The Need for Website Consultancy
Website design is about 20 years old and its origins are firmly rooted in the technology. As markup languages, such as html, developed people learned how to use them, augmenting them with css, flash and various other languages and applications. But these days prospective website owners need website consultancy, as well as technical expertise.
Many people do not have the time or interest to learn these technologies, and have little or no interest in keeping up with developments even though they need a website. So, there is a market for those who understand the technical side of web design.
However, this is not satisfactory.
Seeking Value for Money
Any organisation that pays for a website will, not unreasonably, expect value for money.
A commercial enterprise, can reasonably expect their website to earn more money than it costs to design it. For a non-commercial site, the client can reasonably expect it to substantially further their aims.
But it is not always clear how a website might best support an organisation. The client may know they would benefit from a website but will need help to pin down exactly what their site should do.
They will find they do not know enough about what is possible online. Or there may be approaches to building online relationships they have not considered. So, a website designer may need to spend some time as a consultant, helping their client get to grips with their site’s purpose.