Introduction

In my view, a great looking website is not a sufficient project outcome – it doesn’t pay the bills, and it doesn’t contribute to business growth. “Great looking” is a given, and less than the bare minimum.

“Great looking” + “meets or exceeds functional requirements” is the bare minimum. This is the level of service that should be provided only when the client knows exactly what they want. In this scenario, the client has invested much time, effort and energy into understanding their customer segment(s), understanding how their business provides value to their customers, and developing a thorough marketing plan (short and long term) of which the website is just one peice of. This client typically has a documented RFP (request for proposal) and engages a number of agencies to bid on and communicate how they would meet the specified requirements.

While I’m always interested in learning how I can support any web presence project, I know that much of my value resides in providing consultative support, through experience and client-specific research and analysis. In reality, small-to-medium sized businesses simply don’t often have the specialized resources or the time to fully develop web presence and marketing vision. That’s where I can help.

My objective is an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship. I acheive this by supporting my clients’ success. My clients’ success can be measured, in part, by the return on investment for projects I’m engaged in.

My Success Factors

The following are the web design success factors that I employ to ensure high return on my client’s investment. While they are listed in order of importance, I consider all factors as targets for each project.

1. The project meets the right objectives

Meeting project objectives is fine – meeting the right objectives is far better. In knowing how I provide the greatest value to my clients, I aim to ensure that project objectives are not only assessed, developed and documented, but that they are scrutinized in order to ensure that they truly contribute to the client’s success.

Determining the right objectives begins with understanding the customer. This is foundational to business success, but it’s quite common in small to medium sized businesses that it hasn’t been fully thought through. By performing a thorough assessment and analysis of the customer, the business is able to refine its offerings and market position to maximize its success. It’s important for me, then, in support of bolstering the company’s market position with its web presence, to have a thorough understanding of the customer.

Next, it’s important for me to understand how the company provides value to its customers. With this understanding, I can provide the best solutions (through web design and / or copywriting) to maximize relevance and response.

Once I understand how the company provides value to its customers, it’s important for me to understand the current marketing mix and strategy, and most importantly, how the web presence fits into that overall picture. A website is just one touchpoint of a company with its customers. With an understanding of the marketing mix, I can ensure that the website leverages, or can be leveraged by, the other forms of marketing being employed.

With this information, the most effective project objectives can be formulated, to ensure that they are aligned with broader business strategies and objectives.

2. The project fits in to the right strategy

While a website is a very important peice of the successful web presence, it cannot stand on its own – or it will be a very lonely place to be. The right strategy entails not only how the site will meet the project objectives, but also how the site fits in to the larger online marketing mix. This has implications on search engine optimization, for example, and is simply a foundational element to a successful web presence.

3. The website meets or exceeds functional requirements

It really pays to have the support of a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) to ensure functional requirements are met. While many larger organizations insist on this certification for staff that manages their projects, it’s often lacking in small-to-medium sized businesses. Without the training and experience provided and ensured by this certification, a project may be doomed to failure – even with the most talented designers / developers.

– Knowing what’s required

Meeting functional requirements depends upon spending the time to develop and document the requirements. This is a step that cannot be taken lightly, as any PMP will attest to. As a certified PMP, I hold myself to a very high standard in this area, as I know that much of my value lies in the research and investigation that ensures thoroughly documented requirements. Through documentation, many times additional value-added, or even mission-critical, requirements will surface that the client may not have considered before.

– Effective management of requirements

‘Scope creep’ is a term that refers to the inadvertant or mis-managed addition of requirements that don’t pertain to the project’s objectives, or are not able to be included without affecting the project timeline or budget. Scope creep kills projects and business relationships due to mismanaged expectations. Again, as a certified PMP, I hold myself to a very high standard in this area.

4. The website motivates behavior by the intended audience(s)

A website could be absolutely stunning, but without a consistently relevant and valuable message to its intended audience, it simply will not perform to its potential. I employ industry best practices in providing simple, concise and relevant copywrite material, in order to motivate the client’s intended behavior.

5. Project milestones are met

Projects always have deadlines – it’s part of what defines a project as a project. As a Project Management Professional (PMP), I regard timelines and milestones in the highest regard, as I understand that my client’s business success depends on their ability to trust that things will be done in the timeframe that they expect. This is ensured with consistent, effective and timely communication of progress and / or issues. It also depends on periodic approval milestones, in order to keep the client informed and engaged in the progress of the project.

6. The website has wide visual appeal and high usability

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are design concepts that help to ensure visual appeal to the widest possible spectrum of your intended audience. Usability involves ensuring that page elements are where people expect them to be, visitors spend as little time as possible trying to figure out how to interact with the site or find the content they desire, and that the site guides the users interaction with it in the desired way.

7. The website is technically current and standards compliant

High technology is not always the desired solution. My recommendations are made by weighing all factors (including cost, time, risk, etc) to support my client’s ongoing success. Standards compliance is always in focus. However there are times where conscious decisions are made to break from compliance in order to implement functionality that meets requirements that may not be sacrificed.

Closing

It’s my hope that this article provided you with value as you consider your own web presence and future needs. I wish you the best of success…

The purpose of this article is to provide reviews and tips regarding tools and web services that exist to support freelancing and small business organizations.  I will plan to provide best practices on how to tie it all together into a simple and cohesive whole.  My intent is to also provide more in-depth reviews from a small/micro service business perspective in separate articles, which will be linked to this summary article.

Invoicing and Time Tracking

Harvest.com

I had been struggling with having invested myself in MS Project training in the past, but feeling it was just too cumbersome for what I needed. Harvest provides me with an effective time tracking system so that I can ensure I’m spending my time on the right things, according to my priorities.

Also, Harvest actually kills two birds with one stone by also providing me with a very effective and elegant solution for estimating and invoicing. I was previously using QuickBooks Online for managing my invoices, but was never quite satisfied with it. The feeling was always “well, it’s an industry standard, and maybe I just need to get used to it”.  That’s not the case with Harvest.  I actually enjoy using it.

Financial / Accounting

Quickbooks Online

Currently, I am still using QuickBooks Online for my ledger, asset tracking, and reporting, but I’m considering whether I really need it any longer since I now prefer Harvest.  Also, I am using Mint.com for my personal finances, which is also tracking my separate business checking account transactions.  I may be able to say goodbye to QuickBooks (at least for now)!

Project Management

RememberTheMilk.com

As I mentioned before, I have experience with MS Project, but feel it’s overkill for my purposes at this time in freelancing. I’ve considered Basecamp, but just can’t seem to force myself to like it – I really don’t see what the fuss is all about with that product.

I’ve chosen to use RememberTheMilk.com for my task management needs. As I learn more about its organizational capabilities, I feel less and less of a need for a project management system. The only thing that I think I’d benefit from that RTM doesn’t support well is dependent tasks. But as a one man shop, it’s not a show-stopper for me. RTM’s interface is clean and easy to use – and it’s free.

File Management, Collaboration and Sharing

DropBox.com (NEW)

In my prior article, I noted that I use MS Office Live for online document storage.  However, my recommendation is now DropBox.com.  Why the change?  Well, for some reason, Microsoft can’t seem to figure out how to (or doesn’t want to) allow people to interact with their files natively from within Windows.  You have to go to the Office Live site and manage the files through the web browser interface, which works but I couldn’t escape always feeling that ‘there has to be a better way!’.

DropBox gives me exactly what I hope for.  A free account with 2GB storage (paid accounts can get as big as 100GB), and a file management interface that I’m used to for my local files (Windows Explorer and Finder for Mac).  It needs to be installed to your computer, but the great thing is that since I have the program on multiple computers, I can interact with that shared folder just like it’s on my hard drive or local network.  For computers which I don’t  (or can’t) install to, the DropBox.com website provides an elegant interface for interacting with the files.

And to top it off, sharing folders with others (collaborators, clients) is a piece of cake.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is my current choice, mostly because it’s free and it will give me good context for what I like or don’t like in a CRM when I have greater need for a potentially more advanced system.  So far, it is serving all of my needs as well as providing valuable features that I didn’t even know I needed.

Marketing

Facebook and Twitter

Facebook and Twitter have been obvious choices to get up and running and begin building a network on. It will take some time and effort, and it’s not quite priority right now, but they are obviously important tools for social networking.

I provide online marketing consultation and management.  Let me know how I can help.

Productivity

Delicious

Delicious is a social networking bookmarking service.  My objectives in using Delicious are two-fold: 1) keep a single bookmark list that allows access from any computer in the world, and 2) the ability future to share my bookmarks in the hopes that others will benefit from the online resources I have compiled.  It’s organizational features are average, using tagging functionality, which has been a bit cumbersome but not a deal-breaker.

Learning

Lynda.com

One service that I have discovered that I must mention before wrapping up this article is Lynda.com.  Although the investment may seem steep, I have been extremely pleased with the value I have received from this service just with the trial period I received with my purchase of Adobe Web Premium CS4.  I will definitely be subscribing for their premium service (there’s also some coupons available out there on www.RetailMeNot.com).

