In this article, I will leave some things that I wish I knew before starting web design. Ok, I may still young but before judging my age thinking that I’m not in the position of giving you any career advises I suggest you read all this post first to the end and then judge me by the content.
So I’ve been seeing my friends do coding and designing the web for years and that makes me trust them in the web industry experience. I have seen many of their projects and leave me in surprised.
I am also interested especially about the website design and have been tried to created my own masterpieces before. So that, you might want to know a little bit about it. For your information, I will also telling you about the main and most significant fact that I wish I knew before starting as the web designer for your future career.
How to become a successful web designer
What I am about to share with you are really the important things that can even makes you to be at the edge above your own competitors. And it doesn’t matter whether you are the freelance web designer or working behind the desk at the Bali web design office in the relevant industry.
1. Choosing the right platform
So what’s the platform I am talking about and just what it is? The first and main platform I am going to recommend you is to use the WordPress. It is very flexible and it has a lot of tools (plugins) that you can install and help you starting to improve the website since the first day it is built.
The fascinating thing about this platform for your web design projects is that you can change and turn your basic WordPress site into almost anything. All I mean is that you can turn your default installed WordPress site into blog, e-commerce store or online shop, website with premium membership, a listing directory, and many more.
So it is very flexible and provides you with many of the themes from free to premium, plugins that can also helps you to design the web as you need, and also thing called like the page builder for making the site look beautiful as planned.
Out there, there are things such as Beaver Builder DV, Elementor, and many more to make more better web design. You can even choose one and master it and there have been many guides or tutorials for that.
Let’s say in my case I have mastered the DiVi. I really love how it is all laid out and how easy it is to use. You can also do the same with me, mastering the divi because with one page builder, you can pretty much design the different types of layouts and also the different types of websites.
Anyway, WordPress is also still being the most popular website platform across the globe. So the more you are knowing about it, the bigger chance you will get the clients even as the freelancer.
2. Capable to create funnels
Do you noticed what the funnels are?
So this is the case. There will be someone who think that he only need the very basic website. Whatever it means, but ok, I know what his mean. He later explained that his business or where he is working have a promotion for the bike servicing which is about $5. After his customers get the service, they are going to also give the customers free items that comes with the service.
For me, the short explanation for that is, let’s say his service needs the new page or new landing page for the promo. That’s all.
He also added that he prefer targeting the local areas around the nearby where he is working he will also gives the free pickup and delivery.
If that man will be you, do you think that you will need someone who is going to build you a fully fledged website with that request?
This is where this point comes up and this is the basic funnels. So, what i was thinking in my mind was “ok, this could be a quiet basic pace which has an opt-in which says sign-up now or book your bike for a free discounted service plus free items.”
After that, when the visitors are coming to the site and signed up, each of them will get an email. Our main guy then following up through another email or even a call. That’s the basic concept of the funnels.
Now, where the web design is standing for on above case? The fact is it is actually related with the above first point where I was recommending you to master one of the page builders. With that, you can then create an opt-in to an opt-in page using any of the page builder you are interested in.
So, being able to design the basic funnels is also important for the web designer because there may the case in the future where you say to your clients that they will need a page for the BlackFriday, CyberMonday promotion, etc.
Simply tell the clients about putting together a funnel where customers opt-in to get the promotion or discount and then they will get the “Thank You” page and a conformation page at the end of the purchasing.
That’s how the funnel works, but frankly, it should never stop there first. Do a follow up to hold the purchase in with an e-mail autoresponder service like MailChimp that can be done easily.
3. How better your design is?
Many people can do design, but that is not the thing that makes us as the designer. You have to be better, unique and stands out from the others. Good is not enough even though it is always a good start. You have to be better, best, the great and so on.
What makes you different with the others are your eyes for the usage colours, the layout you just created, the typography you are using so the web design you are working can really looks professional.
This point is also has becomes as an area you have to master on the very first place. So that, it is important that you know as well about the basic of graphic design before jump into the web design itself. But as you know, I think you are the one who knows where will be your starting point.
Another thing you should have also know before becoming the successful web designer is that how your design can generates traffic for the site you are building. Yes, it is related since the UI and UX are taking over the web design world. But I think I will just leaves it for now and hope there will be chance to write down about that in the future.
