four web design lessons for the most experienced web developerIf you have a good number of projects under your belt as a web developer, then you should give yourself a pat on the back. You’re on the path to building a successful career as a web developer. At this point, you’re probably moving at a relaxed pace and focusing on getting clients or working on projects. Believe it or not, there is still so much more to learn if you want to thrive as a web developer. Here are four web design lessons that even experienced professionals should pay attention to.

Lesson #1: Be Aware of the Economics

As a web developer, how efficient and effective you are is dependent on two things: money and time. You need to set yourself up to make as much money per hour. You also need to use your time wisely so that more of your activity is spent on making money. To accomplish both, you have to be aware of the economics and figure out a strategy that works in your favor.

For example, if you want to make more money per hour, you have to go after clients that are willing to pay more. It’s easier to work on one project that pays $3000 than work on three projects that pay $1000. To save time, you have to look at your core competency and the activity that generates the most money. Figure out these two things and outsource or delegate the rest to other people that can get the job done.

Lesson #2: Continue to Learn New Skills

Just because you know how to design in your sleep doesn’t mean that your education is finished. New technology is being developed and new design innovations are being discovered every year in the design industry. You need to keep up with the latest technology, design trends and approaches. Experienced clients can tell if the designer whether or not they’re working with a designer that is up to date.

You have to understand that your value is partly dependent on your skills and knowledge. You need to develop multiple skills whether it’s UI design, UX design, responsive design or flat design. You also need to be fluent in multiple platforms. For example, if you come across clients that want to build with Joomla, you’ll have to look for service providers that support Joomla hosting and learn how to build on the platform.

Lesson #3: Selling and Marketing Solves All Business Woes

Many web developers get their business from referrals and repeat customers. However, that’s often not enough to bring in a consistent number of projects every month. If you want to grow your business or career, you have to put in a lot of emphasis on improving your selling and marketing strategy. Having a selling and marketing strategy will allow you to scale and automate your business.

You should try to build a marketing strategy that targets your ideal clients and brings them into your marketing funnel. Then, you can do a mix of email follow ups and phone calls to schedule appointments or consultations. Once you are in front of your ideal client, you should have a sales presentation that’s designed to convince the client to work with you.

Lesson #4: Target a Specific Industry or Audience

One of the best ways to succeed in the competitive web design world is to target a specific industry or audience. While it’s important to work on a diverse number of projects to build your portfolio early on in your career, you eventually want to specialize in a specific area to establish your authority and expertise. This will help set you apart from other web developers and give you a clear focus on how to grow your design business.

For example, you can excel in Joomla development where you help clients get set up with a Joomla hosting provider, develop custom modules, build unique templates and create custom components. You can also position yourself as a developer for mobile apps. You can offer your expertise in designing innovative yet intuitive user interfaces, building great user experiences, prototyping, streamlining user paths, and more.

These four lessons will help you go to the next level in your career or business. Web design is a tough industry to work in. You need to constantly be improving if you want to survive and stand out from the competition. You have to realize that getting to the next level is all about having the right strategy. For instance, you have to decide what new skills to acquire to increase your earnings. You also need to double down on selling and marketing to stabilize your business and set your business up for growth. It’s more about working smarter rather than working harder.