SitePoint.com

Details to come…

Web Design

WordPress

Details to come…

Adobe Web Premium CS4

Details to come…

UltraEdit

I have just started to look into this text editing software.  Details to come…

Firebug

Details to come…

Hosting

GoDaddy.com

Be careful about how you go about selecting a website hosting service.  Performing a Google search on hosting (or similar), you’re likely to wind up with some very misleading information.  I have come to find that many of the so-called hosting review sites are actually sponsored by the sites that they review.  The web hosting sites pay for these review sites to send them visitors.  You simply cannot trust someone providing you with truth, when their paycheck depends on them not.

Despite what I would consider to be questionable morals in their marketing tactics, GoDaddy has met and exceeded my expectations in terms of ease of use, price, stability, as well as information and guidance for the technically inclined.  In providing administrative support services to my clients, I currently choose GoDaddy as my preferred partner.

Other notes

Credits

Credit goes to appstorm.net for a great article that identifies a number of online tools to support your freelancing needs. It’s where I started, and I recommend it highly to get a feel for what’s out there to support your freelancing business.

I’d love to hear from you

Feel free to comment to request review of software or a webservice, or to just tell me that I’m crazy (but you have to tell me why!).

Wishing you the best of success…

Is a Freelancer Really an Option for Me?

Let me start by saying that, yes, there are inherent risks in choosing to outsource your web project to a freelancer rather than an established business organization.  However, choosing a company or freelancer does not determine whether your project will be successful.  As a matter of fact, project success can be predicted based upon the following:

1. Clear expectations
   1. Requirements
   2. Cost
   3. Timeline
2. Resource availability
   1. Depends upon project priority
   2. Includes ensuring adequate funds to cover the project costs
   3. Includes availability of properly qualified personnel
3. Effective project management

When a Freelancer Makes More Sense

Identifying a qualified and trustworthy freelancer can be an incredible asset to your organization.  In many cases, a freelancer is often preferred, for a number of reasons:

1. The project’s scope does not exceed the freelancer’s capacity to deliver within the required deadlines.
2. When capacity requirements are met, generally you should be able to acheive more for your money with a freelancer, due to the lower (or negligible) costs associated with that person being in business (as compared to the overhead of a typical web design firm).
3. Your expectations being met is critical to a freelancer, who is personally highly vested in achieving repeat business and referals.
4. It’s somewhat easier to learn whether you can extend trust to a freelancer, because you know exactly who you’re dealing with and who is working on your project.  Your point of contact is not an account manager, but someone who is going to know your project inside and out.
5. Hiring an effective freelancer avoids the waste inherent in involving a number of resources on a project.  Many times, multiple resources have multiple projects, and there’s not only communication gaps, but it necessitates additional formalities that add cost to the project.

What to Look for in a Freelancer

Effective project management

This is crucial (and unfortunately somewhat rare).  Your ideal freelancer has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, or at the very least exhibits and demonstrates sound and effective business processes to ensure your project is delivered on time and within budget.  Effective project management makes your job much easier and ensures the project stays on track on within budget.

Solid business acumen

You want to work with a professional who can not only deliver on your requirements, but can offer technical, business and marketing consultation can be of great value to your project.

Integrity

Integrity is one of those intangibles that can wind up saving or costing you time, money, and undue stress in completing your projects. Therefore, it’s worth checking references and meeting candidate freelancers face-to-face in order to determine your level of comfort with this attribute.

Technical qualifications

While a technical qualification can mean coding proficiency (XHTML, CSS, Flash, PHP, etc), this category can also include marketing (search engine optimization, pay per click setup and management, etc), copy writing and editing, and graphic design, depending upon your project’s objectives.

Recent and relevant portfolio of work

It’s considered good practice to not only review the portfolio of work, but to specifically ask for references for websites that are especially relevant to your project. Doing this, you should be able to get a good feel for what working with the candidate freelancer will be like.

Conclusion

Selecting the right resource(s) is one of the most important decisions you will make for your web design project.  Remember, it’s not whether you choose a freelancer or a company that determines your project’s success, but the specific people involved that will make the true difference. Spending adequate time up-front to make the right choice can save you money and time, as well as establish a mutually beneficial working relationship that can enhance your long-term business growth.

I wish you the best of success…

Let me start by saying that appstorm.net has a great article that identifies a number of online tools to support your freelancing needs. It’s where I started, and I recommend it highly to get a feel for what’s out there to support your freelancing business.

