How to Start Your Own Web Design Business

1) Ask yourself “Why?”

No, seriously. Why are you doing this?

You’ll have to reflect on your motivations when you are stuck in a code line, dealing with a customer who is demanding and has no clue what they want or having to decline yet another social invite to meet a tight deadline. This will help you stay motivated and consistent.

I wanted to create a business online that was location independent and would allow me to spend my time doing what I enjoy.

I had to simplify my life and earn a modest amount of money in order to achieve this. I did extensive research and found that my own web design company would enable me to achieve this.

2. Find your niche

This cliche is probably a tired one. Do you want to find out why this cliche is repeated so much?

It’s true.

It is particularly true in the industry of web design. The industry is so crowded Competition is fierce.

Even worse, many people have negative experiences with web developers. Some people’s brains are coated in molasses when they hear “website design”.

How many times did you receive a broken English phone call or an email from India to try and sell you web design services? This is what some people think of when they hear someone talk about web design.

You’ll have a lot of work to do, between intense competition and negative associations associated with your work. You can’t just be a web designer.

What makes you unique? What makes you unique? What makes you unique?

You can get a small slice of the huge web design pie by answering these questions.

When I was searching for my web design niche, it became apparent that everyone offered websites that were “beautiful”, professional”, responsive” and affordable. However, no one sold fast web design.

This was my ticket.

My entire business was built around this simple idea. I can build your site in just two days, while most designers will take weeks or months. I built a site for a man in less than 24 hrs.

3. Establish your brand

What did I call this fast website design company that specialized in web design?

Catchy? No. Sexy? Not at all. Is it easy to remember? No.

If you asked someone to describe my business based solely on its name, I am confident they would be able answer the question correctly.

Successful brands do just that. It communicates as clearly as possible your value proposition. Your brand is composed of:

1. Logo
2. Color guide
3. Slogan/tagline
4. Voice/messaging

Logo

You can hire a graphic designer if you’re willing to pay. If you don’t have any money, as I did, then you can create your own.

(like social media channels, for example)  You can use social media channels as an example.

Color guide

Choose 2 or 3 colors to be the foundation of your brand. They will be used for everything, from your logo to your website to your marketing material.

Slogan/tagline

Keep it simple, but catchy.

Mine? ? Web design that is fast and affordable. Guaranteed.

Voice/messaging

You may have found this one confusing.

Think of your brand like a human being. What are the values of this person? What are their likes and dislikes? Strengths and weaknesses What is your style of speech? Age? Gender?

When developing your brand messaging, it’s crucial to keep your target audience in mind. You’re targeting the 60+ senior crowd. They won’t want to hear from a beanie-wearing punk who drinks frappucinos and Snapchats.

4. Register your domain name

It’s now time to register your domain name!

Note: Some people check to see if a domain name they prefer is available , before settling upon a company name. If you are one of these people, you can reverse steps #3 and 4.

You can register a domain name with dozens companies.

I didn’t know about many of these options when I started. So, I chose GoDaddy. After more experience I would not recommend them. I find that they annoy me with too many small things, but not enough to move elsewhere. I’ve heard a lot about Name cheap and many bloggers use it.

You may not need them at all, depending on which web design tool that you choose to use.

5. Pick the right tool for website design

Now the things are starting to get interesting.

Today, there are many website builders. You’ve probably heard about a few of them. Here are the most popular choices.

• Weebly
• WordPress
• Shopify
• Squarespace
• Wix
• Jimdo

Take a look at them all, shall we?

Weebly

Weebly has always been one of my favorite sites. It’s the easiest site to use and allows your customers to easily edit their website whenever they want. This is a feature that almost everyone wants.

Weebly also offers a version of its platform that is and only, for web designers such as myself.

It is easy to use this tool and white label their products.

Weebly is often dismissed by snobbish web designers as ” to Simple”, but it all depends on how you look at things. My target audience are small business owners that want to go online quickly and affordably. They are not familiar with online marketing.

Weebly was the best fit for my business and me.

For a while, at least.

Now that my company has grown and I have gained more skills, I’ve switched to WordPress.

WordPress

WordPress is by far the most popular platform for web design in the world.

You can customize it to your liking. Wordpress can be anything you want it to. This blog is powered by WordPress.

But comes with increased complexity. The learning curve is steep. You will have a difficult time if you are not familiar with web design.

You should start learning WordPress if you want to become a web designer. Use a simpler tool, such as Weebly, to gain some experience.

I’m using WordPress on nearly all my client websites.

Shopify

Shopify is the best choice if you are building websites that cater to your clients’ ecommerce needs. Straight up.

It is the number one ecommerce platform in the entire world. They are constantly innovating new products and ideas that make selling online a breeze.

You can also build multiple income streams with their products by using their reseller platform.

High recommend!

Squarespace

Squarespace has advertised on Facebook, Twitter YouTube, Instagram, television, radio, billboards, and all my favorite podcasts. They’re everywhere.

They’re certainly popular, but I don’t have an opinion about them. It’s because I haven’t used their product.

You should check them out and let me know what you think.

Wix

Wix is a popular DIY platform for web design. It’s more advanced than Weebly but simpler than WordPress.

I have found that the Wix website’s loading speed is very slow. Keep this in mind. Try it yourself and tell me if I am wrong.

Jimdo

I don’t know anything about . Honestly.

I’m aware that they are a minor player in the world of DIY web design. This is all. It didn’t seem right not to include them.

6. It’s time to create your website!

Woop woop Let’s get building!

Now you have all the information needed to start your own website.

