
Web design is more than just creating visually appealing sites. It's about building connections and driving results. Today, we delve into the journey of Kelsey Barmettler, an experienced web designer who has spent years honing her craft, delivering excellence, and empowering businesses through effective design.
Interview:
Can you tell us about your journey as a web designer? How did you get started, and what inspired you to focus on this field?
I started making websites in my early teens. First just writing html that lived on my local machine, then free sites hosted on Geocities. The idea that I could put something out into the world online where anyone could see it was SO cool. The internet in general was amazing to me. I grew up on a cattle ranch and that came with some rural lifestyle things that filled up my life: obviously chores, taking care of a lot of animals, etc– but all I wanted was to plug the phone line into the back of my blueberry iMac and get online.
So that’s how I got started– I wanted to make websites from the moment I learned about the web. I started out my working life with regular w2 jobs, like I worked at the deli counter of my local grocery store, I worked at a plant nursery, I did front desk at a vacation rentals agency. But I wanted to work for myself, so while I was working at the rental agency, I offered to redesign their website. That was my first client.
A while later, around the time I got married, I bought a domain name, built myself a website, and started advertising on craigslist to build websites for small businesses. I priced myself low, but amazingly had some really nice experiences with those clients. I still have several clients from those first few years who’ve been working with me well over a decade, which I’m grateful for.
Your website offers services like web design, SEO, and hosting. How did you decide to expand your offerings beyond just web design?
I often tell my clients that a great website is worth nothing if nobody sees it, so SEO is important. I make my part in that clear by educating them on on-page SEO vs. off-page SEO, and explain how I can help by building their website using search engine best practices. That’s table stakes, and it’s something I put a lot of effort into getting right, because it allows my clients to compete at the same level as their competitors with deeper pockets.
There’s also off-page SEO, e.g. link building and content marketing etc, which is somewhat less technical. That I offer through a partner, because it’s a different workflow and expertise and requires a huge amount of ongoing education to stay abreast of. And it’s something I’m just not as interested in.
Hosting also requires a significant amount of ongoing education, but it’s something I consider a core competency of building websites. Not that everyone has to run their own hosting, but knowing how it works is SO important. Any mistakes here could easily kick the feet out from under the website. I currently use DigitalOcean to manage my own cloud VPSs, meaning I spin up a server and install all the software required to host websites. I run a LEMP stack, which stands for Linux, Nginx, MySQL, and PHP. (The E is for how Nginx is pronounced, btw.)
Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you first started your business?
Well, what’s done is done so I have no regrets, but if I did it over again I would have started running my own servers sooner, since it’s much more profitable than reselling and it’s something I enjoy. (That’s not for everyone, but I enjoy the ongoing education it requires.)
But the thing that’s made the biggest difference is confronting imposter syndrome. What helped was looking at the real work that colleagues are producing for actual clients– not spec work on Dribble, not brags on twitter, not website design award recipients: real work that results from actual client feedback. When I stopped comparing myself to hypothetical designers, I realized ‘hey, I’m qualified. I can do this.’
How has your approach to client acquisition changed over time?
For what it’s worth, I’ve never niched down. I’ve always gotten most clients through referrals, a small number through organic search, and an incredibly small single-digit number from my local chamber of commerce. For some reason, my leads skyrocketed around the time I joined the chamber of commerce, even though none of the projects I ended up booking seemed to have come from the chamber of commerce. But perhaps the chamber’s domain authority pushed my results up in the SERPs or reassured clients that I was legit. Most of the leads who the chamber referred to me weren’t serious. It’d be easy to dismiss them as time-wasters– and, well, they were– but actually, the experience of trying to close those deals gave me valuable practice in the process of handling proposals, discovery, contracts, and just refining my sales process in general.
What makes a website truly stand out in today’s crowded online world? What key elements do you always focus on when designing a site?
A well designed site that gives the user the right experience and telegraphs the right vibe is something everyone is trying to accomplish, and is getting easier to do all the time as website builders get more sophisticated. But the thing that makes it stands out is making it performative and easy to manage. I focus on passing Google’s core web vitals and making sure that things are done in a way that the next designer will be happy to maintain.
Can you walk us through your web design process, from the initial consultation to launching the site?
Brief initial email exchange helps me to pre-qualify a lead.
Often, I take a 5 minute screen recording of my reaction to their current website, its performance metrics, an SEO report, and generally dazzling them with possibilities.
Zoom meeting helps me gather the specifics of what their goals are so that I can write a tailored proposal (based on a starter Google doc that I can modify quickly).
If they want to move forward, I have a starter Google doc contract that I tailor based on the info in the proposal, including a link to pay the 50% deposit.
