The Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Your Website
What is the most common mistake creators make when it comes to website design?
Stop designing for yourself, and instead design for your audience. The number of times I’ve seen a creator add in gold foils, watercolors, and a little too many photos of their dog on their websites because “they like it”. That’s great but if you are trying to appeal to a certain audience then you need to speak their language.
I aim my business towards neutral style home and lifestyle bloggers (think white shiplap and natural wood), so it may surprise you all that my kitchen, until recently, had two neon pink feature walls. But that wasn’t part of my brand as I knew my audience would not be drawn into it. Build your site for your ideal audience, not for yourself.
For creators who want to hire an expert, what should they look for in a web designer?
You need to look at their portfolio! Every designer has one main style they lean towards, so expecting them to produce something that is completely different from any of their existing work is a risk. If you have a particular look or feel you are after, hire a designer who has a lot of high-quality work that matches it. Always expect to get the quality (and a similar style) from a designer that is showcased on their portfolio.
If you want to work with a specific designer but your aesthetic is different from theirs, ask them if they have ever produced any work of that style. A lot of designers put all of their work into their portfolio as they only specialize in certain areas. I myself have quite a bit behind the scenes that I’ve never aired simply because it fit my own brand image and won’t appeal to my ideal client.
When I’m contracted with a brand that wants more deliverables, how do I not look like I’m not a go-getter without giving a brand free work?
Know your worth! If you signed up for one promotional post and they want two, just drop them a “Wow, sure Id love to do another post for you. Here are my add-on rates.” If a company is looking for more, then they are expecting to pay more. Create some add-on pricing to encourage brands to take out more promotions with you.
Not only that but having these prices already set and ready to send will make this seem like a common occurrence to the brand so they won’t even think twice about paying you for that extra post! If you’ve already done a promo piece for them, include the insights for this so they can see how well the first one went for them.
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