worked my way up from there. It does vary greatly though, depending on who you ask. I've found the average figure for design work (at least in my area) seems to be around $50 or $60 an hour. It'll often depend on the client too, and what they are willing to pay. Obviously, you would charge a large corporation that will get a lot of publicity more than a tiny one person business.

 

Two books to recommend... One is "How to start a home based web design business" by Jim Smith. (Amazon Link It doesn't go into things in great depth, but I found it useful for some general business knowledge, and it has a useful contract template that should get you started. Also you may want to look at the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Amazon Link) which contains some useful legal/pricing information.

 

Any other questions?

Thanks, how do you go about getting someone to sign a contract if they are from a different state? Do you ever do work for clients in different countries?

 

As far as the images on your sites are concerned, do create these or get free images from the internet?

 

As far as coding it concerned, I am very familiar with CSS and HTML, but just starting with PHP. Do you find it necessary to know scripting languages for your work such as JavaScript, PHP, or APS.net? If so, do you know of any good source for learning these languages?

 

Thanks so much!

Josh

"Thanks, how do you go about getting someone to sign a contract if they are from a different state? Do you ever do work for clients in different countries?"

 

Depends... You could always accept a signature by fax. I don't always ask that my clients physically sign the contract. Often, I'll simply accept a written acceptance via email (though I'm not quite sure if that would hold up in a court of law).

 

Recently, however, I have been developing a client backend to my website in PHP, which allows my clients to login and view project details. In that area, it includes the contract, and the client can electronically sign it, which sends an email to both parties saying that the client has signed the contract and stores the agreement in a database.

 

Images on the sites I develop are a combination of free stock photography (sxc.hu, specifically) and paid stock photography (istockphoto.com or dreamstime.com). If the site will require a significant amount of stock photos, I usually ask the client to agree to cover the costs of the photos.

 

"Do you find it necessary to know scripting languages for your work such as JavaScript, PHP, or APS.net?"

 

Originally, I started out with HTML and CSS, and have been slowly adding to my skills. A bit of knowledge of PHP or another dynamic programming language is quite useful, and I'd definitely encourage you to continue learning. It'll help set you apart from all of the rest of the coders out there that only know HTML and CSS. Most of my PHP knowledge either comes from personal experimentation, PHP books or tutorials on killerphp.com or phpvideotutorials.com.

Ok, well I really appreciate you time. A few more questions:

 

If a client asks you to do something for their site that you do not know how to do or can't do, do tell the "I can't do that" or do you hire a third party to do it for you?

 

Secondly: This is a issue I have been very perplexed about. Once you design a site for someone, how do you handle updating it? Do you allow them to update it via a CMS or are most of your sites pretty stationary?

 

Thirdly, do most of your clients already have hosting and a domain, or do you include that in the price as well?

 

Lastly, if this a area that is going to be profitable for me once I get started, so that maybe I could do it full time, or is it more of a "chunk-change every-once in a while" hobby?

 

Thanks for your experience and input!

Josh

OK...

 

If a client asks me for something I can't do... it depends. If it is something that I could do, and just may need a bit of experimentation, I usually tell them it isn't something I have experience with, but I will get back to them in a day or two and let them know if it is possible. If it isn't something I could learn quickly enough to do it yourself, I may check if a friend or contact can/would be willing to do it (though that may cut into your profit.) If you can't do it and you can't find a friend to do it, I usually would pass on that project, and perhaps suggest another company in my area that might be able to help.

 

How do I handle updating sites? Depends on the site. Up to this point, most of the sites I have designed are static sites that I take care of updating for a monthly fee. However, as I have found this to be sometimes stressful and timeconsuming, I have been moving towards using a CMS. It's just a matter of finding the necessary time to learn. Especially with larger clients, they tend to assume that they will have the power to edit content, so it is important to either know a CMS or be working in that direction.

 

As for hosting, I usually offer hosting services via a resellers account at hostgator.com. Most of my clients want hosting, but don't want to deal with the hassle of setting it up. I usually include that in the contract as a quarterly fee that they pay me.

 

Will this be profitable? It really depends on your experience, your energy and your networking skills. Doing it yourself is tough work, and I have had a few friends burn themselves out trying to do it. At this point, even after a couple years experience, I don't feel ready to try and do it myself -- it'll stay part time for me, at least while I am busy with school. The longer you do web design, the more there seems to be to learn. At least while you get started, I'd suggest doing it as a hobby or part time job, and thus don't expect to get paid a lot. Don't make it your primary source of income -- that's just asking for trouble. However, as you build up experience and improve your skills, yes, I do think it has the potential to be profitable.

 

You may also want to consider, after you have more experience, trying to get hired by a web design firm in your local area and working for them for a while. You'll get a lot of good experience, and will be able to build some of the skills needed to do it full time.

Concerning potential customers, instead of having an email on the home page of my site to copy/paste to contact me, I'm considering making a contact form that emails me when someone makes a new instance in the database, saying they're interested in me making them a new site.

Anyone have any data on what gave you a better response?? Email to copy/paste, or contact form??

A contact form looks better, it's easy to make too... But I fear dropping 8 questions might turn people off vs seeing an email, even though they'd have to answer them anyway.

I ask because my experience with people so far is that most don't know what they want, they just think they want something. Then they realize they were in over their head and get scared away when thinking of details.

What has given you the best response?? What would you do??

I did some research on yearly pay for developers. I saw a few articles saying that the US average for freelance developers is about $5k per month. That comes out to $60k per year.

That might be great for some junior developers, but I make close to 6 figures working for companies and for contracting. Although the benefits of freelancing are very enticing, I would have a hard time taking such a pay cut. (I'm not bragging - Most seasoned fulltime and contract developers make this much and more.)

