>>51830678
Bias warning, freelance webdev here.

>I had no idea how fucking easy website building has become.
If you're happy with generic static information-only Wix site #9003, sure. It's a legitimate option for some people. As soon as you want to add or change something that doesn't have a Wix-provided button, though, you're screwed. You're also screwed if you want any sort of interactivity.

>Also, from talking to people in general, I noticed for some time web site developers/designers are the worst professionals of any industry ever. They charge insane prices, are hard to reach, lazy and generally treat customers with contempt.
I'm sorry your friends have had experiences like that. I certainly hope they aren't typical. They certainly aren't true of me; I don't think I would ever get another client if I acted like that. I'm available on every platform ever during working hours, charge reasonable package prices[1], and work hard to get the job done on time and keep the customer happy.

I write sites from scratch (will sometimes use a Wordpress backend if the client needs to update it themselves, but always writing an original theme) and work full-stack, implementing both frontend design and backend implementation.

>something which her paid web developer had been procrastinating for 3 months lmao
Was there a deadline in the contract? There was a contract, right?

[1] Reasonable meaning a (quite low-end since I'm still building a portfolio) market rate of £20 ($30) per hour, multiplied by a realistic estimate of working hours, plus 15% to cover fees and such.

A simple informational site would be done to a high level of quality for £370, for example.

Of course, complex webapps would take a lot longer and cost a lot more.

I have more to say on this but comment's getting too long. Hope this answers some of your questions anon

>>51831899
+1. good and legitimate reply. This is what /g/ is about

>>51830678
Also,
>So /g/, how unethical would it be for me to charge people to build websites for them through user friendly tools? Would that even be legal?
Sure it's legal, and perfectly ethical provided you aren't misleading them about what you're providing. In fact, some potential customers have had the same idea and are posting jobs specifically for doing Wix work:
https://www.freelancer.co.uk/projects/html/Build-website-Online-shop-WiX/

(Caution: I do not suggest actually using awful sites like Freelancer unless you have no other choice)

However, search the same site for "Wix" and notice that, for every project asking for a Wix site built, there are multiple others asking for theirs to be redone as a standalone Wordpress-powered project:
https://www.freelancer.co.uk/projects/WEB-SITE-CREATION-BASED-WIX-project/
https://www.freelancer.co.uk/projects/html/Building-replacement-site-for-current/
https://www.freelancer.co.uk/projects/html/Convert-Template-Website-9079264/

>>51832006
>for every project asking for a Wix site built, there are multiple others asking for theirs to be redone as a standalone Wordpress-powered project:
Why is that? Are those people looking for a cheaper alternative with the same style?

>>51832006
What's wrong with freelancer?

>>51832071
It's certainly not to save money. Wix is not particularly expensive and they'll have to pay for hosting for their replacement site anyways.

If I had to guess, I'd say they've run into one of the limitations I mentioned. They probably want features added that simply can't be done with drag and drop, and/or they want everything under the control of their own servers rather than being at the mercy of Wix for their entire web presence.

>>51832150
1) Fees are high
2) Waiting periods are long
3) You need to send scans of all your personal documents to a random overseas processing centre before you can get money out
4) Most of the potential clients you see there will be Pakistanis expecting Facebook clones for $100 because they just scrolled past a hundred such jobs before posting their own
5) When you do find a promising project (employer in a developed country, clear description, great prior feedback), your carefully written and estimated bid will be drowned out by 72 Indians offering to do it for $30
6) Obnoxious rules (no communicating with the client outside the site in any way ever)
7) They're like eBay in that they will never, NEVER take your side in a dispute. The "employer" is always right.

I could go on. If you have spare time and are willing to risk it, it might be a way to get started and build a portfolio. But know what you're getting into.

>>51832278
I see, you seem to know about this stuff. Are there any reliable alternatives to freelancer?

>>51832315
Upwork is better if you want to use sites like that.

Personally I built a portfolio site and then reached out directly, first to people I vaguely knew who might be interested and then cold-emailing some businesses. (I was hesitant about that because I perceived it as rude, but I was encouraged by some peers to give it a try and it's worked quite a few times. People don't tend to be offended.)

You might also try finding businesses who are posting jobs for new sites and such on Freelancer, and contacting them directly. This is against Freelancer's terms and conditions, but fuck Freelancer. This has worked a few times for me. It helps if you can relate to their business in some way and can use this as a talking point, or at least are from the same country to assure them that they can skip timezone and language barriers.

I also *do* do some tiny work on Upwork, Freelancer and even casually on reddit et al. This has paid off a couple times with people coming back for bigger jobs.

Good luck, whichever route you take!

>>51832490
Is it considered bad practice in the industry to email a company and say you can build them a better site?

>>51832544
That's more or less what I meant by cold email, and it depends. If you send generic or only slightly customized emails to many business owners which boil down to "your site sucks, pay me to make you a good one", that's basically spam and you won't get anywhere.

Instead:
* Write the email almost from scratch for each potential lead, and make it obvious you have done so. Avoid any trace of generic language, intentional or otherwise.
* Mention specific problems with the site. Be polite but do not be overly euphemistic. If it isn't responsive, tell them how many people browse on mobile now. If it's just old and garish, say that it doesn't meet current design expectations and that their customers may be discouraged by it.
* Remember that they do not care about your process or technologies, only results. Find some stats on the effects of website changes on customer conversion and quote them.
* Overall you are trying to convince them that this is a no-brainer and that they will make back their investment in improved sales rapidly.

I was hesitant too but it does work sometimes and no-one seems to have been truly offended by my emails.