Marketing Web Standards: Show Them Rice

2005.04.08

We all have a major problem when marketing web standards: the clients don’t give a shit about them.

It can be really frustrating when someone turns a deaf ear to what we are so passionate about. With experience it becomes more bearable, but that is no solution to the problem. The effort and the energy wasted on marketing technology to non technical folk can be saved by taking a more pragmatic approach: explain how they can make more money with a standards compliant website.

In other words, the way to make a real impact is not to rant about your wonderful paddy field, but to show them the rice. And asking them ‘wouldn’t you like some?’

Get the basics right

The first thing you should make clear to the prospective client is that you can make their site work for them. How you do it so that what they finally receive can last longer and reach more people is secondary.

There are a few important aspects of web development we should get right at the very beginning. No amount of validating can get rid of the fundamental flaws caused by making a mess of basics. On the other hand, websites which do get these right tend to get really successful, although they have miles to go before they validate. (Think Amazon, think Google.)

Good Design

There are people like Mr. Bowman, but there are more people who are talented graphic designers without any clue as to what web standards are - just look at the number of creative flash authors out there. You should let the clients know that you have the artistic skills and the technical know-how to create exciting designs. Make sure your portfolio speaks for itself.

Sound Information Architecture

A site with a sound IA is a site that delivers the goods, where needed, when needed. You should show the client how you pay close attention to his requirements and objectives when creating the structure of the site: let him know that his site will be built upon a solid foundation. A good case study or two comes handy here.

User-centric Approach

Creating a satisfying and memorable online experience is how a site attracts users. When user requirements are given priority in the design process from inception, the final outcome is a website where finding information is faster, buying goods is easier and communication is more effective. Be user-centric in your approach to web design; explain your way of doing things to the client; add a few testimonials for the effect.

Hey, there’s more…

Introduce web standards as the way to go beyond the basics, as a means of creating competitive advantage.

Start with explaining the benefits of using web standards. What web standards actually are can come later.

Reach more people

Sites done with web standards are accessible, and they are device-independant, so they are a great way to communicate with more people, easily and cost-effectively.

Explain why accessibility is important: it’s required by law, it’s the ethical thing to do, and it makes good business sense. Highlight the business case for web accessibility.

Show what device independance really is: take out your mobile phone and browse a site done by you. Let them see how easy it is to access, and tell them that by using web standards they too can mobile-enable their site without adding a cent to the budget.

Be Visible

Search Engines love sites done with web standards. Since the content is marked up to be semantically valid, there’s no need to decipher the page source to make any sense out of it. Explain the benefit of SEO to the client (statistics are on your side), and mention that it comes complimentary with your package.

Make users happy

Standards compliant web pages are lighter, and they load faster. They cause less PITA for users browsing over slow Internet connections or with non-traditional UAs. Web standards enhance user experience. Your client can’t resist happy users.

Spend less on serving

Because they are lighter, standards compliant websites use less bandwidth. Explain to your client that by adhering to web standards, they can achieve a 25% - 50% reduction on page size, which in turn results in a similar reduction in bandwidth usage. Your solution can serve users the same content, better cooked, by spending less than what a crappy table-based version would need.

Hassle-free Maintenance

‘Seperation of structure and presentation’ is the reason, but put it mildly: tell the client that with web standards, changing the look and feel of a website is so much easier than the old school method of doing things. Mention that because it takes less time, they’ll have to spend less for updates. Throw some Zen to illustrate the point.

No worries about the future

Most successful websites grow and expand, and your client’s will be the same. Planning for growth, and accomodating expansion, is easier with web standards. Afterall, that’s what standards are for: ensuring inter-operability and scalability. When the inevitable expansion comes, your client will have to worry less and spend less if the site is standards-compliant. Make sure she knows that too.

More flexibility; Less lock-in

Because your solution is standards compliant, your client will depend less on you. She has more flexibility in selecting a vendor for future work on the same site. Let your client know that you oppose vendor lock-in. It’ll make you look more human and less solution-provider in a nice way. Enjoy the good karma you collect for being considerate towards your client.

So what exactly are web standards?

This is a tricky question. You will be tempted to give them a lecture on our collective mission to take back the web. Don’t give in to the temptation. Be clear and concise, and stay away from details. Paint the big picture by mentioning the basic facts:

  • Standards are at the very core of the success of the Web
  • Developed by experts and with input from the whole Web community
  • Published by W3C, IETF, ISO etc.
  • Provide the foundation to build increasingly powerful applications
  • E.g.: XHTML, CSS, RSS

Mention the online tools available to validate markup (XHTML and CSS), and accessibility (Section 508 and WAI). Let your client play around with them for a while.

If the client is from a non-technical background, that’s all she needs to know about web standards. By now she should be counting all the Rupees* (*replace with your currency) she would be saving, and all new mobile-browsing customers she would be serving.

