Member Avatar for Pablo149

Greetings one and all,

I am in the process of transitioning for merely teaching about website design to actually getting paid to create them. My question is simple, and it's for those of you who already make a living doing what I have merely talked about: what are the most common tasks which you are requested to perform as part of your jobs?

I have been advised that I should begin creating a portfolio of my work, preferably work done for people I already know. Still, I want to be able to showcase skills in doing things that people who DON'T already know me would actually want to pay me money to do or create

cheers,
Pablo

  • 5 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 230 Views
  • 3 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by webhawk

Dani AI

Generated

Practical, experience-based addendum for : the answers above are on target — you’ll get a lot of small change requests and local-business work — but paid work also commonly asks for a set of distinct features and deliverables you should be ready to show in a portfolio and scope in a contract. The points from , , and about revisions and client expectations are useful context; below are additional, concrete things clients ask for and how to present them.

Common paid requests (short list)

  • Mobile/responsive redesign and cross-device fixes.
  • Performance improvements (images, caching, load time reductions).
  • Accessibility fixes (basic WCAG-friendly changes like labels, contrast, keyboard focus).
  • On‑site SEO basics and content structure (titles, metas, XML sitemap).
  • Analytics/tracking and conversion setup (forms, goals, funnels).
  • Simple e‑commerce or payment integration, and content/asset migration.
  • Hosting, SSL setup, backups and basic security hardening.
  • Integrations (email/CRM, booking, APIs), plus ongoing maintenance/retainers.

What to show in a portfolio
Demonstrate problem → approach → outcome. For each sample include the original brief, screenshots (desktop + mobile), the key technical changes you made, and measurable results where possible (faster page loads, improved conversions, lower bounce). Add a short “what I delivered” checklist so non‑technical viewers see value immediately.

Client-management and scope tips
Have a written scope that lists deliverables, accepted rounds of revisions, milestones and post‑launch handover (training video, credentials, maintenance options). Offer both one‑off project pricing and a simple retainer for ongoing updates. Keep a staging environment and require approvals in writing to avoid scope creep.

Practical caution: collect license proof for any paid assets, keep automated backups, and keep a short launch checklist so common post‑launch issues don’t become repeated support tickets.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for pritaeas

the most common tasks which you are requested to perform as part of your jobs?

In my experience, the most common tasks are the tiny little things a customer wants changed when he sees what he agreed to... over and over again.

commented: so true! +13
Member Avatar for mattster

over and over again.

Agreed 100%!

Other than that, maybe really simple CMS site or corporate ones for local business etc.

Member Avatar for polar2323

I work on building websites for local small bussineses.

It is really common that my clients want something basic that they can edit them selves. I work with alot of wordpress becuse then the client can take on the editing. They are dont want anything that is to exspensive to up keep.

Alot of my clients dont have the knowledge to make a website for them selves so they use the website buiders that you can find online that cost then $80+ a month where they could be spending $80 a year.

Member Avatar for webhawk

I too have created many static and WordPress and other CMS sites. Like Pritaes said, multiple changes again and again are the most frustrating. I like to let them know up front that they are allowed 3 change requests before I start charging them extra for new changes. Now this includes 3 appearance changes from a visual mockup I send them to 3 web changes once it's coded.

I also get requests for help doing something in WordPress for example. I make sure I give them many links for learning WP upon completion of the project and help with a few basic things but then I start charging them. You can usually tell if a client is not trying to train themselves and keeps coming back for more help with simple things.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.