beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1247
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-21 21:29
So I finally hung out my web design shingle and oh my !
It is coming down !
All the joy I get from designing/marketing web sites has been taken from me by clients.
Make me number 1 in the SE - BUT I want to access my site and add anything I want to it and make any changes I want on any of the pages.
I explain that any changes they make can undo all my web work and my SEO work.
I ask them if they know HTML - they say "who is HTML" 
So I explain this in very simple terms.
They respond with "I see ads all the time that I can click here and get my site listed for free - why do I need to pay you"
"and other web designers told me they will give me 100% access to my web site and I can make any changes to it I want".
After over 1 hr of this talk - I told them I will be happy to give them all the access they want, as soon as I remove it from MY user account. And in doing so they can get a new web designer/SEO person.
Shingle is down - I learned my lesson and will stick to make my own freaking sites for MYSELF ! 
I bow before all you web designers/SEO who do this for a job - it is not for me.
Remember I warned you - this is a vent ! 
|
 |
phrail
Joined: Jan 09, 2008
# Posts: 61
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-21 21:36
I ask them if they know HTML - they say "who is HTML"
That is a classic! lol
Yeah, dealing with clients isn't the easiest thing to do. I actually had a client that wanted a pink and mustard yellow color scheme .
|
|
animated3d
Joined: Dec 22, 2005
# Posts: 419
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-21 23:31
they are the same as regular clients in a real business you need to know how to handle them.It is possible for a designer to make scripts so that the client can add things on their own to their site but of course they need pay for the scripting and making such a script aint cheap, so you need to explain to them clearly why it is better for you to do that, and if they dont get it then atleast you tried to explain it to them and if they dont listen then its their fault and as long as you got paid for the part of work that you have done you shouldn't care then.
There is plenty of fish in the sea to catch Beth dont worry about losing a 1 or 2  Cheers
[ Message was edited by: animated3d 01/21/2008 03:44 pm ]
|
|
g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10438
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-21 23:52
I had someone approach me for work a couple of years ago, and all they wanted was for their meta description and meta keywords to be stuffed with a big long list of words, and hidden text to be added to their pages, and to have someone get them 1000 incoming links. The money was reasonable, but I declined.
Their site needed some reworking. They needed proper titles and meta description. They had duplicate content issues. The content was poor quality and could have very easily been expanded and reworked. They were not all interested in that. I let someone else do the work they wanted to have done, and walked away.
I see that late last year their business folded. Their site never did get much in the way of rankings and I'll further guess they never got much traffic. Additionally, I'll bet that almost none of their traffic ever converted. The work they had done didn't benefit them in any way, and I bet they learned nothing from that.
|
|
formerskeptic
Joined: Oct 05, 2001
# Posts: 301
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-22 07:41
'What is HTML?' would have been a more reasonable question, but Who is HTML? If there was a vowel somewhere, I wouldn't hold it against them 
The world of Web Design/Development is slowly slipping away from the hands of programmers, thanks to the new apps/software coming out. Clients are gaining more control over what they want and it's only a matter of time before we see held up signs reading "Code for Food"
|
|
animated3d
Joined: Dec 22, 2005
# Posts: 419
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-22 14:45
apps/softwares and cheaper offshore coding:D *waits for some of formerskeptics food left overs*
|
|
beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1247
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-22 17:14
Well I can say this - this work is not for the weak lol and you all can have it
Hours and hours on the phone - 2 face to face meetings, heck the web work part is "easy" it is dealing with people that is hard.
I'll stick to my own websites
|
|
g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10438
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-22 20:32
Some you win. Some you lose. Some clients need your help but can't see it. Some you can never help, whatever you do.
Pick those where both you and the client win.
|
|
beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1247
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-23 21:43
Today they called me back and apologized !
Said they did some talking to others and found everything I has been trying to tell them is correct.
Long short - they tried a web site before and got ripped off by the person big time ----- hence they were not ready to believe me. Until Now
They are to be coming over tonight so we can talk and I will see if I want to reconsider working on this with them....
|
|
g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10438
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-23 22:50
Are you there to make a quick buck, or are you there to help grow their business?
That's probably one of the most major questions going through their mind...
|
|
beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1247
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-24 04:15
g1smd - yep that was their fears. Their last person took their CC #'s and RAN........ and put the domain name the hosting and everything in their own name and then the clients could not even access their own site or hosting co.
Plus this lady then started selling her dogs ( she was to sell the clients dogs ) on their web site.
Was a real mess.
Any ways we talked tonight and I showed them how everything will remain in their name and control and told them " no I don't even want to know if you have a CC.".
and we signed a paper agreeing to work and payments.
Still time will tell - I might end up paying for another persons "sins"
|
|
g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10438
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-24 22:21
This could have been written with you in mind...
http://www.aimclearblog.com/2008/01/24/avoid-scope-creep-money-pit-sem-jobs/
|
|
g1smd
Staff
Joined: Jul 28, 2002
# Posts: 10438
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-24 23:47
Hmm. Great minds think alike.
http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/seo-contract-template-a-verbal-contract-isnt-worth-the-paper-its-written-on
That was written by one of the ex-moderators of this very forum.
|
|
beth_lk
Staff
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
# Posts: 1247
|
Posted: 2008-Jan-25 06:18
Oh wow! Thanks G... wonderful info and a great help to me
( hind sight lol )
|
|
Inbox
