Focus on the cusomer, not so much on yourself on your site. When you do focus on yourself, make sure it is only on a quality your target customer group is looking for
What can you do for them?
People tend to look for themselves, or what they aspire to be when they ar buying. Example:
I am also a wedding photographer: Invariably, I book brides that are in the same social class, and area as the ones we put on the website. Why - because they look at the site, and can connect with the brides, the wedidng, the ambience of the weddings they are looking at. Exentially they can easily project themselves into what they see
You need to do this with your website design site. If you want young funky customers, then you are heading in the right direction. Another poster said that web developer sites looked a bit boring - that will be because invariably, web developers / designers are aiming at a very conservative market (where they feel the money is), where the following things are looked for - Answering the phone in office hours, A real understanding of thier business, stability, demonstration of knowlege & ability, reassurance from previous customers, a logical thought out methodology etc.
I would deffinatally add a proper landline phone number the binary thing on your website is actually where the phone number should be - so is confusing.. it almost says "unfinished site"
I would definatally produce a second more muted site, in a different domain - and aim at both markets. The young funky market is a great one, but isnt as lucrative on a day in day out basis as the more business oriented conservative market. Showing you can cut it in a corporate or e-commerce environment, will bring you in more work. A corporate ;/ e-commerce customer will avoid you at the moment, because your site says "im a kid" and what they are looking for is someone whom they can relate with, trust, that will understand how the business operates without excessive explaination
I would go and get a mentor at business link - they will review your prices, your business proposition with a level head with you, face to face. Also, if you can get on thier approved list of suppliers, they will start recommending you jobs
You need to identify what it is in the market you do.. Example - do you create sites for the creative sector - photographers, artists etc.. Or for the childrens sector etc.. I dont get a feeling that you particularly specialise in anything
Remove all references to age, and have someone (or a group of people) go through the copy with you on the basis of "how is this selling to me" - if you can find a younger entreprenner to do this, even better. When you think about it, there is plenty of advertising for the "younger" market - take barcardi breezer for example.. Look at those adverts - how and why are they constructed like that? Learn from the analysis, and apply it to your site
If you look at a local government tender - they are looking for Insurance, stability, audited accounts, examples of work, references - in other words that are looking for reassurance you will be ther tommorow, next year, you can do the job, you have your business side sorted. There is a perception in webdesign that it is done by teenagers in a bedroom - what ever market you aim at, you need to make sure you are NOT projecting that image. Businesses are not looking for somone who is looking for another project, they invariably are looking for someon that can do the job, and if needed will be there in 1, 2, 5, 10 years time too. I pick up so much work from companies that had an awful experience with the previous designer. the common complaints are
- registering domains in the designers name
- hosting domain in designers webspce
- cant acess the webspace, designer gone AWOL
- job not completed
- can not contact the designer part the way through a build
- designer just not understood the brief
If you can address these issues, and reassure yoru potential customers, you will go a long way
, although I'd be put off with declaring your age on there I have to say.
