OK before I start, please don't say "the market is full" or "don't try" I have some good ideas, and a solid design partner. here are my questinos: How do you build a portfolio? It seems nobody will hire you if you don't have a portfolio, but you have to start somewhere right? How to build traffic? We only have two employees so far, so our prices are low, but how do we get customers? what other services should we offer? We are thinking of SEO, Design (logo and site), and installation (forum or script) thanks
1. You're not going to like this but offering very cheap or even free designs to respected people to give you references is one way. 2. Many, many ways, if you know your SEO than search engine (organically). If you have a nice budget then use a PPC program such as Google Adwords. (adwords.google.com). You can expect relatively expensive bids, however, if your firm is good, it will create long time customers. 3. This is very similar to a combination of 1 + 2. Create your portfolio, get references, and drive traffic. 4. Whatever you have skills (read:good skills) at, which will create a happy customer and long term business. Hope that helped.
Get a very full portfolio of good quality work. Even if it is concepts and unused designs as long as it is good quality and you can put some sort of description to it it'll look good. Why not try phoning around local design companies when your starting out and seeing if they would like to outsource to you. Start building links and relationships with local businesses.
Also don't forget to join your local Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, you may be the best design, programming or SEO guru, but unless you can meet with a client and close the sale, you won't be in business for long. If you can't make the sale yourself, and if no one in your staff can, you'll probably have to bring in a professional marketing strategist who can handle sales for you. Remember, network network network. Talk with other business owners. Get to know them. Even if you don't land one as a client, if you can "plant that seed" they may be able to refer someone they know to you should that person suddenly find themselves in need of a Web site or a new design/development firm. Sorry for the sloppiness of this post, but it's 5AM and I need to head to bed. I just spent the entire night re-coding a site for a client, and I have two more that have to be taken care of later today (freelancing can be a pain in the neck at times - especially when you're trying to do EVERYTHING at once). Here's to the beginning of a long and successful business venture for you .
1- simply ask your pal if they need any sites. Offer to give free design to them. 2- Learn SEO. I got sites that get guite good traffic based on search engine. Basically, you need to learn how to write more tutorials on the design. So google can find you on the web. 3- get customers? find a good marketing guy to do this. Else, you have to do a great design site as a reference. People will buy when they see great site you have design so far. 4- Web host and domain name should included inside. I remeber the first time I get someone to design my site, I also let him buy domain and hosting, simply because I dont know much about this. So webhosting and domain name is a great service that should come with design firm. Good luck! -Toby
Go onto scriptlance or rentacoder. Web developers compete on price there to a large degree so you can get work without needing much work. You won't make much money out of it but at least you'll have a real portfolio and war stories to tell in the interview.
And find yourself lost among the noise. Sorry, but I wouldn't do that. It's like trying to impress a prospect by meeting with him while at a circus. It doesn't matter if you look like a clown, or wear a suit and tie, as long as you're among the clowns, you'll be treated like a clown. Best thing to do is get out of the circus and meet the client elsewhere. Network, network network. Make contacts. Not only will your contacts actually be people you have met, but they'll also know other people that YOU need to know. Impress these people, and you'll probably be recommended to them. Just my two cents anyway (and for the record, I am signed up on GetACoder, ScriptLance, and GetAFreelancer; but I don't rely on them for the bulk of my business - and this is my "freshman" year in the profession, too).
when i am looking a designer . I check his home page .. If that looks Good ...its a good sign that he is proffesssional
my answer is simple: marketing marketing marketing - and that a lot more work then building the websites themselfs (I know )
If you deside to go with the idea of creating a portfolio of concepts. Why not look around at the businesses local to you, create a concept for them, put it up on your own website (no links to it) and go to the business and pitch it to them. If they like it, you have a client. If not, you still have a design you can show others.
Go to freelance sites / (build some templates to show your skills ) and start posting on projects that you can do first lower price then when you have portofolio + reviews and a solid "background" you can charge bether It needs to start from bottom and go up like in evry business Good Luck
Do some pro bono sites on the condition that you can place a small (sitewide?) link at the bottom of the sites you make - good for SEO. Maybe later you can offer your web design services for a certain price, and offer an alternative: the same exact service BUT with your link at the bottom for a marked down price. I would imagine that in such a competitive industry, you need all the links you can get. And I'd guess that there's plenty of people who would take up a $100 discount offer just for letting you put a tiny link at the bottom of their pages.
To build a websites and a portfolio. You need designing expertise, computers, the right software ... First, you should be well known to code html, css etc... Also need to learn Photoshop and the basics of design theory. Update yourself with changing trends in the field.
Sign up for every directory you can find and go to every site you can and just ask if they want a web design. Once ou get a few in then more people will want to buy from you.
Hello, Marketing a website is fantastic however stop pumping money into your campaign and everything stops. You need to find keywords people are using in search engines that have a high demand with a low supply by google found websites. You will then need to find lots of websites that are relevant to your website to link to. You can do this a variety of ways. The more links in your website has the more it will be found by Google. Once you know what these keywords are add the keyword as your webpage name, add it in your title, meta keyword, meta website description and in a H1 Text tag. The key to continous search engine traffic is to have great content. You need to work cheap at the start so you can gain a portfolio. The other trick is to purchase a couple of domains that are popular build these websites and sell them on ebay for next to nothing. After a dozen or so sold websites you have your portfolio. You can also gain work from scriptlance, rentacoder and elance. Hope this helps. Joe
NO worries, Thank You and Good Luck with it. Just remember there is lots to go around you just need to think like the successful 3% not the 97% that think the same and falter. Joe
Register with a company like Guru.com. You can bid on design jobs posted from around the world. Many freelancers start this way.