₦airaland Forum

Table of Content

1. Introduction

2.Web Design as a Business

3.Considerations Before You Start

4.Marketing and Advertising

5.Hosting and Domain Names

6.Software

7.Standards Compliance

8.Static vs. Dynamic Sites

9.Theme Design Business

10.Freelancers

11.Accepting Payments

12.Conclusion

Introduction
The Internet has changed the way the world publishes and obtains information, conducts
business, connects with friends and family, and finds entertainment. In fact, the Internet is
often referred to as a disruptive technology because it has so dramatically and unalterably
changed so many aspects of modern life. Internet usage has increased dramatically over the
past decade and continues to see increased adoption. Mobile Internet usage has now become
standard with many people accessing the Internet more often from their mobile devices than
from computers.
The unprecedented growth and adoption of Internet technology creates new and exciting
opportunities for businesses that can be started with very little capital. Many people are now
able to earn a respectable living, often working from home, in businesses that did not even
exist a few short years ago. Last year I contracted with a European firm to provide social media
marketing services in connection with a new digital product launch they were undertaking. I
was able to earn a respectable wage working from home in an industry that did not exist a few
years ago. It was always entertaining trying to explain to family and friends what exactly it was
that I did for work.
Web design and hosting is one of these new business opportunities that can be started
inexpensively, yet can be quite profitable. Web design businesses are perfectly suited to
starting with little or no money up front and operating completely from a spare room at home.
For that matter, much of the work could be conducted from a local coffee shop or Internet
cafe. The opportunity to start a profitable business with little or no money down has never
been better.
Starting a Web Design Business will show you everything you need to know to start your own
web design and hosting business. Written by a serial entrepreneur and veteran web designer,
this book will cover the most important information you need to consider when starting your
own web design business. Starting a Web Design Business is filled with practical, useful
information sure to get your new business off to a good start.
Starting a Web Design Business covers these important topics:
- Web Design as a Business
- Considerations Before You Start
- Marketing and Advertising
- Hosting and Domain Names
- Software (HTML editors, graphic design, and office)
- Standards Compliance
- Static vs. Dynamic Sites
- Theme Design Business
- Freelancers
- Accepting Payments

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Sapiosexuality:
Following

Web Design as a Business

Web design and hosting is a unique business opportunity that most adults today could not
have imagined when they were beginning their careers. I graduated high school in 1988 and
knew only one other person who had a "home computer" at the time. Computers were only
beginning to be implemented in business and the World Wide Web would not be invented for
another year.
The Internet is certainly one of the driving forces behind the surge in personal computers
being found in nearly every home. Many homes now have several computers and other
devices that can access the Internet, including tablets and smartphones. Affordable
broadband Internet access coupled with Wi-Fi access points make it practical to access the
Internet from any room in the house with from a variety of devices. Two decades ago only a
few homes had computers and even fewer were accessing electronic bulletin boards or news
groups. The technological transformation we have witnessed in the past 20 years has been
nothing short of astonishing.
The Internet has indeed proven to be a disruptive technology that has radically altered the
way we work, learn, and communicate. This disruptive technology has changed nearly every
aspect of life while also creating many new opportunities.
History of the Web Design Industry
The web design industry has grown rapidly over the past 10 years as Internet usage and
adoption has increased dramatically around the world. A decade ago most websites were fairly
simple, static sites that were rarely updated or changed. These sites were typically hand-coded
using HTML and featured few, if any, graphics (see Jakob Nielsen's website for a classic
example at http://www.useit.com/). Nearly everyone accessed the Internet with a slow dialup
modem so designing lightweight sites was critical.
There were several early attempts at visual HTML editors to allow people to build sites without
knowing HTML (Hypertext Markup Language - the language of the web). These visual HTML
editors were notorious for outputting HTML that did not work. Worse yet, the editors often
made changes without allowing the user to correct the software errors. This resulted in a
market for web design services by people who could work with HTML. The downside of this
arrangement was that customers would have to call their webmaster for every little update to
the site.
Visual HTML editors have become all but obsolete with the exception of those embedded in
content management systems (CMS). These editors tend to work more reliably than the early
visual HTML editors, though they still mangle code all too often. In any case, the advent of
visual editors within content management systems makes it possible for users to update their
own websites once they are configured. Web design companies now often build CMS-based
sites for customers so that customers can make regular updates on their own.
A CMS is a special software program that is installed on a web server that allows users to log in
to update content on the site. Separating the site design and layout from the content allows a
web designer to set up a site that can be updated by the client without their assistance. Most
CMS systems include a visual HTML editor that has a similar look and feel to a word
processor. This allows clients to keep their own content updated using a familiar environment
while freeing the web designer to focus on more demanding projects. Some of the most
popular CMS systems include WordPress (originally a blog platform, but now commonly used
as a full CMS), Drupal, Joomla, and MODX.
Many businesses now recognize the critical importance of maintaining an online presence.
No business or organization should be without a well-designed, informative, and up-to-date
website. Consumers increasingly use the Internet to research choices before making a
purchase or visiting a business. Businesses without a website that is kept up to date will simply
lose business to their competitor (locally or globally) that does maintain an online presence.
This trend will continue as more people use the Internet, mobile Internet usage achieves
increased adoption, and local search continues to be refined. These combined circumstances
make the market for good web designers very strong.
The Future of the Web Design Industry
The web design industry has changed dramatically in the past 10 years and continues to
change at breakneck speed. The pace of change guarantees that accurate predictions about
the future of the industry are impossible. However, some things are fairly certain.
Businesses and organizations will continue to need websites. It is becoming difficult for a
business to be considered a serious competitor without a website. The low cost of a website all
but guarantees that it is the cheapest advertising any business will buy each year. Domain
name registration and hosting cost less than $100 per year for most sites. This is less than one
newspaper ad in many locations. Even businesses and organizations that do not see a website
as a mission critical part of their business can benefit from the simple opportunity to present
themselves to customers 24/7/365.
Businesses and organizations that already have sites will still need them upgraded
periodically. Web standards change periodically and new security threats develop routinely.
This is especially true for sites that are running some type of CMS. All sites need to be updated
and maintained at periodic intervals. The growth of mobile Internet usage also guarantees
that many sites will need to be overhauled since many existing sites are still poorly designed to
support mobile browsers.
The page of change guarantees that many business people will continue to be overwhelmed
by the knowledge requirements of maintaining a website and will gladly contract out that task.
We live and work in an information economy. Someone who has a business to run but has
never designed a website will usually prefer to outsource the project than to invest countless
hours learning the needed skills to successfully develop, manage, and maintain the site.
The continued growth of the Internet, coupled with the rapidly changing knowledge
requirements to maintain sites, guarantee a strong future for the web design industry.
Business owners and managers may enjoy the new benefits of content management systems
that allow for easy content updates, but the responsibility of maintaining domain names,
hosting accounts, and content management systems will be more than many people care to
attempt.