Freelance Design - The New Era of Website Design?

By: Liam Hoolahan

Freelance Design - The New Era of Website Design?Years of experience in internet use and website design, has shown me one thing that is certain; there is nothing ever so constant as change.
The internet has come a long way in it's use of websites, particularly, design.
Not long ago, the webmaster was a sought after provider.
Not so today.
With more and more information being released on the internet, with sites that enable users to submit their own html content, it seems more and more users are not only internet savvy, but homemade web page creators.
This puts a damper on the website designer's business.With over 1,114,274,426 internet users worldwide, you can imagine that new websites are launched on a daily basis, by the thousands.
From business owners, to mom's, dad's, kids and students alike, nearly everyone has fiddled with html creation in one way or another.
Many hosting companies offer free web page builder tools and software, giving anyone wanting a site the ability to do so for themselves.
Nearly every internet service provider does the same.
Networking sites, offering personal space for people to use for whatever, have personal sites in the hundreds of thousands.Is the webmaster an endangered species?
Not necessarily.
Advancements in the internet, software and websites, with their ever-changing functions and abilities, still provides a great need for the webmaster.
Especially when it comes to business websites.
True, nearly anyone can produce a website, following basic website structure and design.
But can they perform tedious and difficult tasks in site creation?
Databases, online shopping, form handling, order processing, cross-browser development, etc.
Many of the critical components and functions of websites that still keeps the webmasters alive.Is there a rift in the web design business?
There really seems to be.
With more and more website design firms offering extended features such as SEO (search engine optimization), internet marketing, tools, software and other offers, says something about the design business.
The competition and attracting new clients has become increasingly difficult for the design firms.
Between the home-user, do-it-yourselfer, html software creation advancements and more competition, has seemed to spawn a new breed of website designer; the Freelancer.
The freelancer has been around for some time, but more noticeable now, in greater multitudes.This is not to say that the freelancer has it easy either.
The average freelancer has to be a multifaceted, sharp and quick, web design programming engineer.
Adept at multiple programming languages, programs and skills.
Here in the realm of the freelancer, competition is extremely fierce.
Freelance directories have become commonplace for them, where heavy project bidding wars occur.
Fighting to gain clients or work by piecemeal. The freelancer can be a very valuable asset to the mediocre or even the professional website designer.
However, finding the right one is the difficult task.
In a hurry to secure a bid or client, a freelancer may say they can perform certain tasks for you.
Only to find out that you have paid them and they did not quite finish the project or did not fulfill the bargain, and you are stuck at square one. How to tell the difference?
You need to read between the lines.
Pay particular attention to the way they say things.
Does it seem like a canned response? Then beware.
Does their communication with you read as though they were not listening? Then, they probably were not.
It's your money, save it and move on.
You have to realize, their time is money, more often, time than money.
Trying to secure clients and projects is no easy feat for the freelancer.
So, the freelancer must hurry, applying as many bids as they can, in hopes of landing a few jobs.
Not to say that using a freelancers services is a bad idea.
On the contrary, it can be to your advantage.
Since time is money to the freelancer, they can provide services quickly and inexpensively. Another caution; if it seems too good to be true, the bid or requested price is too low, it probably is.
A good way to tell if a freelancer is reputable; some sites provide their services with a ratings score for the freelancer. Or, you can base your selection on the total number of jobs performed by the freelancer.
Do not overlook the freelancer with 0 jobs performed, they may have just started in that freelance directory and could be every bit as qualified as the leader in jobs and, may come cheaper to you as well. Where are things going to be in the coming months and years?
One guess is; things will become increasingly automated and easier for the average person to communicate on the internet and in business on the interent.
As for the webmaster? I don't feel the webmaster will fade away, but rather change with the changes and become an even more skilled expert and professional in his field.
Freelancing however, may become the next highly marketable profession out there.