What Clients ACTUALLY Want From Frontend Devs (Not Clean Code)

Source: Dev.to

I learned this the hard way.

The Client Conversation

Scenario: A client asks you to add a feature to their website.
You dive into the code, implement it beautifully, and send them a message.

Reality: Most clients aren’t technical. They don’t know what React hooks are. They don’t care about your component architecture. They just want to know:

“Did you add the feature? Does it work? When can I see it?”

What they actually want to hear:

• Simple.
• Clear.
• Actionable.

Tip: Save the technical details for documentation or when they specifically ask. In regular communication, speak like a human talking to another human, not a developer talking to a code‑review bot.

Common Client Requests

Clients will ask for things that are:

1. Technically possible but extremely time‑consuming.
2. Bad ideas that will hurt their website.
3. Features that already exist, but they don’t know how to use them.
4. Completely outside the original scope.

Your instinct might be to say “yes” to everything to keep the client happy.
But: clients respect honesty more than compliance.

Example

Request: “Add 17 different animations to the homepage because it needs to pop.”

You could just do it – spend hours implementing animations that will make the site slower, harder to maintain, and honestly, kind of annoying to use.

Or you could say:

“I see why you want the page to feel lively. However, adding that many animations will impact load speed and maintainability. I recommend using a few subtle transitions instead, which will still give the site a polished feel without the performance hit.”

Notice what happened:

• You didn’t just say “no.”
• You explained why the idea might not work.
• You offered an alternative solution.
• You positioned yourself as someone who cares about their success, not just about getting paid.

Takeaway: Clients who just want you to do whatever they say without question usually aren’t great anyway. The good ones appreciate when you push back respectfully and offer better solutions.

Communication Frequency Matters

You take on a project, estimate two weeks, and go silent for 13 days, then deliver everything on day 14.

• Your view: You delivered on time.
• Client’s view: You disappeared for almost two weeks, they didn’t know if you were even working, they were stressed, wondering if you ghosted them.

Even if the work is great, that anxiety sours the experience.

Simple, Effective Update

Hey! Quick update: I've finished the homepage layout and navigation. 
Working on the contact form now. Should have that done by tomorrow. 
Everything's on track.

30 seconds to write, but it completely changes the client experience.

When the project wraps up, they’ll remember how smooth and stress‑free it was, even if there were bumps along the way.

Anticipating Unspoken Needs

Clients don’t know what they don’t know. Common expectations they assume are “included”:

• A way to update content themselves
• Mobile optimization
• Fast loading times
• Working contact forms
• Security measures
• Backup systems

If you only build what they ask for, they may launch the site, discover it doesn’t work on mobile, and blame you:

“Why didn’t you tell me it wouldn’t work on phones?”

Proactive Guidance

“Hey, just a heads‑up: I noticed mobile optimization wasn’t mentioned in the requirements. These days about 70 % of web traffic comes from phones, so I’d strongly recommend we ensure the site works well on mobile. I can include that in the project if you’d like.”

Now you have:

• Shown expertise
• Prevented a future problem
• Potentially increased the project scope (and your pay)
• Positioned yourself as someone who cares about their success

Clients remember this and spread the word about developers who “just get it.”

Never Go Silent

A client sends you a message. You see it, but you’re in the middle of debugging, so you think, “I’ll respond when I’m done.”

Result: they’re annoyed, not because you couldn’t solve the problem immediately, but because they wonder if you even saw their message.

The Fix: Acknowledge Immediately, Solve Later

Client: “Hey, the contact form isn’t working. Can you check it?”

You (immediately): “Just saw this! Looking into it now. I’ll get back to you within the hour with an update.”

• You saw their message.
• You’re working on it.
• They know when to expect an update.

Even if the fix takes three hours, they’re not anxious because you communicated.

Managing Expectations About Priorities

Most developers juggle multiple projects (3–4 sites at once is normal).

If a client asks about the timeline and you say, “I’m working on a few other projects right now, so it might take longer,” they hear: “Your project isn’t my priority.”

