"I need a web site. Do you build websites?"

If I simply said, "Yes," I could certainly make a lot of money. But I reply with, "A web site will do you no good if your customers cannot find you.  If you want a website, make sure it has the proper coding, ease of navigation, security, and on-page search engine optimization."

Huh?

Yes, that is where I lose a lot of clients. But I am perfectly fine with losing clients who do not want to be educated for free, before paying me to build their web site.

Unless you want a landing page for simple name capture (where you have other methods to drive traffic to that page), you will more than likely want to inevitably come up on the first page of Google for organic (free) traffic, or at least have a highly optimized site so you pay a lot less for Google AdWords pay per click services.

I recently hosted a local meeting with Internet savvy business owners at my home.  A gentleman in attendance provided us with a web site where the owner is literally paying thousands of dollars per month (yes, I said THOUSANDS) to get people to find him on the first page of Google.

Guess what happened?  All that money, all that time, and his so-called SEO expert got him delisted from Google using black hat methods. The owner was so happy at first, but now what?

If you can't be found on Google and its network search partners, you have just lost 80 per cent of the search engine market. Yes, 80 per cent.

It really upsets me when I hear things like this, because I am so honest and up front with all of my clients (and potential clients), that I know if they go somewhere else because it is "cheaper" initially, that they will wind up paying a much higher price down the road.

You do not understand web design or programming. You do not understand SEO search engine optimization. You are not an expert at online Internet marketing. So who do you trust?

That's a very good question. And I feel badly for hundreds of thousands of people each day who get duped, or ripped off, by web designers and so called SEO professionals.

This is the very reason that referrals and client testimonials are so important. Contact a former client. Ask them how the web developer and their SEO techniques helped you gain rankings for your site on the Internet. If the person says they did not get good service, or they were promised something that was not delivered, then ask the professional what happened with that client's project.

Sometimes it is not the professional's fault; it is due to a lack of technical understanding by the client. But that is where the professional should put it in writing for the customer.

And just knowing you spoke with one of their former clients should not make any professional uneasy. If they did their work well and were great to work with, then they should be glad you called or wrote a former client. Their work and professionalism should speak for themselves.

If the client doesn't list any customers or web sites, ask for a reference of previous clients.  Sometimes they will not put their clients' web sites on their site due to confidentiality agreements and proprietary information. I will not disclose some of my customers or their web sites for this very same reason.

Respect for the customer (client) must always come first. Profits are not the main reason we should get into this business. Sadly, the majority of professionals do not share this same view, or attitude.

Having over 20 years of technical experience, beginning with my military education, is something I have enjoyed for over 20 years now. As an extremely diversified business person, I relish in the chance to make a business owner successful with my skills. After all, that is why I sit down each and every day to learn how to beat the competition and build a business to serve satisfied clients.

If you have no knowledge of the web site design business, SEO, copywriting, your competition and how they are marketing online to get on the first page of Google, then start asking a lot of questions.

Sure, I could build you a very professional looking, 5-page web site in less than two hours. Trust me, that means absolutely nothing. And the majority of all web designers do not know a thing about optimizing your site for the search engines. They know how to build a site, and that is it.

If you were to look at the source code of some web site designer's sites, you would never, ever think of hiring them. It takes me less than 10 minutes to look at some statistics about a web site to see if they really know what they are doing.

There will continue to be an increasing need for websites, and it is an extremely lucrative business for the sharks waiting to gobble up your wallet. When it comes to web site design, "you get what you pay for" is 100 per cent true.

Do not think you are getting a steal of a deal web site for $500; you are certainly not. You are getting a web site that looks nice, and that is all.

If the web designer you are considering hiring says, "We do SEO," ask them to put (in writing) what they are promising.

I asked a recent business owner what kind of search engine optimization services and web site design was included for such a ridiculously and insane, low price. He then (after already hiring and paying them part of the money) asked the web designer some more questions and found out there was nothing included to put him on the first page of Google, actually.

Because he did not understand any of the technical aspects, all he heard was "Yes, you will have SEO and can be found on Google."  All of the promises were just the "professional" throwing a bunch of terms around, making it seem like he was going to be on the first page of Google for 20 generic terms (not even long tail), and none of this was ever included.

Get it in writing. Have we all forgotten what a contract is today? In this business, it is all you have to protect yourself. When the work in the contract doesn't happen as agreed, this is your only documentation and recourse you can use to get a refund, or have them continue working for free until it does happen as listed in the contract.

I prefer providing my clients with piece of mind by charging a "package," fixed price. If you hire someone based on an hourly rate, how do you know if they are really working all of those hours? You do not. And you will never know.

With a fixed price, if I do not meet my own criteria, I continue working until I do, at no additional cost. Because the search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so must my technical marketing efforts. My clients know they are not going to get ripped off since they do not have to pay an extra penny.

Would you pay an auto mechanic an hourly rate to rebuild your engine? Of course not. That is why auto mechanics get paid a flat rate for each type of job by their employer. If they know they have 18 hours for a rebuild, they have incentive to get it done in 10 and still get paid for 18 hours. Don't mess with what works, and this billing theory is the same for web site design, SEO and all other IT (information technology) services today.

You would imagine some of this is common sense when you are looking for a web designer, right? No, sadly, it isn't. People have a fear of programming, SEO, copywriting, AdWords ppc services, first page rankings, et cetera.

So they assume the nice, professional looking web site owners must know what they are doing, so they sign up and hand over the credit card.

Be prepared. Do your homework. Talk to former clients. Ask questions. Sign an Agreement. Sign a Contract.

Do not assume a professional looking web site means you are hiring a professional web site designer. Do not assume after you have a web site built that anyone will find you at all. It takes much more than a pretty face to get you on the first page of Google, and that is where the money is today.