When it comes to those that aren’t digital marketers, there are two kinds of people: ones that believe digital marketing means making some social media posts, and ones that understand there’s a ton of depth and complexity to digital marketing. I also do a ton when it comes to providing growth through digital marketing. In this blog, I will explain why I don’t perform one key digital marketing task that every business needs: website design.
1) Web Design is Extremely Commoditized
Every adult and their kids ages 12-22 seem to have some level of experience in web design. You can go on Google right now and search “web design” and see several paid results from the big and mid-sized players in this space. You can also go to any networking group and meet at least a couple people that do website design as either a side gig, as a consultant, or with an agency. If you do this, I am eager to talk to you – there’s so much creative and functional variety in this space that I can never have too many partners.
In a profession that is so saturated and competitive, I’d rather focus on the many ways I am different and provide exceptional value to clients.
2) Platform Variety
I can make several points on the variety in web design, because the permutations are truly endless. Let’s start with platforms.
I’ve worked in several platforms, some of which you may not have heard of: Wix, Weebly, Joomla, Shopify, SquareSpace, WordPress, NetSuite, HubSpot, and GoDaddy, to name a few. There are also: BigCommerce, web.com, Hostinger, Duda, Ionos, Jimdo, HostGator, Webflow, Drupal, Friday, and lots more. Several years ago, webhosts started making their own site builders, and this space really exploded. Some builders are good for ecommerce, some are good for custom design, some are good for DIY. I can provide insights on each, and I can optimize each for SEO, conversion, and data collection. I’m happy to give strategic advice for free. Generally, you’ll want Shopify or WordPress for ecommerce, and SquareSpace for DIY and high design. Other than those, the only consideration should be “what plays well with my CRM?” You do not want to build in most other platforms listed. Google doesn’t like some, others have security issues, and many are costly or not well-supported.
With so many platform options for something as important as your website, it makes much more sense to go with a specialist in the platform you need, assuming you’ve gotten that far. If you haven’t, I’m happy to help. But please, don’t go with a generalist just because they’re cheaper. You will end up paying for it in the long run.
3) Creative Direction
I am not a graphic designer. I love and appreciate graphic designers for all they can do, from scratch, in what seems to me like a very short period of time. Despite being a visual person, I cannot do what they do. I can start with an existing concept and improve it, but on the creative side, it would not be a good use of anyone’s time for me to design something that probably won’t meet your design expectations on the first five revisions. Know your weaknesses, right?
4) Project Scoping
Scope creep happens everywhere. Scoping out the needs, duration, and total cost of any web design project is damn near impossible to do accurately. I’ve got enough scope creep to address with some clients, I don’t need to add six extra variables to the mix.
You might be thinking, “why not just charge by the hour?” First, I don’t charge by the hour for anything I do. It doesn’t make sense, because the end product for tagging projects provides you a concrete, constantly increasing return. It takes a different amount of time for everyone, based on platform, existing accounts, custom platform needs, and more. I get paid on the result, not the time spent. For ad management, the bulk of the work happens in the first 2-3 months. It also takes a couple months of optimization to see the best results. Since we’re working together long-term, I would rather offer you the option of amortizing over the course of the year than make you pay a big lump sum up front. This is the same with SEO, analytics, and web maintenance. It is almost unheard of that web designers would charge by the hour. If they do, they’re likely not at a level of experience you should be comfortable with.
5) Time Consuming
This is a project with lots of revisions and a level of depth that may require me working on only the one project at a time. Obviously, I cannot let my existing clients down. I budget my 60 hours/week very carefully, with some allocated to specific projects, some to recurring work, and 25% to business development and flex, in case I need it elsewhere. With web design, this budget mostly goes out the window.
6) Web Maintenance
With a new website comes some additional fixed costs. Hosting, add-ons, and maintenance, mostly. While I do perform certain types of web maintenance, much of what agencies will charge for is not relevant to their clients. This work is not only unnecessary for many sites, but it is unethically quoted, often with automated security updates that make this “service” 100% margin. Not my style.
By understanding my strengths and limitations, I can devote my efforts to areas where I can make the most impact, while still collaborating with talented designers to create beautiful, functional websites. Websites are vital to every business, and should be done correctly rather than cheaply. While I don’t do web design for many reasons, I am well-equipped to evaluate your existing site or get you in touch with a number of resources to build one from scratch. If you’re in need of web or digital marketing services, please reach out. A referral comes at no cost to you.