Getting a new client is an achievement which web designers don’t get to see very often. When we have to work for something, we must make the best of it. And if you get a new client, and you have ways with which you can bring an increase in your income, then you should definitely adopt those ways. It is fortunate for a web designer that he can offer his client services which are over and above the particular service he asked for. Also, if such extra services are offered, the client will like you even more and might become a permanent client as he don’t have to look at other place for those services.
These services can either be let known to the client at the time of making the deal or even to the clients whose work is done and this can be used as a follow up. Also, you don’t necessarily provide all the services you can and it depends on your feasibility and the amount you want to provide. So here are the tips and tricks you can use for securing a client and a nice income.
Maintaining the Website on an Ongoing Basis :
If your client is willing to pay for it, there are a lot of ways you can maintain the website of the client on a regular basis. Though there are Content Management Systems but some clients would like you to maintain their website on an ongoing basis.
Ongoing maintenance also implies that a client when retained brings you regular business and you will notice the difference of how less time you will have to spend on looking for new clients and how much more time you can spend in doing the ongoing work more skillfully.
Whether the client is paying you hourly or after a month, you will have your income secured and the client will also be satisfied of what is coming as a result and will give him relaxation towards the budgeting. You will have to make sure that your clients know that you offer ongoing maintenance services because some clients might not offer these themselves.
Designing the Logo :
Clients who are designing their website for the first time will appreciate if the web designers also offers him the logo design. It will be a chance to flaunt your skills for designing the logo as well as designing the web. Even the clients with old websites might want their logo to be updated. What you have to look into is that you specify the logo designing as a separate service in the contract so that it is not assumed to be a part of the project.
Print Designing Services :
If you are able to design for the business card or brochure of the client, you can offer those services separately, which will make a further good impact of you. To make it a typical up-sell, you can either offer complete print options to the client or can offer these services at discounts.
Search Engine Optimization :
Web designers can offer one of the most common services of search engine optimization to their clients. The point of a good website will be at its full when there are visitors on it and visitors will come because of good marketing and SEO. You can market this service by telling the client of the benefits of SEO and a lot of things come under the heading of SEO which can make you some nice money.
Promotion through Newsletter :
Newsletter is one of the most common and effective ways of promotion of the business. Email newsletter is the easiest to use to keep the customers in the loop. You can always design a newsletter template and send it to the customers.
Hosting the Website :
If you can manage to get a re-seller account, you can offer the clients with the options of hosting for their website, which is one of the most important processes to attract visitors and management of the website. You can also give recommendations to your clients of a good affiliate program which will be beneficial for clients having new websites as well as existing ones.
Offering CMS under the Private Label :
In addition to offering the Content Management System on the web, web designers can develop their own CMS and offer them to the client. With a private CMS, you can set up your own rates and can earn even more commission. Almost all of the websites use CMS nowadays, so if you can offer that to your client, it will definitely make you some good money.
Theme/Templates for the Website :
You can also offer your client the themes and the templates for their website because the client is looking for templates and themes and there are a lot of chances that your client will use that from you. For example, with the WordPress theme you are offering, your client would also like that you install it too and it will count as your up-sell.
Designing a Banner Ad :
Designing a banner ad is nothing out of the way for a designer but for a customer, it is an important thing for his website so when offered, more chances are that he will gladly takes the offer and it will become one of the services you offer over and above the main project.
Add-Ons for the Website :
Apart from all the services mentioned above, there are a lot of add-ons you can offer as extra services to the clients which you can charge for or use as marketing and advertising technique. Some basic add-ons are plugins, setup for Google Analytics, integration for social networking and various others.
Final Thoughts :
If you put effort in designing a website and finally getting a client, you will want to have ways to increase your income and you can do that by using the up-sell tactics which includes offering services over and above the main contract. This may include any or all of web hosting, SEO, Content Management System, themes or templates, looking into the management of the website regularly and various other services, all adding up to you regular income.
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Great tips 🙂 thanks for this all great work!