This question was addressed to professional web masters and designers on one of their forums:

I am looking for some comments from more experienced folks in relation to a question of who is responsible for the success of a site: the owner or the web designer?

Here's the situation: You donate your services to create a simple website so that you have a site to include in your portfolio. The donation verbal agreement was to just produce the site. The client would be charged an hourly rate for changes and maintenance. The site is a home based business type site and not a corporate type site. You work with the client to produce a site that is acceptable to the client. The site sells a product. You have created a site that most folks would say is attractive, easy to navigate, includes a shopping cart that accepts on-line payments with ease, and is very acceptable to the client. The site has been up for about five months but not one item has been sold on-line.

Who is responsible for the success of the site? Is it the web designers responsibility to get sales for the client? Or does the web designers role solely focus on the technical skills of getting the site published and maintained? (since that is what was donated: the creation of a basic web site and nothing else).

What should the web designer offer to the client? What options would there be in a situation like this to help the new web designer's and the client's business?

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First answer:

The missing ingredient is marketing - and that, unless you have agreed otherwise - is an issue for the client, though probably at least in consultation with the designer.

The old adage "Build it and they will come" is emphatically NOT true - build it, stop there and they will completely ignore it.

I tend to tell clients who are planning to sell online that building the site is about 10% of the project. 90% remains, and that part is marketing and maintaining. The budget should reflect that. The sites I have made that did best from a sales point of view have been those where either a budget of more than twice the build cost (sometimes a lot more) has been spent in the first year on Marketing. Or where the owners were themselves quite marketing savvy and did a lot of offline as well as online marketing.

The only thing I routinely include at the build stage is initial submission to the main search engines and directories - and in the case of commercial site paying for submission to the main ones that charge is a necessity, not an optional extra.

After that comes:

• optimization of position in search engines
• pay per inclusion in specialist SEs and directories
• pay per click advertising
• partnership arrangements with other sites
• building of email lists
• affiliate programs
• reciprocal linking agreements

Not to even get into offline marketing and advertising, which is often extremely valuable.

What specific items will be of most importance or value will depend on the site.

Sometimes the owner can do a lot of this, sometimes they do some and we do some, quite often I just refer them on to SEO or marketing people to do this work. It is really variable, but unless someone does something there will be a very disappointing response to the site.

So, I suppose basically the answer is, the success of the site is up to the owner, but that owners need to be told the story and advised about the need and potential cost of all these things by the designer.

Second Answer:

I agree with everything Katherine said. The problem you present is a tough one because the site was built without any exchange of money and therefore, no $ value attached to it OR to its management.

I've been doing this work for 6 years now and have had the benefit of watching the web environment change a great deal. I do not take on any new business now unless the client fully understands that building the site is the LEAST of their website costs. Most clients don't know this - and if you're new in the business and trying to build a portfolio it may be a tough one to say out loud to your potential clients, but you'll need to get over that.

Every day I get asked "How much does it cost to get a web site?"  I am so sick of this question, but I answer cheerfully and politely  that "getting" a web site is not where the real cost is, the cost is in getting the visibility. For this reason I encourage new clients to create as simple a site as possible, and spend the bulk of their budget on promotion. If the site/business holds its own, then you can always update the site later and add improvements.

When I'm dealing with a potential new client I try to repeat this concept to them as many times as possible, using different wording because I really need for them to grasp the concept in order to have a decent working relationship with them. If they resist in accepting this "truth", then I probably won't take them on as a client.

Thanks for the question, it's a really good one for newbie's to know about!

Third Answer:

Agree with both above.

It is the client's job to secure marketing so that people get there. It is the client's job to provide content that will encourage people to stay. It is the designers job to make it easy to stay there.

I charge $100 per year for the first URL and nominal fees for each additional, again, per year, for the marketing... but it is something I enjoy and would incorporate into the site design and verbiage anyway, so it is nice to get paid for it.

Originator's Response to Answers so far:

The advice given is great! Thank you very much for the time to respond. I have been feeling guilty because I can't afford to donate all of my time to make this particular site successful. I have been trying to be objective and problem solve what's happening. The first question I asked myself was "Is this my problem or the clients?" Your comments have helped.

The time I have spent so far building the site (with no charge) has been tremendous. I have justified it because I have been learning and improving with each task involved in the site. I have been hired to do several other sites as a result. The others sites I have done for hire have been making sales and are getting good traffic. The donated one is not. (Of course it is the one that involved the donation of building a basic site only that is doing poorly.) The client has no budget for their site. Guess that says allot all by itself.

