Become a Freelance Web Designer: Optional Skills

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Become a Freelance Web Designer Optional Skills From Jennifer Kyrnin, your Guide to Web Design / HTML What Skills are Optional, But Recommended Once you're sure you have the basics down, you should focus on at least one of these optional skills. But don't just focus on them, become an expert at one of them. This will help you differentiate your business from the thousands of other Web design firms out there. Many of these skills are not things I teach directly on this website - because they go beyond the basics of Web design. But in this lesson I'll provide you with links where you can go to learn more about them. There is no reason you can't become a professional freelance Web designer without knowing any of these skills. But keep them in the back of your mind. Perhaps they are something you'll think about learning as you're doing design for your current clients, so that you can expand your business later. JavaScript JavaScript makes Web pages more dynamic, and one of the biggest advantages to it is that it doesn't require any special server components. Nearly every Web browser supports JavaScript these days, and knowing at least a little can only help your business. You may also get clients who want you to know DHTML or Ajax - these are both variations of JavaScript. I've included links to information about those below. DHTML Ajax Flash Flash is much more than just animation, and many companies want the dynamic and stylistic details that only Flash can provide. If you are a Flash expert, you'll have a powerful draw to your design firm. Web writing Knowing how to write for the Web can be a handy skill to have in your freelancing business. You can write for your own website as well as your clients. And you'd be surprised how many clients don't realize that Web designers don't usually provide the content along with the designs. SEO or Search Engine Optimization Like Web writing, if you know SEO, you can help improve your own site as well as your clients'. Even if you don't offer SEO-specific services in your business, knowing how to create SEO friendly websites will make your sites more effective, which will improve your value. Web Programming Languages like PHP, ASP, JSP, or ColdFusion are getting more and more popular. If you know how to write in one or more of these languages, you'll give your business an edge. CMS or Blogging Tools If you can give your customers a blog or CMS to manage their site, you'll have more work. And many freelance Web designers make a lot of money just building templates for blogs and CMS's that they then sell. This email is written by: Jennifer Kyrnin Web Design / HTML Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Become a Freelance Web Designer' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement