My company does web design for artists, art groups, businesses, Internet companies, etc.

Many clients are replacing previous websites, so we get to clean up the messes of previous designers. Here are a few of the issues we encounter:

(1) Domain name is registered in WEB DESIGNER’S NAME, not the client’s.

(2) Domain is registered in client’s name, but client does not have login information for the registrar, and e-mail address has changed

(3) Website is hosted by the previous designer, who creates difficulties and barriers when the client tries to change or move the site.

(4) The client does not have the original files used to build the site (unflattened psd files, fla files, etc), so EVERYTHING needs to be recreated from scratch.

And here are a few of the web design problems we see on the websites we replace:

(1) Poor search engine optimization; sites are difficult for search engines to index.

(2) Inconsistent and confusing naviagtion makes it hard for users to find what they are looking for.

(3) Sites don’t display correctly in all browsers.

(4) Sites are not planned for maintenance and additions; changes are hard to make

When I was in graphic design school in my mid-20′s, my professor asked us something I will never forget. (And I can’t get it out of my head!)

“Would you trust someone to fix your car just because they read a book about car repair?”

Then that question would be followed with something like this (paraphrase):

“Then why would you trust someone to design your brochure if they had a graphics program but no graphic design education and training?

The purpose of this blog is not to answer these questions. Nor is the purpose of this blog to convert you into my customer. The purpose of this blog is to educate customers like you about shopping wisely for a web designer. There are “web designers” out there who will take advantage of your ignorance and you will be left with an embarrassing online presence, empty promises and an empty wallet. No joke. I see it ALL THE TIME.

But there is hope! There are professional web designers out there who have your very best interest at heart. The tricky part is determining who is the professional, who is the amateur and who is the con-artist.

I am asking web design customers to submit their web design horror stories to me. I will post as many as I can on this blog. Then I will invite educated customers and designers alike to send their feedback. (And yes, I will look at your websites and portfolios but I will not critique them on this blog because that would be unprofessional.) I will then respond to you personally via e-mail and/or make a post with advice I feel will be of benefit to you and others.

Hopefully, with enough input from true professionals, many of your horror stories will turn into fairy tales. You will find your true prince of the Web and your business will live happily ever after online!

Come back soon as I believe this blog will get a lot of submissions in a very short span of time!

Web Designers: Please send me a note and I will respond personally if I have time. I expect a lot of submissions. I do not profess to be a guru. There are better web designers than myself and they make more money than I do. But… I share every designer’s pain and I share their warm, fuzzy feelings as well. If I can be of assistance, or if you have some helpful advice for others, then I want to hear from you!

~ WebGuy35