Instead, try:

“I’m committed to delivering quality work on your site. Based on the scope, I estimate it’ll take about two weeks. I’ll keep you updated on progress throughout.”

Result: Small language shifts → big perception difference.

Pricing the Real Value

A common mistake: pricing yourself based on what you think clients want to pay, not on the actual worth of the work.

“I’ll just charge $100 for this website so I can get the client.”

You then spend 40 hours on the project → $2.50 / hour. You’re working skilled labour for unskilled wages.

The kicker: The client doesn’t even appreciate the low price. They either think:

• “The work must not be very good if it’s that cheap,” or
• They take advantage and ask for endless revisions because “it’s not that expensive.”

Key Takeaways

1. Speak human, not code. Keep messages simple, clear, and actionable.
2. Be honest, not compliant. Explain why a request may be problematic and offer alternatives.
3. Communicate frequently. Even a brief status update dramatically improves client perception.
4. Anticipate hidden needs. Proactively suggest mobile optimization, security, backups, etc.
5. Never go silent. Acknowledge receipt of messages immediately.
6. Frame priorities positively. Emphasize commitment and transparency over “I’m busy elsewhere.”
7. Price for value, not fear. Charge what the work is worth; clients will respect the price and the quality.

Apply these soft‑skill habits, and you’ll find that getting paid becomes far easier than any line of perfectly clean code.

Pricing vs. Value

“Cheap pricing attracts cheap clients.”

What clients actually want is reasonable pricing for the value they’re getting.
If you build them a website that helps them get more customers, make more sales, and grow their business, that’s worth way more than $100.

• Price based on value, not hours.

When a client says, “That’s too expensive,” don’t immediately drop your price. Ask questions instead:

1. “What’s your budget for this project?”
2. “What results are you hoping the website will bring?”
3. “What happens if you don’t have a professional website?”

Sometimes they genuinely can’t afford you, and that’s fine.
But often they just need to understand why it costs what it costs. Once they see the value, price becomes less of an issue.

What Clients Really Want

Clients don’t want to micromanage you—they want to trust that you’ve got it handled. That means:

• If something breaks, you fix it (or let them know immediately).
• If you spot a problem, you address it.
• If there’s a better way to do something, you suggest it.
• If you make a mistake, you own it and correct it.

Clients aren’t looking for perfection; they’re looking for responsibility.

I’ve seen developers lose clients not because they made mistakes, but because they made excuses.

• “The hosting is slow, that’s why the site is slow.”
• “The images you sent were too big, that’s why they don’t load.”
• “You didn’t tell me you needed that feature, so I didn’t build it.”

Maybe all of that is technically true, but it sounds like you’re deflecting blame instead of solving problems.

Better response

“The site is loading slower than I’d like. I’m going to optimize the images and look into the hosting to see if we need an upgrade. I’ll have an update for you tomorrow.”

Same situation, completely different tone. One makes the client feel you’re pointing fingers; the other makes them feel you’re handling it.

Building Trust

At the end of the day, everything comes down to trust. You build trust through:

• Consistent communication
• Delivering on time (or early)
• Being honest when something won’t work
• Proactively solving problems
• Treating their project like it matters

Your code quality and technical skills matter, but they’re only part of the equation.

• They determine whether a client hires you again.
• Whether they refer you to others.
• Whether they leave a great review or testimonial.

Thousands of developers can write clean code. What sets you apart is making clients feel confident and stress‑free throughout the process.

The “Easy” Developer

When you consistently deliver value and trust, clients stop shopping around for the cheapest developer. They stop comparing you to ten other people.

• They just hire you.
• And they keep hiring you.

Not because your code is the absolute best (though it should be good), but because working with you is easy. In a world where most developer‑client relationships are riddled with miscommunication, missed deadlines, and frustration, “easy” is incredibly valuable.

Be the developer who gets it.

Your technical skills will get you in the door.

What’s your experience with client communication?

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Originally published on Medium.