Carlos On Web :: Going techie without going broke

If you are an owner of a small business, this article is for you.

It’s driving me nuts. A lot of small businesses are still clueless about the benefits of doing it online. And for the few that jumped into the techie bandwagon, many are doing it wrong. As a result, they end up spending money on it instead of having the technology bring them the money. Technology then becomes a liability for them instead of an asset; sucking money out instead of pouring it into their business.

Take owning a website for instance.

The following as very common symptoms of small business website failures:

1. The website is owner-centered instead of user-centered. If this is you, don’t be surprised why your website has only three frequent visitors: you, yourself and you alone.

2. A fancy graphics design that demonstrates the graphical talent of the web designer more than his ability to promote it. Ever wondered why your website doesn’t appear on Google? Tip: Don’t ask your web designer.

3. Poor content including: ineffective copy, grammatical errors (of which I admit I am guilty of), articles made only to boasts the company’s already inflated ego and disorganized navigation. You may not be guilty of it all, but at least you get the point.

Remembering Mario

Mario was the visitor who came to ask how much I would charge for making a simple website. For the life of him, he can’t believe I actually charged a whopping $650 that consists of the following: Web Design, Setting up Ecommerce Account, and Search engine optimization.

Was I overcharging?

Based on Mario’s emails, yes I did. But that’s his opinion. Despite the fact that I pointed him to the websites I made where I charge even three times that amount, he’s still unconvinced. You can read the whole email exchanges here.

My fault, I guess, is that I didn’t elaborate to him further enough on what he would get from those things I offered. I was not able to convince him that by using me (my skills and experience), he would recover his investment in no time and if his products are good enough that there large enough market ready to bite it to nourish their respective businesses. He could have been laughing all the way to the bank now and surf as much as he wants, all because I made him a cute, cash-generating and simply crazy website.

His fault, I guess, is he thought every web developer is like everybody else. He therefore had the website developed by his son. And oh, he asked his son’s friend to do it for him FREE of charge, because his son was busy with his master’s.

Of course it made me smile in silence. I actually wished him luck in his new business website.

Break… Some Words Of Wisdom

Enough for this blame game now. An old man once told me a long time ago that “the only person to be blamed for in any failed business deal is the guy who stares back at you when you face the mirror.” Right, that’s me.

I have so much to thank Mario. Because of that email, I was able to write a two-part article on pricing: Price 101, Part 1 followed by Pricing 101, Part 2.

The Disappointed Entrepreneur

I can hardly believe it. Mario came knocking at my door once again (read: my website) after six long months to ask if I can help him with the website his son started but for some reasons could not continue any longer. And note he did not get his son’s friend to do it. It seems like nothing is FREE anymore nowadays. He thought he has no other choice, but to have his son develop him the website. Go, go, go, kid!

But what a crap! I could almost laugh when I saw the damage done by the kid. It was not a website that you can be proud of — from a business standpoint, that is. The domain looked like some cute-little fingers just typed in the keys in random and then another one decided it would be nice to have it registered as domain name. And viola, a domain name!

Not only that, the very reason why he shot me an email was that the shopping cart software failed during checkout. The email sort of say, “Carlos, can you help me with this emergency blah, blah, blah.” Unfortunately, I’m not the type of programmer who enjoys fixing the mess that others have created in the first place. And if I did, I would ask for a premium in doing so.

Enter: Carlos, The Consultant

Of course, the Web Consultant that I am suggested some solutions that he could take. My free suggestions included the following:

1. Getting a new Domain Name
2. Doing a Keyword Research and Analysis
3. Preparing the contents
4. Do the Web Design or Get Someone who can do it (should be some other guy and not me, I’m not available no more.)
5. Promote the website

These are the areas where a many online entrepreneurs failed miserably. Like Mario, they started taking the wrong path and wonder why they are not going anywhere.

In Part 2 of this article we will explore each one of these. So hang on please.

How much does it cost to create a website? As a web developer, I often hear that same question over and over from business acquaintances I get into contact with. Some would like to build a business website, thinking that it is a cool thing to do. Others would think that building a website is much like typing a thesis paper on a word processor and therefore it should be easy and cheap. If you were to answer that question, what would your response be?

Three hundred thousand Pesos? Fifty thousand? Five thousand? One thousand? Just a cup of McDonald’s hot chocolate?

Any Web Developer worth his salt and who has been in the business of developing websites — or Web Applications for that matter — is aware that the first question raised above is actually incomplete. It doesn’t even give you a hint as to the nature of the project. So any figure you that you will come up with based on that question alone is in fact meaningless. But, on the side of the customer (the one asking for a price quotation), it is a good way of spotting the kind of web developer you are talking to – whether an amateur or a real professional.

“Hey Carlos, if you don’t come up with a figure right then and there, how will the client know if he will hire you to do the project or find someone else?”

Thanks for asking and you have a good point. First, I don’t regret losing a client who doesn’t know what he is about to do. If I should be working WITH a client, I’d like to do it with someone who awards a project not on the basis of price alone, but on the benefits he will derive in knowing that he is working with a real problem solver. Second, as a web professional, I always make it a point to remember that I am also a consultant. It is my job to dissect what my client’s real needs are and offer a few suggestions. It could be free during the initial stage, I’d be glad to do that. Just because a client wants a business website doesn’t automatically mean that it is the perfect pill for him to shallow.

“So Mr. Consultant, how do you proceed?”

If you are new to Web Development Business, read carefully. I am about to share some priced possessions that I’ve been keeping in my treasure chest of wisdom learned from being a practicing web developer and software consultant. I am assuming here that you are dealing with a client who relies on you for guidance in showing him the right way to develop his website.

Here are the five points to remember:

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When was the first time you ever saw a website? Cool, wasn’t it? Did you notice a change between the kind of websites so popular then versus the style of websites that are making big waves these days?

Hello, owner of a business website! Today I am talking to you. Let’s talk about your website, too.

I’ll ask a few questions and then you can answer me in silence or by using the feedback form provided with this article. The purpose really is to spot a number of craps that are
creeping into your website which you probably put there thinking they were cool but end-up hurting your business.

Don’t worry if at times I am harsh with my words and you are hurt with my comments. Personal attacks are not my intention. Let’s just say I am poor on vocabulary, but I want you to improve the quality of your website — is that a business website? — by pointing out the mistakes other people make on their websites, so that you can eliminate them on your own.

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Do you want to know how to register a domain name all by yourself? Do you already have a website but you are not sure whether or not it is really registered in your name? How do you check this out? How do you make sure that you have complete control over your domain name?

The answers to these questions are very important if you are ever serious about your website
Learning to manage a domain name is not very difficult, but I am a bit surprised at how many small business website owners I’ve met don’t even know how to do it. They just leave the job of handling the registration and maintenance to the web developer or the webhosting company without even being aware of the danger.

After reading this article, I hope that you will grow in confidence in being able to take
complete control your domain name.

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An effective domain name plus a bunch of user-centered content are a greate treasure that invites users to visit a website again and again.

About a couple of days ago, I got an email from a visitor who, by criticizing my choice
of domain name, actually proves that I have an effective one. Let me share with you
his email message while I discuss the main topic for this post: “How to come up with an effective domain name for your website.”

Since he never disclosed his real name (for reasons only he knows), I’d like to call him “Original Guy” just for the sake of giving him a name. His email reads:

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