What is holding your web design business back?

Do you feel like your web design business could be doing better? Maybe your competitors are streaking ahead, or you aren’t quite where you want to be with your brand.

There could be some straightforward things that are holding you back. There are a lot of common roadblocks that we see popping up in the industry. Luckily, we have put together a list of them and how to stop these common issues from impacting on your business.

So, what could be holding you back?

Getting lost in the crowd

Your potential customers have a large number of quality web design businesses to choose from. So how can you make sure they come to you before anyone else?

Sticking to current trends and having products to meet the market is essential – but don’t be afraid to buck a few trends to stand out from the rest. Innovation and originality will get you noticed and generate a lot more interest in your services. Having a significant point of difference like specialising in a particular platform, or offering a unique service can help to set you apart from the crowd.

It is important to be able to offer your clients the full package if they require it. Being able to set up an impressive new website is great, but performance monitoring and maintenance are necessary, too. Going beyond just website design and development will show potential clients that you can meet their needs beyond just the finished product and that you are interested in supporting their business further.

Ongoing Contracts

Ongoing fixed-fee maintenance or support contracts are an essential product, but they can be a mixed bag.

They can be a vital staple of your income, or they could end up costing you more than your time is worth. If you have underpriced the contract, you won’t be getting paid for all of the work you’re doing.  Use a tracking tool or support desk system so you can easily see how much time you are spending on each contract. This will help you identify whether or not you need to adjust your rates or vary arrangements with clients.

Being proactive about fixing problems is also a great way to cut down on time spent on maintenance. Automated monitoring systems give you the chance to fix issues before they have any severe impacts. You can let the client know that you found and fixed something before they even noticed it!

Changing Customer Needs

Customer needs are continually evolving as they respond to the market and new technologies, which means you need to be able to evolve along with them. Your customers have valuable insight into what current and future demands might look like. Pay attention to what products they are and are not interested in, or what challenges they are currently facing in their business. These are opportunities for you to develop different services to meet their needs.

Changes to web design technology and trends happen fast. You should be actively keeping up to date with the industry and continuously developing or fine-tuning your skills.

Increasing Competition

Competition among web design and development business is high, and it is only going to get tougher with increased use of overseas resourcing from places like Fiverr and Upwork. It can be hard to strike a balance between remaining financially viable and staying competitive on the market, while also wanting to get paid a reasonable fee for your skills.

Staying up to date with the latest innovative solutions is very important. You can justify a slightly higher price if you have a genuinely compelling and high functioning product.

One of the most significant areas you can develop is your past and present clients. Repeat customers play an important role. If you have clients who are loyal to your business and happy with your products and service, they are less likely to go elsewhere.

They will also recommend their friends and colleagues to use your services. Moreover, who doesn’t like a bit of free advertising? Incentives and loyalty programmes can be beneficial for encouraging repeat business and referral sales.

These very simple things could be impacting heavily on your web design business. By staying on top of them, you could be taking your business to the next level in no time.

About the author: