Today I went live with the latest design for GL3 Media. The most obvious change, of course, is a redesigned front page. In the old version, the blog *was* the front page. That’s no longer the case. Instead, i created a static front page showcasing the three main services that I offer.  Here’s a before and after:

Pretty drastic difference.

Most folks that visit this site have a particular need – and I want it to be easy for these folks to find a solution.  Don’t worry – the blog is still here.  Simply click the Blog link in the header, and everything will look familiar.

Thoughts on the new landing page?  Let me hear ‘em on Twitter.

When you’re a web designer, the most important people in the world are your clients. The second most important are your potential clients. Without a steady stream of clients, you won’t earn a living. Your client base tends to also be a huge source of frustration. Even for the most seasoned web design veterans, clients can absolutely drive you nuts. Here’s the thing, though: it doesn’t need to be that way.

It’s not the clients, it’s you.

That’s right – just about all those frustrating things your clients do and say are your fault. There’s a better way to handle things. You can prepare your client for what to expect, so bad situations don’t come up.

My friend Naomi Niles wrote up a guide to help designers avoid these stressful situations. It’s called – you guessed it – A Smoother Web Design Process. Here’s who Naomi says this guide is for:

Web designers that are tired of having issues with clients all the time.
Web designers that find the web design process more stressful than it needs to be

If that’s you, and I can see you nodding your head, so I know it is you, you should pick up the guide. It’s available in PDF form, though you can print it out if that’s your thing. It only costs $7, which let’s face it – is nothing. Pony up the seven bucks and make your job easier.

Get the guide here.

Oh, just a side note before i forget. Naomi has an affiliate program set up for this guide. I could have signed up to get paid every time someone buys her guide through my link, but I didn’t. There’s no financial incentive for me here. Pick up the guide for a pittance, and start handling your clients better.

This week I read a brilliant article by Hugh MacLeod, creator of the famous Gaping Void comics, entitled “Why You Shouldn’t Write for Other Writers.” The gist of the article is, if you write to appease other writers, you will fail. Miserably. Sure, other writers will praise your work to no end. But the customers, the people who are your real target, will not get it. They won’t like what you write. They won’t buy what you’re selling. And that my friends, just won’t do.

This logic works perfectly in the web development and design world.

When you’re creating a new site for a client, it’s important to remember what matters. Writing pristine, gorgeous code is a great goal to have. Clean code tends to make search engines a little happier, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to maintain. But if your entire focus is on writing brilliant code that other developers will tip their hat to, you’re going down the wrong path.

The same goes for the design aspect. Creating a design that impresses other designers is not necessarily the best choice. Other designers are not your client. They are not paying you, and they should not matter to you.

Your client matters. More importantly, your client’s customers matter.

Let that sink in. Your client is not the most important person when you’re creating a new website. The people who spend money with your client are. These are the folks who pay your client’s bills. They keep him in business, so he can hire people like you.

The site you design should target your client’s customer base, or desired customer base. The design should be clean, with a clear purpose. Navigation is supremely important – if a site is hard to get around, would-be customers will leave. A site should be, above all, easy to use. If a site sells something directly, it should be obvious. It should be easy to make a purchase. Contact information should be readily available, in case a potential customer wants more information.

Usability matters more than anything else. Keep this in mind before you fall into the trap of designing for people who don’t matter.