“My website was never finished” is one of the “10 signs of professional web design”?

Maybe, if you believe that a good website is always a work in progress; but not if your stated reason is that the website was never completed by a $200/project high school kid. It is ok to build a list of 8 or 9. Really. You aren’t Letterman.

Just as you would pamper your kid, you also have to pamper your website every now and then.

What do you ppl think?

It’s important for clients to get to know the designer or the firm they’d like to hire to be sure they have found the right professional to work with their business.

And yes, I agree it’s better to have a professional create a focused piece rather than a volunteer who may not be as invested in the results of their labor. Naturally, as another designer/developer weighing in here, I am biased this way.

My point is, just because someone may have a team, has developed for years, doesn’t mean they are professionals. And most of the time, when you think you’ve found someone really good, it’s always at the “point of no return” when you’ve found out you got the shaft. When designing for a client, i always insist on $100 dep up front. to only keep them committed. when a firm comes and asks for 50% upfront.. move on.

And i loved what SAL said about the SEO with designers.. hahaha so true! I myself had to try my luck at SEO.. i learned how to optimize pages, and i have a lot of up to date resources on that, since it always changes. But when it comes to the nitty gritty of SEO work, yes best left to those who have knowledge and PATIENCE for it. As for programming, well all i can say is, thank god for J-query.. that’s about as close to programming as i’ll ever get; well that and basic php stuff.

But as for professionals again. designing and a designer handling the SEO, what in god’s name would posess a large firm to get away with charging $25,000 for a site all done in flash.. and then the client not knowingly, just paid a fortune for something Search engines can’t read! Ok that can be argued a little, but really, its not going to be as well received as a nice neat site. And again, thanks to jquery, you can pull off a lot of cool interactivity without flash

But still thank you for a very helpful article.

I also agree that creating a professional website usually takes more skills than one person has. That’s why it’s so important for freelancer web pros to hook up with others with complimentary skills. The key is recognizing what you yourself do best & stick to that. Subcontract out the parts of your project, like SEO – let’s say, that would be better handled by another pro.

Easy to read – That’s because professionals understand the subtle art of typography, including spacing letters and lines, choosing the right font, and using optimal line lengths.

My pet peeves when looking at sites?

When websites are so busy they are distracting. This one is fine. I am looking for information. If I want entertainment I might look elsewhere. Unless, of course, the writer is entertaining.

When copy is written about and from the perspective of the website owner instead of the audience. I don’t want too much information on How you will help me, I want to know that you CAN help me first, and that means writing about MY problems and not YOUR credentials. If I think you can help me, I will then engage a conversation.