What is a Web Consultant or Web Development Consultant and what do they do?

web-consultant
What is a Web Consultant or Web Development Consultant and what do they do?

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In this modern age, there is no space for doubt when it comes to the significance and impact that the Internet has on businesses, and web consultants are a very effective SEO and marketing tool for all types of enterprises.

Web consultants assist clients with the digital aspects of their businesses by leveraging their expertise in web development, design, and SEO. These specialists usually have expertise in computer science/IT, graphic design, programming/ coding, SEO, and digital marketing. 

Everyone, from freelancers, and small businesses to large corporations, can benefit from a web consultant who effectively communicates the brand, product, or service and overall company capabilities via their web presence.

In this blog, we shall explore what a web consultant is and does and why they can bring together everything you need for a successful business online presence. 

What is a web development consultant?

web-development-consultantA web consultant is a technical expert who collaborates with clients to enhance the growth of their company with web technologies, development, and design. These experts offer practical guidance for enhancing the online presence of their clients through various strategies, implementations, and plans. They can work for a web consulting firm or as freelancers. 

Depending on each project, consultants could work with multiple clients at once. Based on their prior job expertise, each consultant may offer a specialized range of services. For instance, if a consultant was a software engineer, their area of expertise might be the internal coding of a website rather than its aesthetic appeal and design. So, make sure to check their online CV and portfolio. 

What does a web consultant do?

what-is-a-web-consultantA website consultant assists clients with improving their online presence and marketing strategy. Their key objective is to create a website that attracts consumers, offers simple user interfaces, and increases traffic to the site. Some consultants may specialize in certain areas, such as search engine optimization or website design while others can offer complete web consulting services.

A web consultant could provide clients with suggestions on how to promote new products on their websites more effectively or assist a client in entirely reorganizing their company identity online.

Businesses hire a web consultant to bring their website vision to life. Instead of only performing web design or development as per the needs of the clients, web consultants offer clients beneficial advice to make sure the overall web project is successful. They collaborate with their clients to offer various solutions like marketing tools and website content and integrations. 

Their key responsibilities include assisting brands with the following: 

  • Creating a plan for (re)building a website 
  • Ensuring the technical accuracy of the client’s website
  • Tracking the project’s progress after it has been completed
  • Planning fresh and SEO-optimized content for clients
  • Resolving technical problems of a website
  • Conducting research and website analysis for improved SEO, performance, and marketing 

What are typical web consultant skills?

The following are the key skills required for a web development consultant to enhance a business website and online presence effectively.

Coding

web-consultant-job-descriptionBy having knowledge of coding and other numerous coding languages, web consultants can choose the right coding language for their client’s websites. Although each project has its own unique requirements, web consultants with in-depth coding experience can suggest changes specific to the client’s needs.

Coding expertise may also enable the consultant to modify the client’s code themselves, perhaps saving time compared to outsourcing to another professional. Web consultants may have expertise in coding, based on their previous positions. For instance, a consultant who worked previously as a website developer is likely to have experience creating and modifying code. Basic expertise in different CMS platforms like WordPress is a must-have prerequisite skill for web consultants.

Interpersonal skills

what-does-a-web-development-consultant-doInterpersonal skills, often known as people skills, help web consultants to create better relationships with clients. To effectively complete client projects, web consultants must possess strong interpersonal abilities. No matter how much planning is put into a project, the possibility that it will succeed depends on your relationship with the clients.

When you have excellent interpersonal skills, you’re a people person. Being a people person is being able to communicate with clients, listen to them, gain their trust, and work well with others to accomplish goals. For instance, a web consultant engages with clients to provide guidance and recommendations. The consultant may then assign the project to a reliable group of web designers.

Effective Communication

web-consulting-servicesAs a consultant, you will be providing concepts and frameworks to your clients in real-time, either on-call or in person. You must be able to communicate your thoughts and evaluate facts such that they are clear and understandable to your clients.

In addition to presenting your opinion and expertise, you’ll also need to conduct client interviews and ask solution-oriented questions. You must be able to collaborate well with all your clients and other experts and must have excellent listening skills.

Graphic design skills

web-consultantThe main objective of graphic or web design is to improve, develop, or communicate a message. Additionally, it adds value for the user by enabling them to buy and gain new knowledge. Excellent graphic design can also create emotions in viewers and encourage them to make a purchase. These skills assist web consultants in reaching their business objectives if they can arrange their website elements effectively.

Web consultants should also be able to use the appropriate tool for their job. They must be familiar with several design software like Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, and Illustrator. When designing a website, meeting industry standards and user needs will be easier if you have this skill. They help you in creating mockups, design logos, and graphics, and edit images. 

Writing skills

web-development-consultantA professional web consultant must be able to explain technical specifications and requirements to clients. Since web consultants frequently engage with clients or develop content for websites and other online channels, having great writing abilities is beneficial. A crucial part of writing is knowing your audience and writing effective blog posts that also lead to monetization. Additionally, this holds true while drafting plans or communicating with clients, partners, and stakeholders.

Time management skills

what-is-a-web-consultantWeb consultants must possess great time management abilities and should be able to meet deadlines. To satisfy the goals of their clients, web consultants must plan their work well in a fast-paced atmosphere. 

Additionally, having exceptional time management abilities helps you maintain control over your schedule and finish projects on time. To succeed, you also need a project timeline and tools that assist you in planning and monitoring your work.

What services can web development consultants offer?

Website design

Website consultants are experts in enhancing the journey and experience of website visitors while keeping your brand consistent. The web design consulting process has both a technical and a creative approach, and its purpose is to offer an appealing design. Usually, developers collaborate with a firm on a short-term basis, and they have flexible work schedules because they are contracted on individual projects.

Website development

web-consultant-job-descriptionWebsite consultants are usually a team of professionals that will help you during the whole period of your website design and development phase. 

They will play an active role in working towards your company’s goals. The role of web development professionals is to choose the technology that best suits your business, define the site architecture, and monitor the quality of development, launching, testing, and scaling processes. 

These professionals have strong communication, technical and problem-solving skills. Their purpose is to guide the in-house teams through the web development process and drive high performance. They often also offer bespoke website design and development services.  

Website marketing

what-does-a-web-development-consultant-doWeb consultants should also possess marketing and SEO consultancy skills to perform an audit of the current situation of a business’s online presence. Based on the current customer’s behaviors and preferences, they will form marketing strategies, handle project plans, gather data, and create analytical reports. Furthermore, they will share their ideas and findings with you. 

They work with their customers to increase brand awareness and improve website visibility, attract potential customers and website visitors, and increase the company’s ROI and revenue.  Additionally, website consultants should understand SEO basics to successfully collaborate with their clients and boost overall website performance.

How much do website consultant services cost?

web-consulting-servicesA website development consultant’s services can generally cost between £4000 and £8000, with £5500 being the average cost to design, set up, build and create content for a general website. This cost may also involve the maintenance and training of the client. 

Most website consultant businesses use a flat rate system. With this method of payment, the entire cost is determined before the project starts. You will pay the exact same amount of money at the end of the project, whether it requires three weeks or three months. 

Final thoughts

A web consultant is an expert who can provide professional direction and cutting-edge tactics to assist you in carrying out a successful web design and development project. Additionally, firms who are just starting out and require a budget for web design, development, SEO, and marketing or lack a website strategy can greatly benefit from a web development consultant. 

These professionals may help businesses in a variety of ways, from identifying the correct target market to evaluating product-market fit. If you have questions about such services, please get in touch with our expert team to discuss your needs further. 

Author Profile

Manuela Willbold
Manuela WillboldOnline Media & PR Strategist
Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.
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