As web designers, it goes without saying, that our understanding of our own industry is paramount to the overall the success we experience. The importance of keeping up to date with the latest goings on in the world of the Internet can be of great importance, whether it is W3C, Google, HTML 5, CSS3 or Jquery.

However, aspects that are often over looked are the more fundamental and general business ethics that can really keep your clients on your side. Giving adequate consideration to following can strengthen your working relationship and take away some of the pressure you’ve become used to.

Beat Your Timescales

Setting realistic timescales will allow you to not only manage your client’s expectations, but also effectively manage your own workflow. Draw on your previous experience to help you predict how long it will take to complete a project, and then times it by three. This might seem a bit excessive, but this will ensure that you cover any unpredicted delays and more importantly will certainly give off a good impression to your client if you deliver ahead of deadline. Lets face it; nobody wants to have to pull an all-nighter just to get the job finished on time.

Communication. Communication. Communication!

I can’t stress how important communication is when it comes to managing your clients. Whether you are communicating to give them updates on things that have gone well, or giving them a heads up on what may hold the project up further down the line, any communication is good communication.

Ensure that you are available for contact throughout the day. Many web Designers fall into the trap of working around the clock, and employing an answer machine to take the phone calls. If your client can’t get hold of you when they desire, it will leave them frustrated and will ultimately hinder the progress of the project, and your relationship.

Understand your Client’s Business

As web designers, you’ll often find yourself in a position where you are doing work for a client and in an industry where you have little or no knowledge or experience. This shouldn’t mean that you depend solely on the guidance of your client. Show initiative by doing a bit a research in the industry. Have a read through your client’s competitor’s websites and give your self some basic understanding.

This will not only help you to pick up on industry concepts and buzzwords, but also give you the ability to offer valuable business advice from an outside perspective, which will always impress your client.

Explain Your Work

Once you have completed your prototype designs, don’t just email them across to your client as a jpg. Construct an HTML working prototype using Photoshop, which only takes a few minutes, but will allow the client to see how the website will look on the web, and with rollovers and flash you’ll leave little to the imagination.

When you email the link, ensure that you have the client on the phone to explain the decisions that you’ve made and your choices for colours, layouts, calls to action etc. Failure to do this will leave you wide open to making unnecessary changes further down the line.

Addressing the above areas of your management will greatly improve your working relationship with your client, and even if there are problems, they will be more understanding towards them, and what’s more, start to give web designers a better name!