I've had so many clients tell me about being absolutely cheated with website development, SEO or marketing that I thought I ought to let you know some of the things to watch out for. Some of these are rather amusing except for the thousands of people who have had to deal with the consequences.
Skip this pitch, show me how people are being cheated
I'm retiring from the business, so I'm no longer available, but I'll be glad to put you in touch with good people. These people fit all the requirements below and are somewhat vetted. They have passed the tests I could manage to give them, and so far, no one has complained about their services. I actually threw two people out of the group when clients got back to me with complaints. These website developers and marketers give me a commission which I appreciate, so there is no cost to you for contacting me. Plus, I think you'll enjoy my friendly conversational style.
Jeff Napier
(805) 843-5353 (voice or text)
jeff@jeffnapier.com
10 Ways People Are Being Cheated
1. Don't pay someone a big deposit up front. I can't tell you how many times these developers or marketers would start a little bit of work, then disappear, never again answering their email or phones. My clients lost every cent.
2. Avoid long-term contracts and keep an eye on results. I had a client who told me she had been paying $2,000 per month for over two years for 'SEO maintenance.' I asked her how well that was working. She said that as far as she knew, not a single client had come from that.
3. Make sure you have all your usernames and passwords. I've had a few clients who ended up with websites full of typographical errors, incorrect images, and downright misinformation. They didn't have their own passwords, so they couldn't even take down these embarrassing websites representing their professional identities.
4. You'll want to work with someone who speaks good English, preferably someone in the USA. Otherwise, you'll spend a lot of time and perhaps money in editing all the bad grammar and misunderstandings.
5. You want a friendly open-minded developer. It's really hard to work with someone who is so crazy or intimidating that you can't communicate what you want. After all, you don't want what the developer wants to create. You want what you want!
6. Ideally, your web developer should have artistic talent. You want a good-looking website.
7. Your developer should also have technical expertise. For instance, there's not much worse than a website that doesn't work right, or doesn't look good on mobile phones. Thirty-two percent of web browsing is done on phones these days. I've had more than one client who ended up with an incomplete website because the developer literally didn't know how to get everything working right.
8. The developer should also be a good marketer, or have good marketers on their team. Once your website is done, you don't want it to just sit there. You want targeted visitors, people who want what you're offering, and lots of them.
9. Consider all marketing 'research and development.' It is unrealistic to believe you could pay a marketer a few hundred dollars and suddenly you become wealthy. Whereas that could happen, it is rare. Marketing is not cheap and doesn't work for everyone every time. You will have to spend some money. Your marketer should start with small experiments with good analytics. Once something starts to work, then you will become wealthy!
10. Communicate as much as you can with your website developer or marketer. You know your product or service better than anyone. Without clear communication, you'll end up with something that's off-target or misrepresented.
So, avoid these mistakes, and you should end up happy! I can help you find the right person. My service is free. You'll enjoy my friendly style.
– Cheers! – Jeff Napier
(805) 843-5353 (voice or text)
jeff@jeffnapier.com