If the client is a techy, or there’s an IT person involved in the conversation, indicate that you can explain what web standards are in detail. If they want to hear more, you are one lucky designer. Please go ahead and bore them to death with XHTML, CSS, W3C and WaSP.

Additional Reading for you and your client

Permanent Link | Filed under: Standards, Web, Thoughts

9 Comments

Comments Feed

  1. Dulan

    April 8th, 2005 at 10:00 am

    Well said, bro. I think marketing a technical topic to a non-techy audience is indeed difficult (we both know that), but can be achieved like you said, by focusing on how the client benefits.

    Using non-technical terms and analogies to explain the technical benefits works only so far that you read your audience well. Sometimes, the audience could include tech savvy people who might be insulted by the “condescending” terms.

    Marketing anything depends on reading your prospective client well and delivering a valid service/product. A good marketer may be able to sell refridgerators to eskimos, but I believe the truly great ones sell fridges to the desert people.

  2. Mahangu

    April 8th, 2005 at 11:47 am

    Marketing WS in Sri Lanka is especially difficult, as we are stuck in the stone age of design, where clients still think that gyrating flash animations and snazzy sound effects are cool.

    I think one of the best ways to market is to put forward the fact that seperating content from design means less in terms of maintainability. That means less maintenance cost for the client. Anyone, likes to save money, right?

    Also, one other snag I come across is IE. Most clients in Sri Lanka use out dated versions of the browser, and this makes it even harder for the designer, as he has to make his designs backwards compatible instead of moving forward with newer IE versions or Firefox or Safari.

  3. indi

    April 8th, 2005 at 12:08 pm

    One thing I tell clients is that using standards is like building a house to code. Engineers have requirements for houses - the stairs have to be a certain size, etc. Same for websites. In Sri Lanka I think it’s extra important cause people have such crappy computers and connections. Your site needs to be, like, wheelchair accessible. Of course, none of my stuff validates, but I do feel bad about it.

  4. Dulan

    April 8th, 2005 at 12:28 pm

    The point about ease of maintanence is an important point, Mahangu. It’s something that really helps in the marketing of such a site. It also reduces the time taken to finish the project, which results in a cost saving and better relations with the client.

    Further, I’d just like to point out that you seem to misunderstand compatibility. Machan, if the site is web standards compliant, then it *IS* backwards compatible. From the little I do know (I’m not a web designer, per se), the whole point of W3C standards is about better compatibility, yeah?

  5. Prabhath

    April 8th, 2005 at 4:49 pm

    Catering for old IE is a real pain, and most probably the site will never look perfect on it. However, unless we are sure that the site is catering to users on up-to-date browsers, there’s nothing we can do but to be liberal in our application of IE hacks. Yes, I know, it’s ugly, and frustrating.

    Web standards do make sites backwards compatible - it’s just that they won’t look exactly pretty on an outdated browser. If the site looks OK on IE5.5 and presentable on IE5, that’d be enough for most clients I guess.

  6. Mahangu

    April 9th, 2005 at 3:09 pm

    I think you guys missed my point. Most clients (at least most mid - small biz people I work with), still use IE 5 (some even use IE4). When I do a design for a new generation browser, I often have to spend extra time backward-hacking (forgive the coinage) for IE. It sucks. I wish everyone would just get off their asses and download firefox. The fact that MS was not controlled when they were bundling browser with OS really sucks. Now we’re stuck in a universe where almost every technophobe only knows IE. That’s the problem I face.

  7. Dulan

    April 9th, 2005 at 11:17 pm

    ahhh….

    well, I guess this is an issue that so many linux fans would love to talk about…

    but that’s another story. Looks like I need to update myself on the crappy IE issue. Thanks.

  8. indi

    April 18th, 2005 at 7:05 pm

    The day you wrote this I was talking to a client about the same thing, but it still doesn’t work. She wants Flash, she wants moving shit, and she wants music. So I’ll do it. I mean, it’s her website.

    My question is, are this things not up to webstandards?

    1. Flash
    2. Javascript
    3. AJAX

    I don’t like Flash cause its invisible on Google, but I’m getting very interested in AJAX. How does that stuff fit into standards?

  9. Prabhath

    April 19th, 2005 at 8:57 am

    Sensible use of Flash, Javascript or AJAX integrated to a standards compliant website can enhance user experience, so it’s actually good design.

    “Sensible use” heavily depends on the context: there might be an instance where the website is targeted towards high-end users where going completely Flash may be acceptable. If the client is insisting on ignoring a good part of her potential online customer base and asking for more bling on the site, which by the way doesn’t make good business sense, I’d go ahead with Flash. But only after explaining what’s wrong with her decision. The only thing I will never do is going back to crappy tables.

    The same goes for Javascript and AJAX. If the website/online app. degrades gracefully for users who don’t support them, I’d strongly support their use. Choosing the right technology becomes easier when accessibility is given priority, and clever use of Javascript and AJAX can help towards making the site more accessible and usable. Once again, it’s a matter of context.