We get asked this question a lot. I mean, a lot. In short, the answer is yes! We will create websites for almost everyone in almost every sector!
There are some limited exceptions. For one, we’ll always tell you in the unlikely circumstance we don’t feel we have sufficient experience to complete a brief. We’d rather be honest and give you a website you’re happy with, rather than lie and disappoint you. There are also a couple of niche industries we feel are unethical, or we don’t want to be involved with. Without naming names, our published ethical statement should give you a clue as to what these kinds of things are.
But realistically, there’s no reason why most web designers shouldn’t be able to create a website for your business – regardless of the sector their original experience comes from. Having said that, some people seem reticent to hire web designers or developers who don’t have sector-relevant experience. We think this is plain silly, and here’s why:
A specific skillset
Many people tell photographers “what a nice photo – you must have an amazing camera” but few people tell a baker “what a nice cake – you must have an amazing oven”. I imagine this is a result of a misunderstanding of what goes into taking good photographs versus the effort involved in preparing a good meal.
Similarly, creating a website that people can use and works hard to achieve the objectives of a business is more about what the website does than what the business does. There’s an overlap, to be sure, but many users unfairly associate their perception of a company based on the quality of their website, not their product or service.
To labour the analogy, wouldn’t you want a top-notch plumber who could do all sorts of projects? As opposed to a middle-of-the-road plumber who can only do commercial kitchens?
A blinkered view
One of the key risks when working within a specific industry is that you only really look at what other key players in the industry are doing, and everyone plays a game of catchup – trying to imitate the success of whoever is at the top of the field.
There are undoubtedly industry-specific lessons to be learned, but when everyone is looking at what everyone else is doing, the users in this space aren’t exposed to
A fresh perspective
We purposefully don’t review other websites in your industry when preparing proposals, as we don’t want to be coloured by what the sector thinks is good practice now, but rather help define what it could be.
In fact, we prefer cross-pollination of ideas from different sectors, making the best use of design innovation thinking from different contexts to achieve your goals. If you look away from your direct competition for a second, you might see something that surprises you.
We like to think all our designs are clean, effective and modern, but we’ll let you take a look at our case studies and make up your own mind. By balancing an understanding of aesthetics and usability, we can create a good-looking, but most of all useful website for your users, regardless of your industry.
Bottom line
If any of this makes sense to you, why not take a chance on a web designer or developer who has created things you like, even if they don’t have experience in your sector? Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
It doesn’t have to be us, but our website design and web development services are suitable for every sector – check them out!