This also points out the value that has been raised in other posts about the value of a written contract. Since I donated some services to start out, I feel I may have to live with it and learn from it.

I am getting more inquires and requests for more web work (that will pay me). I am just wanting to be prepared with an appropriate response if it brought up that a particular site was not successful and who was actually responsibility for its success or failure.

This also tells me that some sort of discussion guide, list or check sheet of topics or components or key concepts to discuss with a potential client would be very valuable to those of us just starting out. Sounds like Katherine and Helene has done it so much it is just engrained.

Fourth Answer:

Great question! Makes me realize that I'm going to use a contract even for webs I do on a volunteer basis.

Ditto to all that has been said. I don't have much to add except the following:

I'm very up front with clients about what they can expect from a website. All my clients are small business owners and not-for-profit organizations. I explain the numerous options, pay and non-pay. If they have no budget for marketing, SEO and the like, I say they should compare their website to a phone book...people need to know their name to find it though others per chance may stumble upon it.

Fifth Answer:

Keep in mind there may be small simple things you can do to the site that may make a difference... or not. Even though this isn't a paying client, this one seems to be important to you. That's good, but as you've found you cannot let it take too much of your time without some compensation (besides the referrals).

P. S. - have you checked the stats? they can tell you if there's any visitors to the site at all and what's the average page views per visit. (ignore "hits")

Sixth Answer:

IMO - This is a common concern of site owners and companies that contract "webmasters". The thing that developers and "webmasters' must realize is that we are not ONLY be hired to develop a GUI front-end for the site, but, more often than not, to also guide the business owner to a successful business. It is our DUTY to force the issue of marketing costs from the beginning of negotiations. If this is not done, we end up in this same situation with a great web site, no sales and no established marketing solution.

Seventh Answer:

Talk about hitting the nail on the head! I let clients know I will handle SEO, submission to the engines taking free submissions, but then direct them to a page on my site with the options in paying for inclusion in an engine/directory, "adwords" and other services.

If this home based business sells products, I would assume (and yes, I know that makes an "ass" out of you and me) they were selling the products before the site. As they make phone calls, send letters, send faxes, drop off business cards, etc. they should have their web address on their letterhead.

The idea of a web site being a "virtual sales force" is completely wrong. It is a virtual sales tool.

Eighth Answer:

I have to agree with the things said above. When I create a site - I mention our search engine program. If they are also hosting with us - I give them a really good rate on above. I always explain why the search engines are important.

However I would also make sure client is letting customers know about his website. Is he pushing it on business cards, calls, etc..

Ninth Answer:

Having done this for over 6 years and dealing with all types of clients, the ones who are successful are the ones who understand business and marketing.

One thing we tell our clients is not to depend on anyone but themselves for getting people to their site ... their URL needs to be on everything that leaves their office or has the possibility of leaving their office ... business cards, letterhead, envelopes, notepads, invoices, states, shipping forms, etc. And, their voicemail (for main and all employees) should give their web address because as we all know the web is open 24/7 whether we are or not.

We make it clear to the client, if we do "free" search engine registration, that we do not guarantee what position they will obtain.

Tenth Answer:

The success on a business is in its ordinary old business card & letterheads, from here the success of a website develops. Search engines find you sooner or later (if there were a few submissions/links to kick them off.) (and assuming the site has the usual content)

Last Answer:

I will add my $.02 as the topic hits some sore points for me.

Generally, the trouble generated by a client is inversely proportional to the amount of money they pay you. Clients who think that you must provide something for nothing are the worst in my experience. And people who are willing to provide something for nothing and allow themselves one iota of guilt over not giving enough just make the situation worse.

If a nonpaying client complains, you should first offer to refund their investment in your work if they are not satisfied - that will take the edge off all but the most hardcore client.

You say "The site has been up for about five months but not one item has been sold on-line." That is something you as Webmaster have zero control over. What are they selling, Hitler plush toys? $10 pencils? Is the product something people want? Is the price competitive? How much has been sold offline?

What are the site statistics like? How many people have visited and turned away from making a purchase. Those are important questions.

As a web designer, you can make a site, but you can't make people buy something. The flashiest site in the world will not sell a poor product. A good product at a good price will sell itself. Ways to improve the site results:

• Spend money on marketing
• Reduce the price of the products being sold
• Make it easier to buy
• Sell better products that people actually want

Offer to help your client do any of those things. If they expect you to perform magic, don't be afraid to back out of your agreement - life's too short!