Have You Heard This Story?

You're a designer, a perfectionist that dives deep and creates a work of beauty for your client.

Cheerio, job well done. You and your client are very happy, looking at that sexy site with cutting edge graphics. Can't get enough of it. Can't wait 'til it goes live. You're both ecstatic.

But not for long. Your client may soon be ticked off---and asking you a lot of difficult questions.

Why? Because beauty is only skin deep. Your client built the site to sell stuff --- a lot of stuff. But it's not going to happen with this site, because it's missing critical elements that would greatly increase its chances of success.

Sound familiar?

This never would have happened if you understood the principals of Internet marketing.

Once you do, you will notice a transformation in your client relationships. You'll be speaking their language. Your considerable design skills will be used to accomplish the ultimate goal of the site: to make lots of money. All of a sudden your clients love you, and word gets out that you know how to get the job done.

Think Like a Marketer First and a Designer Second

The fact is that, those designers who understand the bigger picture and are able to include the proper marketing components have a significant competitive advantage.

"Before you even begin to contemplate designing a company's Web site you need to understand their marketing... we are accustomed to designing for the media first and for the marketing strategies second. No! The marketing strategies should be the driver. While we certainly need to maintain some semblance of usability and accessibility, those considerations should come later." www.digital-web.com

Would Your Client Send You On An Important Sales Call?

Sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? Why would your client send his/her web designer on a critical sales call?

But that is exactly what happens when you design your client's site. The website is the "salesperson" responsible for selling their product to every prospective buyer that looks at it.

As a designer, you'll rarely be fully responsible for marketing the sites you create. However, for many clients, especially the smaller ones, your design decisions and recommendations will have a tremendous impact on the site's success.

Who Am I and Why Am I Talking About This?

I've been a professional freelance web designer for 8 years. After creating hundreds of sites for my customers, I decided to build and promote my own site. I got sucked into the world of Internet marketing, and boy, was it an eye-opener.

I purchased Internet marketing courses, and received training from a couple of very prominent Internet marketing "gurus". As I began to promote my own site, I noticed a change in the way I approached my design clients. I began to speak about and include critical marketing elements into the project from the beginning. Clients became very appreciative, since I was now speaking their language of maximum sales.

Can You Answer These Internet Marketing Questions?

How should your client's site be organized to maximize sales? A single page? Multiple pages? Long sales copy? Short sales copy? What does the product have to do with this decision?

" How should your client's site be organized to maximize sales? A single page? Multiple pages? Long sales copy? Short sales copy? What does the product have to do with this decision? " Should the site be focused on a single product, or multiple products?

" Should your client build a list? Why?

" What is a squeeze page?

" What is an auto-responder? Should your client use one? How do you set one up?

" How do visitors eyes move when they visit your site, so you can decide where to place the most important information?

" How can you best use color to maximize response? " What are the importance and features of good headlines and sub-headlines?

" What is Google AdSense? Should you place it on the site? If so, where is the most effective place to put it?

" What is viral marketing, should you use it and how do you implement this technique?

" What is split-testing? Should your client be doing this?

" What are the different ways to display links to affiliate products? Should you cloak them?

If you don't know the answers to the above questions (or don't even understand the questions), you are leaving money on the table for your client and yourself.

The Gold Rush All Over Again

Like the California Gold Rush, hundreds of thousands of people are streaming onto the Internet in search of their fame and fortune.

Do you know who made the real money during the Gold Rush? It was the entrepreneurs who provided goods and services to the gold prospectors (very few prospectors made any money at all).

As a designer, you're in a position to provide services to the hundreds of thousands of Internet prospectors.

Side benefit: What you learn can be employed to promote your own site.

Larry Lefkowitz is a professional freelance web designer with 8 years experience. He has created literally hundreds of sites for large and small business, government, charitable organizations and individuals. He strongly believes that web designers can increase their effectiveness and gain a strong competitive edge by incorporating marketing principals in their work. A NY native, he's lived FL for 26 years. He attended the University of Colorado.