There are definite advantages to being a freelance web designer. You can set your own hours and you don’t answer to anybody. You have the freedom of being control of your own living. There are definite disadvantages too. You don’t have a weekly paycheck you can count on on a regular basis, you’ve got to negotiate your own prices, and you are subject to the crazy whims of various clients, with no buffer between you and them.
To help you out if you decide to go the freelance web designer route, here are five tips and tricks that can give you a real leg up in the web designing game.
Know Your SEO
Today’s Internet presence is all about search engine optimization, or SEO. Many companies may have their own SEO division or consultant, but you have to know how to talk the SEO talk. If someone doesn’t think that you’re designing with SEO in mind, it’s a good chance they will go elsewhere. If you can convince potential clients that you know what will catch the search engine’s attention, you have a much better chance of snagging them.
Typography Matters
You may think that typography is a minor thing compared to all the fancy design features you’re going to place on a site, but remember first impressions count, and if you don’t catch someone’s eye right away, they may not get to see all those fancy features. You’re fighting short attention spans and high bounce rates, and anything you can do to get someone to notice your site and stick around, you should. Start with the right typography.
Stay on Top of the Trends
There’s no excuse for not staying with current web trends. You need to know the new tools, the new social networking sites, and the new hot looks. It’s easy to do by simply scanning the top websites regularly and it can determine whether you’re a cutting edge designer or just one of the crowd.
Blogging
Blogging is a great and easy way for you to show what you can do. With a blog, you can promote your services, and you have the benefit of being able to showcase them right on the web while you’re promoting. If they like your blog, they’ll probably want to hire you. Of course, since the impression you leave is so important, you’ll want to make sure you have quality web hosting for your blog.
Networking
Any kind of freelancing is two jobs in one. It’s drumming up business and then doing the work. You’re not going to drum up the business sitting at home playing video games. You’ve got to get out into cyberspace, visit forums, connect with other web designers, read blogs, post videos and do everything you can to meet the people who will give you work or introduce you to the people who will.
Share It To Your Friends!