Invoicing and Time Tracking – Harvest.com

After signing up for the trial of a few of the listed services, I ended up choosing Harvest and am very glad I did. I had been struggling with having invested myself in MS Project training in the past, but feeling it was just too cumbersome for what I needed. Harvest provides me with an effective time tracking system so that I can ensure I’m spending my time on the right things, according to my priorities.

Also, Harvest actually kills two birds with one stone by also providing me with a very effective and elegant solution for estimating and invoicing. I was previously using QuickBooks Online for managing my invoices, but was never quite satisfied with it. The feeling was always “well, it’s an industry standard, and maybe I just need to get used to it”. Well, that’s not the case with Harvest. I actually enjoy using it.

Side note: as I’ve been writing this entry, the Harvest website seems to be having some technical difficulties because I can’t even get to their home page, let alone my account info (Bad Gateway error).  Stay tuned…  Hmm.. so I just cleared my cache and now it’s back up…

Financial / Accounting – Quickbooks Online

Currently, I am still using QuickBooks Online for my ledger, asset tracking, and reporting, but I’m considering whether I really need it any longer since I now prefer Harvest.  Also, I am using Mint.com for my personal finances, which is also tracking my separate business checking account transactions.  I may be able to say goodbye to QuickBooks (at least for now)!

Project Management – RememberTheMilk.com

As I mentioned before, I have experience with MS Project, but feel it’s overkill for my purposes at this time in freelancing. I’ve considered Basecamp, but just can’t seem to force myself to like it – I really don’t see what the fuss is all about with that product. I’ve chosen to use RememberTheMilk.com for my task management needs. As I learn more about its organizational capabilities, I feel less and less of a need for a project management system. The only thing that I think I’d benefit from that RTM doesn’t support well is dependent tasks. But as a one man shop, it’s not a show-stopper for me. RTM’s interface is clean and easy to use – and it’s free.

File Management – MS Office Live

I checked out each of the suggestions listed. However, nothing met my needs as well as what I’ve already been using – MS Office Live. I use MS Office, so it’s a nice feature to be able to open my files directly from MS Office Live. It’s not perfect, but it’s doing the job – and it’s free.

CRM – Zoho CRM

Right now, I have decided to use Zoho CRM, mostly because it’s free and it will give me good context for what I like or don’t like in a CRM when I have greater need for a potentially more advanced system.  So far, though, so good.

Social Tools – Facebook, Twitter

Facebook and Twitter have been obvious choices to get up and running and begin building a network on. It will take some time and effort, and it’s not quite priority right now, but they are obviously important tools for social networking.

Productivity – Delicious

Hosting – GoDaddy.com

Education – Lynda.com

One service that I have discovered that I must mention before wrapping up this article is Lynda.com.  Although the investment seems steep, I have been extremely pleased with the value I have received from this service just with the trial period I received with my purchase of Adobe Web Premium CS4.  I will definitely be subscribing for their premium service (there’s also some coupons available out there on www.RetailMeNot.com).

SafeShot Technologies, LLC is a firm that holds intellectual property assets to a ‘next generation’ auto-retractable safety syringe.

Problem Statement:

SafeShot’s only web presence was a one page site that provided a password-protected portal for distribution of information to its stakeholders (board, investors, etc). SafeShot required a new site that could be used as a form of marketing collateral, which would provide reference material for their existing and potential business contacts. They also required that this site would be used in conjunction with a Google AdWords campaign to drive traffic to and solicit inquiries from relevant parties interested in partnering with SafeShot in bringing this new technology to market.

Services Provided:

• Effective project management – project delivered on time and within budget
• Web design and development
• Image selection and some light graphic design
• Copy writing and editing

Lessons Learned

• Greater experience with Dreamweaver CS4
• First opportunity to deliver copywriting and editing services as a freelancer
• Photoshop CS4 experience
• Experience integrating Flash photo gallery, video, and contact us form submission page

Final product:

www.michaelkampff.com/safeshot/

Client Testimonial

…you are very talented…we could not be happier.

SafeShot Technologies was in need of a new public presence that would allow our team to communicate our venture and technology in a unique, informative and interesting way without allowing the public to see confidential information regarding our technology. Mike, provided us with unique ideas, form, wording and platform from conception to completion and put together a website and PPC campaign for SafeShot Technologies that added a certain WOW factor. Mike helped us stand out from amongst the crowd in a way that was certainly not another “me too” website. We have been very happy with the consistent communication, reporting on status and the ideas and unique thinking that led us to a timely launch in an economical way. Mike is a professional but always friendly and a pleasure to work with.

I enjoyed the entire creative process… the best part of the project has been the launch and receiving all the positive feedback from others in our industry.