Category Archives: Blotter

Charging clients an hourly rate versus a fixed price depends on experience with the project. Predictability goes hand in hand with a flat rate. In a nutshell – if you’ve done it before with confidence, a flat rate means you know how much time the project takes and any foreseeable costs involved. A flat rate means you’ll finish it in a flash.

On the other hand, hourly rates can protect a website manager from finicky clients and feature creep. A project with the potential for never quite getting finished should be billed hourly. (Flat rate custom website design is a no-no, for instance.) If there’s a chance your client might come back and say Do It Again, then keep them on the clock. Otherwise, clients have little incentive to stop when the project is complete.

When to charge a fixed price:

• Where a project does not include creative design and engineering
  
• When you’ve successfully completed a similar project more than three times
• When the project has written specifications and defined terms

Sample Fixed Price Projects
Website managers familiar with standard Content Management Systems (CMS) such as Joomla or WordPress know that existing plugins make it easy to get a basic website up and running in no time. Be careful of hidden fees for “premium” plugins that go beyond basic services. But all the below items are repeatable and easy-to-replicate projects that should not necessitate a lot of extra hours. Turn-key software is available for all of the below:

• CMS Setup
• Turn-key templates with CMS backends
• Newsletter integration
• Google Analytics
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Webinars and Live chat Events
• Photo galleries
• News feeds
• Social media setup
• Website hosting
• Email management
• eCommerce

When to charge an hourly rate:

• When the client doesn’t understand the technology
• If you are dependent on a subcontractor
• If you don’t have experience with the task at hand

Sample hourly rate projects
Time management is crucial for website managers who stand to lose the most when work drags on and revisions are necessary. Subjective projects where the work is likely to have complications or changes along the way include:

• Website and graphic design
• Database integration
• Writing and creating copy
• Improvements on existing websites
• Flash or video projects
• Responsive website adaptation
• Marketing strategy implementation
• Employee training
• Mail merges for email blasts
• Editing grammar
• Scheduling and Storyboarding

Caveats to these guidelines

Time management for website managers means predicting efficiency for delivering technology and content, but also how a client will respond when a project is complete. Finally, keep in mind these rules we suggest go to the waste basket where experience with a client dictates how to charge. The question for whether to charge an hourly rate or a fixed price often comes down to understanding expectations and the resources. Experience with the client and the project should dictate which rate system to use.

In conclusion, the difference between charging clients a fixed price versus an hourly rate is no small matter for website managers looking to increase their bottom lines. Charging an hourly rate or a fixed price is something that can and should be discussed with your client, so don’t be afraid to negotiate a fixed price up front, for instance, with a caveat that any work done beyond the terms of an agreed upon project will be billed additional rates. Always deliver a contract spelling out expectations – this crucial planning point cannot go ignored.

To start an online teaching business a website manager should plan the five basic components used to administer academic seminars via the Internet. Most website managers are familiar with content management systems (CMS) such as Joomla and WordPress to manage their websites, so it should be refreshing to know there are online teaching tools modeled after the same plug and play simplicity we already know.

Here are the five ingredients for starting an online teaching business:

• 1. Online Course Management Software
• 2. Naming Conventions for Marketing your Business
• 3. Social Media Aggregation
• 4. Website
• 5. Generated Marketing Content
  

Online Course Management Software is unique for most website managers not accustomed to starting their own teaching business. Online education is something that has been around for at least 10 years and has matured beyond the original Blackboard model for delivering online education. For instance, Pathwright software provides online courses with all the mobile and social media features today’s students and teachers want. But more importantly, the interfaces doesn’t feel cumbersome or foreign to those already accustomed to managing WordPress sites.

With Pathwright you can create learning paths that guide students, employees, or anyone in the world to a new level of skill.

For a less polished but more business-oriented solution, EduTone software also provides reseller and white label partner programs so clients can access web-enabled educational software in one place. There are others offering similar services, and the point here is that you should do your homework and find a turn-key solution that’s right for you.

Naming Conventions for Marketing Your Business should start with searches using services such as Godaddy.com. They offer domain registration for around $10.00/year. Choose a domain name based on the key phrase one might use to find an online course like the one you’ll be administering. For instance, “Photography for Homeschoolers” (www.photographyforhomeschoolers.com) is affective because it literally leads someone from a search on Google to the online teaching tools they’re selling. Simple is better when it comes to good SEO.

Social Media Aggregation starts on Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. These accounts are the windows to your customers, so try to register the literal names exactly as the domain name reads for each one. Social media is often more important than a website itself, so don’t underestimate its potential to drive traffic to your services.

Create your website by starting with an education-themed template. (Be sure you are using a content management system (CMS) back-end such as WordPress.) Most companies – present company not excluded – will customize templates to your liking for a little money.

