We are web designers. That is what we do best but we also happen to know a lot of other things that our clients need and we aren't actively providing or promoting. Here are some ideas for other services to provide that we already know as web designers yet aren't offering.

Have you ever had the misfortune of working with a client who insisted he knew better? (Guest Post by Andrianes Pinantoan)

More and more people are beginning to believe that design is a commodity. It is a small problem now, but will continue to grow as time goes on. Cheap, good looking websites are becoming easier and easier to make and with far lower learning curves. Creating a website for some people is the same thing as buying a car, you pick out the one you like and take it home, and we as designers are largely to blame.

If you do any kind of freelance work you’ve probably been contacted by someone wanting to start an online business or who has a small business and they want to move it to the web. Unfortunately, most of these people are very unaware of what it takes to be successful online. They don’t understand how it works, how much it costs and how much work it actually can take.

Every freelancer or business owner needs a client questionnaire, also known as a project planner. The benefits are numerous, but which questions to add and what to omit can lead to a client walking away or not giving you enough information. Ultimately, a client questionnaire is used to skip that first long phone call or meeting but there are other benefits

One of the hardest things to do as a designer is work on projects that are misguided, unrealistic or otherwise you just don't believe in. And sadly for many of us, it is part of the job. For the lucky folks, they can refuse. But for most of us who are rank-and-file workers, or just scraping by, there isn't that option.

Even if you work full-time at an agency or in-house you probably still get people inquiring about whether you do freelance work. Choosing to be a designer means not making a ton of money, so these side projects can be a nice way to get a little extra. But is it really worth it and where do you draw the line?

I love doing website redesigns because you don't have to work in the dark. The client already understands the process, has some content ready, and they know what they want. You also have an example to look at and can see what worked and what didn't. And because of this you tend to be pretty optimistic from the beginning, but there are some pitfalls that you need to look out for down the road.

As a designer you must posses this skill, and yes, it is a skill. It can be one of the hardest things to do if you are not a very assertive person. Yet it is a vital part of becoming a successful design who does great work.

I’ve been asked this question a couple of times so I figured I’d share my answer to it. Unlike hiring a contractor to build a house, where there is a large materials cost, web design fees are almost exclusively based on hours required to complete the task. So you would think the estimates would all be the same.