Posers Among Us
They don’t know HTML code, they don’t know what CSS stands for, but they do know how to cut and paste. These people charge hefty prices, have little knowledge of the business, nor know about accessibility. These people call themselves web designers!
A majority of the web is filled with posers claiming to be web designers. These people believe they are because they can drag and drop pictures into a WYSIWYG program and then call themselves professional. Many of which have no knowledge of the code that powers a web site or how to make a web page display properly in different web browsers and different computing systems.
Probably the saddest thing I have ever heard of was a client calling his web designer wondering why his site looked bad on his computer. What was the “designer’s” reply? “Oh, it looks that way for the search engines.” Instead of accommodating the client’s needs and making the web site display properly on multiple systems, the “designer” made up a hair-brained excuse. On top of that, the “designer” charged the client extra for this bad web page!
Many people that are in need of a web site, just assume that the “designer” knows what he/she is doing. Whether or not the site looks horrible, they just guess that the “designer” knows best. This in turn can lead to serious problems down the road.
Here are some ways to protect yourself if you are a prospecting client:
Make sure the designer you are considering knows HTML code. Many will claim that they do so beware.
Make sure that they understand CSS.
See if they understand web page load time. (The average web user will wait only nine seconds for a page to load. If it doesn’t, they will leave your site.)
Be certain that they know about W3C Standards and HTML validation. The W3C Web Standards have been around since 1999. Many designers out there will claim that they have never heard of such a thing or they will tell you that it is unnecessary to validate the code. Stay away from these people.
Test out the pages in their portfolio with different web browsers if possible.
If you are uncertain, contact one of their past clients and ask.
In conclusion, the web design market can be a dangerous place. Choosing wisely can make your investment golden.
