What are a web designer's most common requests?

[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

[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.

[mattster]

over and over again.

Agreed 100%!

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

[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.

[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.