Generate marketing copy regularly means writing fresh content and publishing relevant images to demonstrate your online teaching courses are leaders in the field. Generate a marketing video so to build followers and explain your mission. A viral video can boom a business overnight.

These are very brief overviews for how to start an online teaching business. Once plugged in, these components can be leveraged to differentiate your teaching business from the others. So, you’re logging in every day to flesh out your website with information and a daily blog post that is also being pushed to all social media outlets. Disseminating information in parallel is good for Search Engine Optimization, too. Remember that you will likely get more interest, more reads and more action on your Facebook page than on your website.

Providing free webinars can also be a good way to hook potential customers into your teaching services. In some cases it might make more sense to utilize a YouTube channel where the lectures are given away for free. Such an offering can provide a stage for teaching but does not include the features of an online classroom education. The option will be much cheaper and more familiar to those who stumble on it for the first time, funneling them to your business in the long run.

Because there are so many “White Label” platforms providing solutions for an online teaching business, it may behoove the beginner to call and get involved with these companies’ own educational programs for using their software.

The fact of the matter is that online courses are now so standardized and readily available that the software companies providing these solutions are “cookie cutting” the sites and will practically hold your hand through each of these steps. Knowing these five steps for how to start an online teaching business is a good start, but getting involved with the software providers who know the business will take you further – and keep you going.

The evolving responsibilities for website managers often require them to go out and seek new resources for help with building a website or social media integration. Because the days of the solitary webmaster are over, it’s important to be thorough and exacting when choosing new team members.

Contractors and companies bring a charming sales pitch when they promise fast and professional digital media building services, but don’t ignore the vetting process. Choosing a good website builder requires due diligence that ensures they have both technical and marketing prowess. The builder must also have a great support system backing up what they do.

All digital projects aim to grow and nurture an audience while fulfilling the mission of the operation or business, but not all website builders have the aptitude or resources for understanding a website manager’s vision. With this in mind, here are a few rules for how to choose a website builder.

10 Rules for how to choose a website builder:

• 1. Choose a website builder who can be reached by phone – They should speak English and be in your timezone. Seriously, this fact might sound obvious, but because much of today’s website development goes to Southeast Asia, be sure that the company you’re using is available to talk on the phone when you need to.
• 2. Choose a website builder who uses an Issue Tracking System – Submitting a ticket and tracking an issue holds everyone accountable. Sending emails back and forth is a sure way to lose control and accountability. Ask what Issue Tracking System they use. Hesk is a light and free software solution that should do the job. Jira is a more expensive, but extremely professional.
• 3. Choose a website builder who will respond in the middle of the night – 24/7 customer support requires more than email and a ticketing system – it requires a phone that will be answered. Phones are not necessarily something today’s website builders leave on during the night – the last thing anybody wants is to spend money on a website only to have it neglected when your customers need it most.
• 4. Choose a website builder who can produce references and sample URLs – Finding someone who has done similar work in the past will help you know they are experienced. But don’t take their word for it – make sure to view source code for credits and contact that company for a reference.
• 5. Choose a website builder who has a contingency plan – There’s no such thing as 100% up time. Websites crash in the same manner as any other technology. Ensure there are regular backups for websites, specifically for any database. By using automated software such as Word Press Backup Buddy, they won’t even have to think about it. Finally, pay the extra money for a mirrored site in the event your main website crashes.
• 6. Choose a website builder who specializes in Content Management Systems (CMS) -There’s no good reason not to build websites based on existing content management systems such as Joomla or WordPress.
• 7. Choose a website builder who understands SEO – The fundamental necessity for Search Engine Optimization requires basic strategy and back-end optimization that is friendly to Google. Ask the website manager if he or she uses Yoast, a simple plug-in that helps optimize posts and pages.
• 8. Choose a website builder who integrates social media – Social media means Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. But those are only the most popular platforms today. Tomorrow may bring Reddit to the forefront and some other hot tool next.
• 9. Choose a website builder who optimizes for mobile devices – With the market moving toward portability and away from desktop computers, ask for samples of work that are “responsive,” and test their websites on your own tablets and phones.
• 10. Choose a website builder who can provide a project plan – Website managers should be responding to your Request for Proposals (RFPs). A good RFP allows the website manager to ensure all requirements are covered while specifying expectations. RFPs also help to prevent cost overruns. But simple “yes” or “no” answers back means the website builder is not to be bothered with details. The more details and logistics they provide in response to an RFP, the better.

Of course there are more than just 10 rules to follow when choosing a website builder. One should never underestimate the need for good chemistry and the avoidance of jerks. (These days there’s no need to work with a technologist who’s arrogant and dismissive.)

Choosing a team member is a little bit like adding a new member to your family. Try not to get it wrong.