![\"Google](\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/scared-clients-02.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDealing with concerned clients can be a challenge for numerous reasons. I liken it to running around with a fire extinguisher, desperately trying to put out blazes large and small. But it\u2019s not just the panicky ones who need the occasional dousing. And it\u2019s not necessarily their fault.<\/p>\n
The web can be a scary place \u2013 even for seasoned designers. Trying to wrap our heads around privacy issues, security, accessibility, and new technologies can make anyone\u2019s head spin. So, just think of what they can do to the people who depend on us for help.<\/p>\n
In some ways, it\u2019s even worse for our clients. Why? Because there are any number of bad actors out there who are constantly trying to trick them, hack their site, or otherwise extort a few extra dollars. Not to mention the perfectly legitimate things that, while innocent enough, can put a non-techie into a cold sweat.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, here are a few items that tend to put even cool clients into panic mode. But don\u2019t worry. Each one includes some tips for talking them off the emotional ledge.<\/p>\n
If you own a website, or even a domain, odds are you\u2019re going to start receiving all manner of nuisance messages. Whether they appear in your inbox or your postal mail, their aim is to get you to spend money \u2013 often out of fear.<\/p>\n
One of the more famous examples of this are phony domain registration renewals. A company (if you can call it that) will send a letter that looks like an invoice, claiming the client\u2019s domain name is about to expire. It will probably mention all the terrible things that can happen if they don\u2019t renew this instant. And, oh yeah, the cost is massively marked up.<\/p>\n
The only trouble is that your client has never heard of this company. So naturally, they\u2019ll ask you about it. They may wonder if they\u2019ve missed the deadline and why the price is suddenly higher. Have they already lost the domain? What will happen to their business?<\/p>\n
Honorable mention goes out to those great \u201clet me fix your website\u201d emails that show up regularly. But they\u2019re only kind of scary.<\/p>\n
When your client comes to you with a scam message, tell them so. But also tell them, if necessary, who their domain registrar is and why it\u2019s important to have that information on file. It\u2019s a great chance to educate them.<\/p>\n
No, it\u2019s not just spam that gets a client\u2019s heart racing. The emails sent out by Google Search Console can be even more frightening.<\/p>\n
The search\/email\/operating system\/home device\/phone\/world-dominating giant has been known to inundate our inboxes with all sorts of \u201chelpful\u201d messages about our websites. Sometimes it thinks buttons are too close together or text is too small. In other instances, it complains about missing attributes within breadcrumb links.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say these messages can\u2019t point out some legitimate website issues. But often, it\u2019s more likely to cause the recipient to worry about something that is realistically harmless. Worse yet, it gets forwarded to a web designer, who suddenly needs another glass of wine.<\/p>\n
Whatever rubbish Google sends, it should still be looked into \u2013 just in case. Still, it\u2019s worth mentioning that these messages need to be taken with a grain of salt. Clients shouldn\u2019t worry that their site won\u2019t be indexed or that they\u2019re somehow being punished by an algorithm.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever had a client request a change, which you make, and receive a message back stating that they \u201ccan\u2019t see it\u201d.<\/p>\n
Even though I can\u2019t see you (Google probably can, though), I\u2019d expect many hands to be in the air. That\u2019s because \u201ccache panic\u201d is probably as old as web design itself. For years, it\u2019s been a game of cat-and-mouse where we attempt to help our clients clear out browser cache \u2013 a sometimes painful experience.<\/p>\n
I mention this because it seems to be more prevalent than ever with certain website configurations. Managed WordPress hosting services have been particularly difficult in this area. With some, it\u2019s not just browser-based cache, we also need to worry about server-based as well. The result is a lot of wasted time, trying to get everyone on the same page.<\/p>\n
First, get a stress ball. Next, teach your clients about the wonders of cache and how they can clear it from their browser. In most cases, that will do the trick.<\/p>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/scared-clients-03.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Change is difficult \u2013 especially when it comes to software. And it seems like, just when we find a comfortable routine, it all gets blown up by what vendors like to call \u201cUI enhancements\u201d.<\/p>\n
This can really throw a monkey wrench into the lives of clients who update their website. After all, they\u2019re not web designers and don\u2019t have time or interest in keeping up with the industry. They simply wake up one day, log into their website and find that their whole process is turned upside down.<\/p>\n
The most recent example of this is the WordPress Gutenberg block editor. It looks and functions quite differently from the old Classic Editor. Not to mention that early versions lacked the polish we see today.<\/p>\n
This led to a lot of confusion, frustration, and even a little fear that things would break.<\/p>\n
Frankly, it often falls on designers to stay ahead of the game with these kinds of changes. If we see major developments coming along to the sites we manage, we should act to make the transition as smooth as possible (or delay it indefinitely).<\/p>\n
In the case of Gutenberg, that meant educating clients about the new editor. And, in some cases, perhaps installing the Classic Editor to keep the status quo. It\u2019s all about minimizing discomfort.<\/p>\n
![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/scared-clients-04.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It seems like just about every day, there\u2019s something to put a scare into our clients. Whether it\u2019s a crafty scammer, a nitpicking search giant, or advancements in technology \u2013 we web designers are bound to be asked about it.<\/p>\n
Certainly, having to calmly explain these situations can become tiring. There is no shortage of other things on our to-do lists. But on the bright side, it can be very satisfying to help clear up misconceptions and bring even a tiny level of comfort to someone else.<\/p>\n
That in itself is a reward and it also helps to build a high level of trust between designer and client. And, looking like a superhero isn\u2019t so bad, either.<\/p>\n
Clients are often concerned about spam invoices because they can be deceptive and create fear of losing important assets like domain names.<\/p>\n
Web designers can reassure clients that Google’s alerts are often focused on minor details and not major concerns. They should offer to review the issues and provide guidance.<\/p>\n
Web designers should educate clients about clearing browser cache and consider using staging environments for testing changes before pushing to production.<\/p>\n
Designers can proactively educate clients about new tools, offer training, and potentially provide fallback options like the Classic Editor to ease the transition.<\/p>\n
By addressing client fears with empathy and expertise, designers can build trust, clear misconceptions, and ultimately enhance client satisfaction and loyalty.<\/p>\n
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Dealing with Concerned Clients in Custom Web Design Dealing with concerned clients can be a challenge for numerous reasons. I liken it to running around with a fire extinguisher, desperately trying to put out blazes large and small. But it\u2019s not just the panicky ones who need the occasional dousing. And it\u2019s not necessarily their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/scare-th.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-custom-web-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7868"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7870,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions\/7870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}