Basically got to: System Preferences >> Displays >> Temporarily change the screen size from “Default for Display” to scaled and pick a difference resolution >> Revert back to original default >> Now your photoshop window should be fixed.

In website design, as well as anything else that requires the input or fulfillment from a third party, often a project will linger or drag out as the client’s time becomes scarce. It is the fallacy of our attention spans that passion for a project wanes. There is no set time or clock, but every man or woman is subject to it. I pondered this just this morning over my 12 oz of strong brew coffee (to which I am a prisoner with a strong case of Stockholm).

Projects are much like a fire. Too many projects are started with too little fuel (content), but they burn brilliantly and far too quickly. The team rallies around the idea and stares in wide eyed fascination like children watching a baby chicken slowly emerging. The idea slowly starts to push it’s way into life as the team is hanging on each chip of the shell as it falls away. The romance soon fades as time drags on and the brilliant fire that once was burns out quickly. It is this stutter step of most projects that hinders a great end result. Rekindling that fire is much more difficult than sustaining the flame, and often the flames burn less brightly.

For clients that want a great end product, I want to suggest that you have everything ready before you even try to create sparks. Know what content you want and how you want it. Hire a copywriter if needed to help you flesh out your ideas, before starting the web design project. Give enough content for some of it to even be left in surplus. Basically make sure that when you hire a design team, you give them all the fuel they need. In the end you’ll be much more satisfied with the project that kept the flame hot than you will be if you slowly acquire the content as needed.

For us designers, it is equally important that we push the need for all content upfront; We require the content before we crack open the sketchbooks, and gloss them over in Photoshop mocks. So that we can burn as brightly as possible from beginning of the project to the end. We can’t change human nature, but we can harness it.

–John Riddle

Chances are you don’t care about code or any terms relating to code. What you care about, and what you should care about are the same. RESULTS. Is it enough to build a website, no matter how it looks, operates and advises you? I’ve seen some terrible looking websites that rank well on Google. Aesthetically void of appeal. The problem is search engines don’t really care about beautiful graphics, they care about content, copy and images with descriptions. So a well ranking website doesn’t necessarily have to look good at all. There are many companies that will tell you that it is enough to just be present and show up… but I ask you, how many websites have you visited and left immediately because the site looked held together with scotch tape and prayer?

Particularly if you are in an industry that is in the business of selling a product or service. Appearance is often a huge deciding factor, at least on face value it is what most people will choose first. (They will at least give the better looking alternative the first shot.) A website should be about providing YOU that first shot opportunity.

So what are the crucial keys to building a good website? (It is actually pretty straight forward)

1. Have someone build it that knows how to make the content you do have not only search engine optimized but also aesthetically pleasing. If you want the added expense of a completely custom design, by all means choose a company that wants to charge you 8 to 10 thousand dollars (or more). I normally build using WordPress Template files as a starting point, which cuts down on your cost and my prices. These templates are molded into the perfect site for you that has your unique look and feel, but all the necessary functions of a much more expensive custom design (including responsive design). WordPress is also the most widely used CMS system world-wide.

2. Make sure that it has integration with Analytical data (Google) and custom forms for customer feedback. Forms which quickly email direct to you in the format you want to receive them. (Also make sure that some Anti-Spam method is utilized in your forms.)

3. Run a blog with a weekly blog post. If you are too busy as so many of you are, pay someone to maintain your website. It is one of the most crucial parts of any marketing effort because it is always available (given your host doesn’t suffer some sort of failure.) We are so often hit with so many advertising messages we only maintain a partial memory of those messages, hence our reliance on Google to help up track down those messages that we actually remember. Your return on a well maintained site should far out weigh your expense. (Understand that “Free” search results will take time, see key point #4.)

4. We’ve all heard it before, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” Okay, that is great but I don’t have a lot to spend. Well that is the blessing of digital advertising, control and pay for results model. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is perhaps the single most effective method for driving traffic to your website, especially if your website is new, newly remodeled, or just lacking content. Organic search results take time, dedication and authority to earn (keep writing unique content on your blog and in time, your Google ranking will improve.)  When you go with a company to maintain your website, writing blogs and keeping up with your PPC, make sure you get in bed with a partner you can trust. Make sure that they have set you up to be billed direct through Google for your PPC campaign.

Okay, so my Client had enough and wants out. Their 6-month contract (at $1,060 a month) is up so this should be an easy transition. Unfortunately, this is where the snare is pulled and my client is caught for the slaughter. The website they “purchased” was never actually bought by my client. The website was considered a component under the guise of the companies marketing efforts. What my client was paying for was the service and not the product. This company held all rights to the design. Fortunately my client purchased the domain on their own, so that was safe. The website design in question would have to be purchased for an additional $750. There is another barb in our metaphorical snare, the company built what they claim is a proprietary coding system that is more or less (upon inspection) a re-skinning of the WordPress admin panel (horribly done mind you, at least graphically) and a coding system that calls upon server based coding to run WordPress’s PHP code properly. I.E. moving the site to another server would necessitate rebuilding the site completely as the site design they were going to sell for the $750 would still be built upon their code that would only run on their servers. This revealed after being told by a company representative that the site would be packaged to run on any server for a ball parked $500.

Ohh but there is more… Of the $6,000 plus dollars my clients paid to this company that included the Google Adwords marketing there was some money left over… How much do you suppose 3 clicks costs? That’s right, not enough to account for the full budget. Here comes the rotten carrot dangling above the snare. “We have $2,500 dollars left over for your marketing campaign that we haven’t spent… you’ll lose that if you leave. It’s a use it or lose it situation.” The rotten part of the carrot? You’ll never see that $2,500 as you’ll continually be paying in for their month to month charges to maintain their horrible marketing efforts which will never garner you true results.

Any other options? Why, yes you can maintain hosting with us for a low 14 dollars a month (Inflated, as most people know you can buy better hosting for around 5 to 7 dollars a month for a one year contract.) Okay, so no down time, use the existing design and just pay the hosting fee. I on my clients behalf will take over management and marketing and we’ll make lemons from lemonade because this is my clients crucial time of year. Another barb in the snare?? What?!

So in order to make the additions necessary I need admin access to the website they are hosting. Surely this shouldn’t be even a question since we are merely paying for their hosting. No, this company refused to grant that access to it’s clients giving them only what they term the “Client” user roll which is equivalent to the editor roll on WordPress, which as you may know keeps your happy fingers off the code. Cue the snare!

Fortunately for my clients I am there to clip the metallic braided line of the snare and nurse their wounds till I can get them back on their feet. Take a hit on my usual web design fee? A bit, but I can’t stand big companies like this and earning my clients trust is paramount in my small business.

This is why small business’s that choose to stay small often thrive and are better for business. We never grow too large to forget who got us there and our clients benefit greatly from our diligent focus on mutual success.

I’ve attached an image of the redacted version of the “Website Release Form” the company sent my client. If you ever wanted to create a form that openly admitted to your shady tactics and lack luster services, this might be the form you would create. I’d imagine if you are like me you might get a good laugh out of this “contract.”