What services to offer in web design
What services to offer in web design is one of the most important decisions you will make as you start your business. Seventeen years ago, I was uncertain what my role was as a business owner and let the customer dictate what my services were. I was building custom HTML, CSS, and Javascript websites. Moreover, clients would always ask for much more than we agreed on.
Here are some of my answers to requests I routinely received from clients:
- Need more than just a website? I got ya!
- A business card design? Sure thing!
- Need help with Word? Well, it’s not my main thing, but okay!
- Can I fix your current site? Maybe? Let me try!
- Can I help with Outlook? I don’t use it, but I’ll investigate for you.
My answer was always, “YES.” This became a huge problem. Mostly, I was not doing what I enjoyed doing the most—designing websites. In 2010, I joined a BNI group and got excellent advice from fellow business owners. Become an expert in one thing. Refer work to others that aren’t a right fit for you or you aren’t an expert in. At that time, I narrowed my services to building websites using WordPress. I even went so far as to say I only build websites with WordPress and the Genesis Framework.
I could then give answers with a referral partner in mind:
- Need a logo? Meet my most trusted partner, Lindsay!
- Need copy written for your site? Here’s Lisa’s number!
- Is your computer not running right? Dwight is amazing!
In fact, over the years, I’ve developed a long list of referral partners to share with clients: https://webcami.com/trusted-partners/
Allowing myself to refer to others has helped me focus on my services and training to support what I want to offer, not what the customer demands. And those referral partners, in turn, referred web design to me.
I’m happy to say my services are all things I love to offer now:
- I build websites using WordPress and Beaver Builder
- I perform design maintenance on websites that I’ve designed and a few I haven’t
- I offer care plan services
- I offer small copy editing services when a client gets stuck writing copy – or if they need full-blown services, I send them to Lisa.
- I now offer reseller hosting on a limited basis for websites I design. I host nearly 150 sites currently!
While I can’t tell you exactly what services you should offer yourself, I can say to you to make sure you love providing those solutions. From the beginning of a project, I can also advise you to be very clear with your clients about what those services are and are not.
Clarity about your services leads your clients down the path you want to take them on. Never let your client take you down a path of services you don’t enjoy offering or don’t feel comfortable providing.
RESOURCES: Neil Patel – Are You Losing Sales By Giving Customers Too Many Choices?
