| The 4 Biggest Web Design Myths |
Warning: The following article is not for the faint of heart. There are
myths exposed that may revolutionize the way you view the mystery that
is web design. So let's get to it.
Myth #1: Web Design is Tough to Do
Web design, dear reader, is easy. It's as easy as typing a letter, all
you have to do is learn the basics and you go from there. There are a
million professional overpriced web designers out there who don't want
you to know this.
Of course, we must draw a distinction between Web designers and Web
developers. Web Developers need to know sound Computer Science
principles to correctly structure programs and large dynamic web
applications that perform and deliver complex functions.
Web Designers, however, need to know how to use Dreamweaver, FrontPage,
and a couple of graphics programs. Training for which is easily and
freely available on the Internet.
In all fairness, the more you practice the better you become, so I'm not
saying you can be the best Web Designer on the face of the planet just
by reading a few articles, but I am saying you can become a decent web
designer just by reading a few articles :-)
It's no big deal. I've done it, and so can you.
Myth #2: Web Design is Going to be Expensive
NO. Web design does not have to be expensive. This myth is perpetuated
by people who charge outlandish prices for building a website. There is
no justification for these kinds of prices because the skills needed to
design a website are easily attainable and there are MILLIONS of people
who have attained them.
Make no mistake dear reader, the supply of web designers is massive and
the skills are cheap to learn. The prices should reflect the surplus but
they don't!
Web designers usually charge by the hour. If it is an independent web
designer or a small web design company, you can assume that the entire
hourly rate is going straight to profit, which leaves you a LOT of room
for negotiation.
In bigger web design houses, the designers are on salary, and the
company charges a HUGE mark-up. I've been involved with some companies
that charge close to 6 times as much per hour as their designers were
getting paid! Again, a LOT of room for negotiation, don't just take
their hourly rate for granted, fight them on it and call their bluff.
Or, you could just do it yourself for free :-). Or if you don't have
the time, you could just get an existing employee, cousin, niece/nephew,
who-ever that knows a bit about computers to spend some time on Internet
learning about web design and make a decent website at the end of it. I
bet you it will cost you a lot less than a $ 50.00/hr.
Myth #3: Web Design Requires Specialized Knowledge or a Degree or
Understanding of Theory
Wrong. First off, dear reader, there is no such thing as Web Design
Theory or a degree in Web Design. If you have seen a Degree program
advertised, please don't take it, it is likely a rip off.
Sure, there's computer science theory, database theory,
telecommunications theory, systems development theory, but there is no
theoretical or academic school of thought for web design. Web Design is
simply a skill that can be easily attained by doing.
I like to think of it like Home Depot. Their slogan is 'You can do it.
We can help.' There is a huge trend in the Home Improvement industry
towards the 'Do-it-Yourselfer' and this can be applied directly to Web
Design.
You don't have to have specialized knowledge to build a deck or a patio
for your backyard. You just need to get the plans for the deck, know
how to use a hammer and a few other tools. And the good folks at Home
Depot will give you all the information and materials you need to build
the darn thing yourself. And save a huge amount of money and learn a
lot at the same time.
Web design is much the same nowadays. It's just so easy to grab a
template, grab some software tools and just dive in and be making your
own website in no time at a fraction of the cost.
Myth #4: Your Website Needs to Look GREAT to be Successful
When you are extremely thirsty and need water, do you care what
container the water is carried in? I'm guessing you are more concerned
with the water in the container. In the same way, your potential
customers or readers are thirsty for information.
People come to your website for one thing and one thing only:
Information! Information about your product, how to buy your product,
and how to use your product. Otherwise known as content.
Content, dear reader, is KING!
Your content:
* Keeps people coming back.
* Gets you high search engine rankings.
* Sells your product!
* Establishes trust.
* Holds your customer's hand through all their fears and objections
until they finally click on that darn 'buy now' button, or fill in that
request for a quote.
Forget banner advertising, link exchanges and search engine optimization
and all the other Internet Marketing techniques. Those don't mean
anything if you do not have content that your visitor finds valuable.
Your content is the single most important marketing tool on the web, and
the single most important part of your website.
Content content content.
Did I mention content?
This little fact takes the success of your website out of the hands of
web designers and puts it in yours. Because you are the content expert,
and you know more about your product and service than anyone else.
Of course, you don't want a website that looks terrible, but to be
successful, you need to satisfy your visitor's thirst for content. So
why spend big bucks on the container, when the content is what will be
getting you the sales and repeat visitors?
Put your time, money and effort where it will get you the most returns:
developing your content!
Final Thoughts
So, dear reader, I will leave you with this: don't get caught up in Web
Design hype. Spend a little bit of time on the Internet on sites like
http://www.webrightnow.com and you will know all you need to know about
building a website yourself.
If you MUST hire a web designer, grab a template for a few dollars from
websites like http://www.webrightnow.com, and get the designers to
customize it for you. It will look good and you will cut your project
time down by a huge amount.
Sameer Hasan of Webrightnow (http://www.webrightnow.com) is dedicated to
making Web design affordable and accessible to all those who require it.
Sameer has a degree in both Marketing and Management Information Systems
and has been working with the Web since 1996. He can be reached at
shasan@webrightnow.com
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