I have been a member of this forum for a long time now and have learned quite a bit from the experiences of other people.

I am in an entrepreneur/intrepreneur class right now, at my state college, and we have been assigned to research the industry of our choice through interviews with experienced professionals.

I have been a freelance web designer for around 3 years now and have recently thought about expanding myself into a full fledged web service business (design/hosting/marketing/etc).

I would really like to hear from the entrepreneurs out there (which I am sure this forum is FULL of them) and let me know a few things about this industry.

Please let me know your experiences and answer these questions:

1) Is this industry saturated?

2) How much potential for growth do you see it having?

3) Is there a ceiling, have we reached it?

4) What are some new/innovative services out there that could be a threat/opportunity to freelance web designers?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge / experience. I appreciate it.

Rich

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One more question...

5) Am I asking the right questions, and if so, what questions should I be asking?

Rich

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No takers? Are the trade secrets too secret?

Rich

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1) Is this industry saturated?

Yes and no. Yes for US/UK and European designers as eastern block and other developing countries are freelancing the same work, same quality, same innovation for quarter the cost. Yes there is still lots of work for US/UK/EU developers but for many, the money aint what it used to be. Plumbers get more than designers in the UK.

2) How much potential for growth do you see it having? Unlimited really as there is always something new coming along. However, it boils to value and cost to customers and whether you can be competitive against the so much cheaper countries.

3) Is there a ceiling, have we reached it?

For some areas no doubt. Yet in my view the are cavernous niches that are only being lighly tickled.

4) What are some new/innovative services out there that could be a threat/opportunity to freelance web designers?

WYSWYG and similar softwares coming out more and more, making everything easier and quicker. Its like the robots kicking all the panel beaters and welders out of jobs in the automotive industries. There are programs now doing so much its silly. We have a written and tested software solution for creating database driven websites that a monkey could use. Its not released yet so dont panic, but it will hurt someone :(.

Thats my ten cents

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"Vintage M1951 and Classic M1965 Fishtail Parkas
Yes, I know, I am I geek collector"

www.fishtailparkas.com

Since I first made this post I have learned a few things about the industry.

First of all I know that the best way to surive as a freelancer is to have a network of other freelancers and to be available for outsourcing from larger web design firms. Second knowing more than the next guy is key. Third building a network or finding an unexploited niche market is the only way to survive on your own.

Not me. I'll resell it to my clients or use it to design sites for businesses who utterly lack technical or computer experience. Let me know when that software solution is available, I'll be your first customer.

Thanks,

Rich

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Me

Eww... I think I stepped in some Entrepreneur.

Ok, now that I've abused that joke, I'll answer your questions.


1) Is this industry saturated?

No. There will always be more and more people looking for a web presense. Additionally I say no because there will always be a market for (see #4).

2) How much potential for growth do you see it having?

I can see that there is a lot more potential for growth as people become more educated to what their goals should really be. Some people just want a site today. As they learn what a website could / should do, there is a ton of opportunity in marketing those poorly constructed sites. Besides that, SEO is a continually evolving beast, so more and more money is going to be necessary to stay up top once you get there.

3) Is there a ceiling, have we reached it?

I think the only ceiling is when every company has a profitable website. Since not all companies are making money online yet, there is always a ceiling that we haven't yet reached.

4) What are some new/innovative services out there that could be a threat/opportunity to freelance web designers?

The biggest opportunity I see that few people want to tackle is undoing bad SEO damage. A few people will do it, but I actually enjoy the challenge. (Yes, all of the black hat companies can send their customers to me after they're done.)

The best is yet to come.

Brian.

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ToolBarn.com, an Internet Retailer Top 500 and Inc. 500 Company | Tool Parts | Pet Supplies

Traffic Power (1P.com) and companies like it screwed up the reputation of SEO, IMO. I am finding many customers who are weary about SEO because of what they have experienced or heard about black hat SEO companies. If SEO wasn't so tedious I would focus on that, however I am just making it an extra service until I can find someone to do my SEO for me.

Rich

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