I definitely don't plan on quitting my day job until my freelance business is mature. However, I just want to know whether or not it's realistic to expect to eventually make 6 figures as a freelance developer. 

Please don't mention hourly rates, because, as I understand it, those depend on how long it takes you to finish your fixed-rate projects. When all is said and done, what's the upper end that one can realistically expect to make by the end of the year?

I'm just wondering if this path is worth taking.

Thanks in advance!

What does the label "web designer" even mean to you as we head into 2018?

Would you consider yourself primarly as:

• a visual designer focused on presentation & how things look?
• or maybe a UX designer?
• overall web strategy designer?
• online marketer?
• business consultant?
• general creator and builder of all things "web"?

The further I progress in my own journey, the more all-encompassing I consider this term to be. Some declare "Web Design Is Dead", but I'm excited about this field and the future it holds.

The Key, IMO, is to expand our definition of what it means to be a "Web Designer".

Because web design is nolonger just web design.

It's now Designing for the Web in the fullest sense. It's seeing the web as a comprehensive environment/reality, and being aware of every ingredient that goes into it, from A to Z, and how each piece can fit together to achieve a specific purpose or goal.

When designing and building a site for a client, are you simply putting that final layer on top of ALL THE OTHER STUFF that sits underneath?

Or are you going deeper and working directly with the content, sales copy, marketing strategy, higher level business strategy etc?

How important are you to the growth & success of your client's business?

I believe that if we want to survive and thrive in the coming years, we must see ourselves as serious Web Professionals (as Stef has mentioned), and position ourselves to be on equal footing with our clients as trusted business advisors  / consultants.

How do you see yourself as a web designer right at this moment? Are you planning to expand your scope of work and your definition of what it means to be a "Web Designer"?

I'm really curious to see how others view themselves, their role in projects, and their ultimate value to the client.

Cheers All.

Tyler.

The Challenge in Web Design in 2015

In the past, there were a lot of technological hurdles in web design and web development. This is no longer the case - it's all been figured out. The challenge today is largely a function of usability and design - not engineering. Yes, you still have to learn how to build websites, how to properly write code, how to properly structure web sites and web apps ... but the conventions are in place; we've pretty much refined the process as a community and you have methodologies laid out for you. 

... Back in the 1990's this was all up in the air, it was the wild west of coding. 

That's all for now - I got a coffee to drink and a bagel to eat!

Stefan

http://chasemorgan.co/project/new

I am an experience html/css designer with a bit of knowledge and experience in PHP, the last year I have been big into Wordpress. I am starting to develope sites for clients using wordpress themes and templates and building off that so I can get projects done faster and more efficient. The trouble I am running into is pricing, I am not sure what I should/could be charging people for this service. I currently help them find a theme and design that suits their needs, I set up their web hosting packages, custom domain emails, and give them a guide on how to operate their site and change their content. I am freelancer and have a few years of experience.

Any thoughts on references to pricing would be a huge help!

So far I have only used Weaver II, and the 20xx themes. Are these good ones with which to use child themes?

I need to establish child themes for sites and it must be a free framework. Tentatively looking at Pagelines DMS and Whiteboard. What about Gantry, and Carrington. Would like other suggestions and pros/cons please. Not doing e-commerce sites.

When making a child theme is it okay to just copy the existing style.css and functions.php files from the parent to the child theme folder or is it necessary to create fresh files? And, since most of my design to date is done in the parent main options where you can specify and modify the header and other areas, if I use a child theme will I still be able to use and preserve main options styling or will I have to do that only in the style.css in the child theme to preserve the styling? This is the most important issue because setting the styling this way is so easy and it takes me forever to try to figure out another way, mostly because I am never sure where the code should be put. It is not so difficult to find the code samples by using Google.

Also, I have always used the theme > settings > general, reading, writing to specify thing; and I use the theme advanced options to drop in CSS code quickly since I don't have to look for where to place it. When using a child theme will I still be able to use these parent theme features or will it all have to be done in the child theme?

What about plugins and widgets, how are those saved from updates wiping them out?

Thanks for any help!

Thanks for answer

I haven't been able to get any clients. I have tried passing out business cards, flyers, etc. I have done social media marketing, posted ads, and I still can't seem to find a client. I can't even get proposals. Is there anything I'm doing wrong or should be doing?

I'm trying to find an industry directory for design agencies in web design for the US market. For instance, in fashion, there is a "who's who" called LE BOOK, and everybody in the business wants to list themselves with them. I found Ad Age's list, but its focus seems to be on the traditional media. I checked out a few others as well, but they all look kind of sketchy, and I'm not convinced any of them is a particularly better-known or popular reference.

If you have any suggestion, I'd appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

I have a friend of mine who is a relatively new independent web designer/programmer, he comes to me for advice every now and then ... sometimes he has general questions and other times he has problems to fix.

... Anyway, I figure I would start chronicling some of his challenges and the questions he puts to me.

Business of Web Design Tip #1

Make sure you have a clear termination clause in your contract!

Comments:

Some clients can be really annoying where they keep coming back to you for more and more 'simple little changes' ... long after the contract and the major work is completed. A reasonable number of minor fixes and updates should be expected after the major work has been done, but some clients will try to get you to do freebies for them, weeks or even months after the job was completed.

You can help avoid this by having these things in your contract:

1. Make sure your contract details what EXACT features and services your are providing.
   
2. Note in the contract that they have a limited number of change request. Say three for example.
   
3. Note in the contract that when final payment is received, that the payment acknowledges the job is done.
   
4. Have a clause in the contract that says YOU CAN FIRE THEM anytime you like - this is the termination clause.
   

Stefan

I'm a newbie here!