I could write a million blog posts about how to build a website that is successful, but nobody has the time. Just remember these principles for now:

1. Simple is better. Less is more. Clean, minimal, beautiful.
2. Images and videos of high quality are essential to your website. It is nothing without them. About 70-80% should be made up of them.
3. Always keep the mobile in mind when designing. Mobile traffic is now the majority. Make sure your site is fully responsive on all devices.
4. The speed of is important. Compress all your images as much as you can without sacrificing their quality. Don’t use too much fancy code or add bloated extensions and apps!
5. Your experience must be amazing. Make sure that you are clear about what your visitors should do. Follow them on that path. You want them to sign up for your newsletter. Purchase a cup warmer made by hand? You can call me? Show them how. If you do not, will send your visitors away as quickly as they came.
6. Avoid these common mistakes in web design. ? ?? ?

You’ll learn as you go, just like I did! Just like me, you’ll be learning as you go!

7. Choose your billing platform

You do like getting paid, don’t you?

You need an invoice platform that:

• It is easy to create beautiful invoices.
• Automatically track expenses (you will thank me when tax season comes around)
• Subscriber-based products can be invoiced automatically for recurring payments
• Can process credit cards payments

I use fresh books to invoice and stripe to process credit cards. FreshBooks has a built in credit card processor. They didn’t have one when I first signed up. They also integrate seamlessly with Stripe.

There is also a version that’s free. Ideal for those who are just getting started.

8. Install your credit card processing system

Stripe is what I use.

Do not start building websites for clients before you’ve completed this step. In these modern times, almost everyone prefers to pay by credit card. Both you and your client are protected.

You will also be able to preauthorize customer charges. I won’t begin any work until I have received a 50% deposit.

Half before the work begins, and half after the job is completed. Get rid of all the suspect people.

9. Promote the shiny new website design business you just launched!

Your logo, brand guide and website are all set up. You’re now ready to build websites and make paper!

Create a profile by clicking here

• Google My Business ( essential)
• Yelp
• Facebook (if you feel you must… I hate Facebook myself and have deleted it).
• Twitter is no longer my favorite social network. It’s toxic.
• Pinterest (great for blog traffic)
• If you don’t have a YouTube account, you are way behind.
• Instagram is a great way to show that you are living what you preach.
• Reddit can be a very helpful tool if you are a person with thick skin.
• Quora is primarily used for thought leadership.
• Launchers is a social network for web developers.

Let’s leave it there for the moment. You should only invest time in a few of these platforms. You’ll end up spreading yourself thin if you use them all. Focus on your goal!

10. Finding new clients

It is by far the most difficult part of being a website designer.

You can find web designers in many places on the internet, but I’ll tell you what:

Your network is your most valuable asset

You can ask your friends, family members, coworkers or social media contacts to help you find clients. They will help you find clients if you don’t already have a portfolio.

You’ll need to be patient. You will need to be persistent and patient. As you complete one website after another, you’ll start to notice a “snowball” effect. A happy customer will spread the word amongst their friends and family and so forth.

Here are some more places for freelancers.

Work Upwards

Upwork has the largest number of freelancers in the world. Both its supporters and critics are equally numerous.

Here you can find some well-paying positions. Be prepared to work hard to make yourself stand out amongst the crowds of Indians and Filipinos. It’s especially important when you lack experience.

You can also find out more about the Guru

Guru works like Upwork but is smaller. ‘Nuf said.

Google Maps

You need new clients for your web design quickly? Go local.

Open Google Maps and find local businesses around you. Check if they’ve got a website. Visit them if they don’t. Go pay them a call if they try, but the results aren’t good.

“I have to talk to people in person?” I have to speak to people personally? “But I’m terrible at sales!”

You’ll find the best things in that small area just out of your comfort zone. You can do it. ? ?? ?

Craigslist

Although it’s an old-school method, it still works.

They don’t know where to look for a web designer. They go to the same place where they shop for everything else, Craigslist.

Start answering people’s questions. Be prepared to get little pay.

11. Focus on your customer’s experience

You need to treat your first web design customer like a princess. I’m not talking just good.

Your customers are your greatest asset. You need to “wow” your customers from the moment they find you on the web to the moment they send you their final payment .

There is no too small. Each interaction should further your brand’s messaging.

Here is an example of what my website visitors will see when they request a quotation:

The small size is more memorable than the “Thanks for your submission!” We’ll be in touch soon.”

Here’s what happens when visitors to my blog get a 404 error page:

You will be able to build a successful website design business if you are able to perfect the customer experience.

12. Implement automation and scaling

Automate as much as possible. You can automate:

• Sending invoices
• Payment processing
• Email communication
• Lead generation
• Funnel management

It’s going to take me a while to get through all of this, so I’ll need to do it in several blog posts. I’ll be posting them here as soon as I can.

Focus on getting the business off the ground, and gaining customers.

13. Consider additional services that you can provide

Websites are essential for small businesses. What else is needed by small businesses?

What are some examples?

• Logo Design
• Branding
• Search Engine Optimization Services
• Content Marketing
• Blogging
• Video Production and Editing
• Website Management Services

Be creative. What problems can help you solve?

I began by offering only web design services. As my skills improved, I expanded into other products and services. As listed above.

To avoid sounding redundant, do not spread yourself thin at the start. Begin by developing your web design abilities, and then gradually expand.

Now I have a small staff to help me keep up with the demand. Growth is the key!

Are you ready to launch your own web design company?

This will require a lot more work. Nothing in life is easy.

You can follow the guide and have your website design business ready in 24 hours . However, you can also grow it at your own pace .

There will be ups and downs. Waves of customers tend to arrive. You’ll find that you have more clients than you can handle one minute, then you’ll need to beg for new ones the next.

There is still work to do. take advantage of downtime to engage in other activities.

No matter what you do, start .

I think I’ve laid out a fairly clear path to building a website design business from the ground up. I hope it’s helpful to you!