| Firstly, if you are considering giving up the day job to | | | | reseller's webhosting, or web designer's hosting. |
| become a self employed web designer, make sure | | | | Expect to pay £600 to £1000 for this, |
| that you are convinced and have the backing in place! | | | | depending on how much space you buy. |
| It is a far from easy road that you are about to | | | | Get A Portfolio |
| embark upon and you will be working for next to | | | | The problem at first is that you do not have any |
| nothing, possibly even working for a loss, just to get | | | | work to show to prospective customers. How can |
| your toes in the door. I will assume to begin with | | | | you convince a potential customer that they want to |
| that you do know the fundamentals of building a | | | | spend a few hundred pounds or dollars with you? |
| website, the graphics and publishing. Those steps are | | | | You need to show them a portfolio, for a start, but |
| a book, not an article! | | | | as a newcomer this is not possible. So for your first |
| Optimise Your Own Website | | | | few websites you need to go to see customers |
| The very first thing you must do as a new and | | | | armed with several very good sample websites that |
| upcoming web designer is to build your own website. | | | | you have produced just for them. |
| It is a place to show what you can do and your | | | | This is time consuming work, as although they might |
| opportunity to give your biography and why | | | | like one or two of the customised samples, they will |
| someone should use you. But, more importantly, it is | | | | no doubt have their own thoughts and inputs so the |
| how people will find you and expect to find you. If | | | | four or five samples you have produced will be |
| you cannot get your own website to the top of | | | | thrown away! |
| search engine results for local searches on website | | | | It is also worth while at this point contacting business |
| designers, how can customers expect you to do it | | | | owners that you already know and offering them a |
| for them? So build yourself a good website and get | | | | free website. Yes, free. You might get away with |
| it to the top of the search engine listings! | | | | asking them to cover the domain registration fee, |
| Arrange Some Hosting | | | | but that will be about all. And, of course, you cannot |
| In order to publish your website and those of your | | | | ask for the payment upfront. They have to see your |
| customers you need some hosting space. Some | | | | work first! |
| designers work this by getting the customer to pay | | | | Ask For Testimonials |
| for the hosting themselves and then publishing the | | | | Speaking to my customers, the biggest selling point |
| site to the customer's hosting space, but once you | | | | on my own website is the previous customer |
| have 100 plus sites and one needs maintaining, if they | | | | testimonials. So every time you complete one of |
| are all on different servers not only is this very | | | | your first few jobs make them good and beg the |
| expensive, it is also extremely difficult to sign on and | | | | customers to give you a testimonial. Offer the |
| make the changes. | | | | customers extra links, more publicity or whatever it |
| So you need to find a host that will offer you | | | | takes to get that favourable testimonial! |