This post is all about how I help clients with their existing websites. If you are a fellow web developer reading this, use it for ideas on how to serve more people. My mission is to help businesses achieve more through their web presence.
If your curious about how I can help you with your website, send me a message. Below are some ways I will serve you.
Content updates & maintenance
I try to be a company’s go-to guy that can be called whenever anything comes up with their website.
If someone has a website, even if it is a static brochure site, it will eventually need help. It could be small content updates to reflect inevitable changes to the business. Or, one day something goes wrong. The website suddenly doesn’t work at all. Maybe someone notices something broken, be it major or minor. I want them to think of me and know that I can help.
There’s some businesses that regularly make content updates themselves using a CMS (like WordPress, Wix, Shopify, etc.). They could need occasional help with customizations, CMS or plugin update issues, and more. I let clients know that when issues arise, I’m just a text message away.
Audit & enhancement
A client usually requests this service in the form of a complaint: “My website is too slow”, “I’m not getting enough sales/conversions/leads from my website”. My response is to do a formal audit and analysis. The result includes recommendations for improvement and an estimate (time/price) for implementation.
Other times, clients do not even know that there is a potential risk (security issues) or unrealized upside (UX issues) that needs attention. Providing those insights with empathy and transparency helps businesses see that value. Below is a list of audit types I offer:
- Security: Is your website secure? Does it use https? Is WordPress up-to-date? Is your site vulnerable to being taken over by hackers?
- Accessibility: Is your website usable for people with disabilities? Many businesses don’t realize that this is a legal requirement under the ADA.
- SEO: Technical SEO, optimization, and more
- Design UI/UX: Does your website look like it’s stuck in the past? How does it perform on different mobile devices? Is there brand consistency? Is the user experience the best that it can be? Maybe it is slow and bloated from plugins/integrations and needs a refresh.
Once we figure out what needs attention, I can create a plan and strategy to enhance your website. We can take it one step and a time, and focus on what will have the greatest impact for you and your business. You can read more about my process for web development with freelance clients in another post.
Preemptive audits to win new clients
I approach clients (existing or perspective) with a value proposition from a place of wanting to give. This is especially true for small businesses that appear to be leaving honey 🍯 on the table.
My process for engaging a new client, especially cold ones, is to review their website and make note of any obvious improvements. One example is using a generic email address (ExampleBusiness@gmail.com) instead of their own domain. Others include broken 404 links and bad mobile UX.
Google Chrome’s built in Lighthouse feature helps me to highlight low performance in existing websites of potential clients.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is another utility that I use to identify (and pitch) improvements to new client web projects.
Training & education
Sometimes, managers and stakeholders want to know how things work or how to make some changes themselves. That’s why I offer technical training, education, and tutoring.
Your business might have a designer or marketer that is ready to add some tech skills to the mix. I can help with that too. Contact me about the personalized tech training that I offer.
Disaster recovery & best practices
When a tech disaster happens you need to have a plan for recovery. Do you have backups? What is the RPO and RTO for your organization when “the business is on fire”? Work with me to be prepared in these situations. I apply proven strategies and make sure your digital presence is resilient.
A moment of preparation is worth a week of remediation. Sailing ahead of the storm is possible by following best practices How does your organization manage passwords and credentials? What apps do your employees use? Knowing the right questions is the only way to build valuable answers.