Web Design as a Small Business
November 6, 2009
Hi,
Yet another blog post based on an email question … the email:
Hello Stefan,
I just got through watching your video on basic web design. Before I decide to purchase this beginning video I wanted to ask a few questions.
I am currently seeking alternate ways to generate income. I live in a small town type atmosphere and think maybe there is a future in business web site development. I have built a web site many moons ago using Front Page and it didn’t turn out half bad for not knowing exactly what I was doing.
My questions are:
#1. Is it possible to gain the knowledge to develop attractive beneficial web sites without obtaining a college degree in computer science?
#2. I realize that starting out with the beginner course is the starting point, but where will (or should) that lead?
#3. What is a typical cost for someone to hire a web designer? I don’t want to rake anyone over the coals but feel I should charge a fair affordable price.
#4.In the old days when all we had was dial-up, the key was to keep website design to a minimum so that the pages load faster and keeps the visitor’s interest (same goes for the number of pages). Is this logic still true or are visitors looking for “wow” when they visit a website?
Thanks and look forward to your response.
Chris
My answer:
I’m going to answer you in point form – check it out:
#1. Yes. The best designers and programmers I know have neither.
#2. Once you understand the basics, your decisions as to what your web-specialization should be will be much easier to make. That decision will be largely made based on what you like to do. For example, some people may choose to get into Flash based work while others may choose to get more into PHP.
#3. Cost varies considerably based on the experience and talent of the designer and on where you happen to live.
#4. Speed of the site is always important. But, since we are in the age of Youtube, you have a lot more latitude than what we had in the 1990’s.
That all said, the best place to start your career as a web designer, is to start by learning the basics of HTML and CSS.
I hope that answers your questions,
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