Once I receive the deposit, I populate my calendar with all the major milestones and reminders I will need to manage the project. I share with them a high-level milestone tracker, too (again with Google Docs). It includes a week-by-week outline of what they can expect, starting with Week 0 where I get the needed credentials for their hosting, DNS, etc. I also create a bookmark folder for their project with links to all these documents, as well as site inspo, relevant links, etc. That’s just for me.
At that point, I start work with a representative page from the website– generally, the home page. I design in-browser (as opposed to in photoshop or figma).
I make screen recordings throughout the process presenting the designs, so that I can walk them through the process and elicit guided feedback.
I want to expand a little on this feedback process. I give reasons for design decisions, saying things like ‘this button uses the action color from your palette, creating a focal point for the above-the-fold area that will make it clear what action we want the users to take at this stage.’ This method heads off bad feedback at the pass. I do it this way because it helps me get the project to the finish line while soliciting useful feedback and limiting opinionated feedback from the client, while avoiding situations that pit my personal, subjective taste against the client’s personal, subjective taste.
Storytime: when I was a baby designer, I would hear things like ‘can this button be blue? My dad’s favorite color is blue.’ That’s an actual quote, and it wasn’t even the worst feedback this particular client gave. She pretty much treated me like a pair of remotely-operated hands at the keyboard, and the project was a real pain and objectively worse off due to my inability to solicit useful feedback.
This was a turning point for me that helped me to learn not to just chuck a screenshot in the client’s general direction and say ‘let me know what you think!’ We have to walk them through the design decisions and analyze the design for them. I like to literally say things about the design that they would ideally be noticing, like ‘i like this picture because it is x, x, and x, and it draws the eye to x, leading the customer to x.’ Often, they’ll just repeat my feedback back to me.
But it’s important not to let ego get in the way of useful feedback. The client knows way more about their business than we do, so getting feedback about the experience is critical. But it has to be the right feedback, because they hired us for a reason: we know what makes websites work.
How do you stay organized when managing multiple web design projects at once? Are there any tools or strategies you love?
I rely mostly on free tools like Google Docs, my calendar, automated reminders, and web browser bookmarks. I do pay for an app called Fantastical, which gives me a booking page I can send leads to to book time with me. This means I’m forced to keep my calendar up to date, which helps keep me on track a bit better than my natural tendency (which is complete fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, last minute, frenetic chaos).
Web design is a constantly changing field. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices?
I try not to get too focused on trends, since that can really drag you under. I skim https://news.ycombinator.com/ and browse groups of web agency-focused groups like The Admin Bar on Facebook and Focus on Your Biz by Stephanie Hudson to see what other working developers building for small and medium sized businesses are up to.
When you’re not working on web design projects, what are some activities or hobbies you enjoy in your free time?
My life’s focus is my work as a volunteer Bible educator, so that’s most of my time. I also enjoy paddle boarding on a little lake about 20 minutes from my home. Most people think of cacti and snakes when they picture Arizona, and that’s true, we do have those (along with javelina, scorpions, mountain lions, coyotes, and many more critters) but we also have rivers, lakes and snow even where I live on the US-Mexico border.
Running a business can be demanding—how do you make sure to take time for yourself and avoid feeling overwhelmed?
My husband is a great support at making sure I’m not overwhelmed by life outside my business. Inside my business, 2024 unfortunately has been pretty overwhelming and I see the need to improve in my processes to get back above water. But getting exercise and spending time outdoors has helped, along with solidifying useful habits with a habit tracker. I’ve noticed that if I do the things that require the most willpower and discipline first, that my day is way more productive. Noticing which things are most energy-depleting has been the challenge. I used to just handle the important things first, but I found that (ironically) I felt so accomplished afterward that I was less motivated to do harder-but-less-important things, like answering emails!
What exciting plans do you have for your business in the next year or so?
I’m excited to expand my tools to platforms outside of WordPress, making sure that I’m not sunk by the current turmoil at the helm.
As an experienced web designer, where do you see the future of web design going? Are there any trends or technologies you’re particularly excited about?
I’m taking a wait-and-see approach on AI and so-called “no-code” approaches, since we seem to be adding a lot of technical debt and complexity to our tooling and driving headlong into a broken web. Is that too cynical? In my experience, when it comes to the internet, you can’t be cynical enough. But I do the best I can for my clients with the budget they have and the tools I have. I will always choose solid tech over trendy tech and maintainability over popularity.
Conclusion
Kelsey Barmettler’s career journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, learning, and adaptation in the world of web design. From her early fascination with the internet to building a web design business, kelseybarmettler.com, Kelsey has not only mastered the art of creating visually appealing websites but also integrated essential elements like SEO and hosting to help her clients succeed. Her focus on continuous growth, client relationships, and providing value through well-rounded services demonstrates the true essence of a successful web designer. Looking ahead, her commitment to quality and practicality will continue to shape her approach as she navigates the future of the ever-changing digital landscape.
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