Working as a freelance web developer can be profitable but also challenging. Yet, you can manage it with ease if you follow the proper techniques and standards.
To help you become a better freelance web developer, here are a few things that you should remember all the time.
#1 Get Approval for Each Milestone
Complete your project in milestones. Break down the entire project into smaller fragments after consulting with your clients. After that, set deadlines for the delivery of each milestone, and another deadline for client feedback.
Getting approval for each milestone will allow you to concentrate on a specific area at a given time. It is also helpful in the sense that the client can provide feedback on a smaller scale for each of those milestones. That will make it easier for you to work on any sort of correction or addition to the milestone and the overall project.
#2 Help Your Client Understand the Wireframe
The wireframe is the first part of the project that you should deliver to your client. And you might have to explain it to them as well. Your client may not be acquainted with such diagrams, which is why you need to explain it to them and take their feedback on how the design should be.
You must ask your client to share examples of websites that they want theirs to be like. That will help you get a clearer understanding of what they are looking for.
#3 Write Well-Documented Code
A good piece of code is always a well-documented one. That means it has proper indentation and comments. These will help you as well as your client to understand the code better. Even if you check your code a decade from now, you will be able to tell exactly what is happening in each line or block. Thus, the importance of well-documented code is unparalleled.
#4 Use Open-Source Tools and Libraries Carefully
Open-source tools and libraries are lifesavers, especially for freelancers or small businesses. They are usually free or cheap, and you can work with them as you like. However, these tools and libraries are not always safe. They come with security risks and vulnerabilities. And you would not want your client’s website to have such security problems in it.
Therefore, you should use an open-source vulnerability scanner to check for risks and possible vulnerabilities. Once you are sure that the open-source technology you plan on using is risk-free, you can go ahead and use it on your client’s website.
#5 Create Backups
Creating backups of the website is very important, especially if you are working on a live domain. You do not want to lose your client’s website if anything goes wrong. Hence, to be safe, you should back up the files occasionally.
Shared cloud storage should be more than enough for this purpose. Keep track of each backup, including the date and time you are creating them.
#6 Ask the Client to Check the Project Properly
Give the client a week after receiving delivery. By this time, they are to go through the website and check the entire project properly. Afterward, ask them to provide you with the necessary feedback. They should not reach out to you a few months or years after the delivery if they want something changed. That will be hard for you to deal with at that time.
#7 Maintain a Proper Schedule
Project management is a crucial component of any project. And you need to be well-organized while working with such broad projects as developing websites. Given that you are working freelance (and probably solo), you have to manage everything with utmost sincerity.
Maintaining a proper schedule falls under the scope of project management. You are to set your deadlines based on the delivery deadlines for each milestone as well as the final product. This gets even more challenging when you have to handle more than one project at the same time. Hence, you need to acquire these skills before you can fully utilize your time.
That is all you need to know for now as a freelance web developer. As you keep working on more web projects, you will acquire new knowledge. The experience will also help you learn new things about the web development industry as well as freelancing in general. It will not always be a joyous ride, but it will certainly help you get better.
