How to grow your web design business
*this post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission for any purchases you make at no additional cost to you
“How do you keep getting client work so regularly?”
This is part 2 of my deep dive into establishing and building a web design business. In part 1 I focused on the foundations of establishing your business and the strategies that worked for me.
After following those strategies I found that I got to the place in my business where I was very busy, but not making very much money at all. I was still charging very little for complete web design packages and my experience and skills did not match what I was charging.
I also found with my lower pricing that I was not attracting my dream clients. I decided to focus my packages and messaging to attract more clients that were past the “start up” phase of their business and needing a website to take them to the next level.
Phase 2 - Adapting and growing
Here are some strategies that I have used to attract more of the clients I want to work with.
Create an unbelievable client experience
As you gain more experience and clients you will find that you start to get referrals from previous clients. To maximize the number of referrals you get, make sure you treat your clients like gold. Review your processes and ensure they provide the best experience for your clients. Communicate in a timely manner and go over and above in delivering a website your client loves.
I am a firm believer in doing more for my clients than they can ever imagine. The testimonials I receive regularly mention that. I know my clients are not experts in web design and they are looking for my guidance in how to present their content in the best way possible. I love to surprise them with ideas they would never have thought of and are so delighted with.
Streamline your inquiry process
After taking Melanie’s wonderful course Powerhouse Web Designer (see my full review here) I completely changed the way I handled inquiries for the better.
I have a button on my website, “Start a Custom Site” that has a Dubsado lead capture form on it. Once they fill in some very basic information (name, email address, their current URL and where they heard about me), they are added to my Dubsado program. From there I send them an automatic email with a link to my intro guide which has more details about my packages and process.
This intro guide is just a page on my website which looks like a PDF. I remove the header and footer and add some borders to the “pages” to make it look like a document. For me this is the easiest way to show my intro guide as opposed to a PDF as it is so easy to update and I can incorporate photos easily and use my brand colors and fonts that are already incorporated in the website.
One of the best things about Dubsado is something called workflows. You can set up a set of steps that occur when something happens. So I have a workflow for inquiries that is something like this:
When form is filled out send email with link to intro guide
Send link to book a call with me
When a call is booked send an intake questionnaire
If a call is booked send automated reminders about the upcoming call
If a call has not been booked, follow up every couple of days with a preset email
Having this all automated is a lifesaver! I can be on holidays and not worry about having to respond instantly and potentially losing out on business. The client receives the information they need immediately and I can always send a personal reply as well if needed.
Determine if the client is a good fit
When a client inquires about my services and downloads my intro guide, they receive a link to book a call with me. Having a call with a potential client is one of the best ways to see if you would be a good fit to work together. Often you can tell if you will work well together from chatting and seeing if you are compatible.
A big determination for me is whether the client is willing to invest the time in their website. When they book a call I have them fill out an intake questionnaire prior to our scheduled call. On this form I have some qualifying questions such as “What is your budget?”, “Why do you want to have a new website (or have your current site redesigned)? What will it do for your business?”, “How long have you been in business?” . These questions help me determine if this is someone who is ready to take their business to the next level.
If an inquiry can’t be bothered to fill in the form then I ask them to reschedule. If they are not willing to fill in a form with very strategic information then I have found that this is indicative of the amount of effort they are willing to put into a web design project in my experience. For a web design project to be successful, it is truly a collaborative experience which involves a client being 100% committed to putting in the effort.
Search Engine Optimization
The next steps I took in my business were to really step up my Search Engine Optimization. I hired a professional to help me with on and off page SEO. I also started a blog which helped increase my website traffic.
Set up a Google my Business page to increase your website authority as well. Upload photos of your work there and ask your past clients to add their testimonial to your Google page.
Create a valuable resource to build up your email list
To start building up my email list I created a Website Content Planner to offer for free in exchange for newsletter subscribers. Ideally you want to create a resource that is not only helpful to your potential clients, but is something that is a step towards hiring you. Think of what resources you share with your web design clients and craft something that would be useful in starting a web design project with you.
The power of Pinterest
Most of my website traffic comes from Google searches, but the second source of traffic is from Pinterest. Pinterest is so much more than a social media service. It is essentially a search engine that is more visually based. I knew that many of my ideal clients are on Pinterest so I have made an effort to pin my web design projects on there as well as create boards that are useful to potential clients such as “color inspiration”, “web design inspiration” etc. You can check out my Pinterest account here.
Post your work on social media
Select a couple of platforms to publish your blog posts and work on. If you are looking for more corporate clients, Linkedin and Twitter is the best place for you. For small businesses, research where your customers are more likely to be. For me, my clients are mostly on instagram and pinterest so this is where I focus my efforts.
I must confess - I have a love/hate relationship with instagram. The algorithm is so frustrating, but what I have found works best for me was to adjust my attitude. I started treating it as a platform to connect with others as opposed to promoting my business solely. This works for me as I do not consider myself a “marketer” anyway. I am way more about relationships and helping people.
My main goal with my instagram is just to show that I am a legitimate business and also a real person behind the business. I would say that although I have gotten some wonderful clients from instagram that it is not my best source. I am sure if I spent more time on there engaging and researching hashtags it would increase my client inquiries from instagram, but for me I would rather focus my efforts elsewhere.
Create passive income
If you find that you do not have a steady stream of client work then use the opportunity to create some products you can sell. Website templates are a fantastic way to create “passive” income. They allow clients to work with you at a lower budget and of course, take much less of your time (after the design phase) to install.
Other ideas would be courses, PDF guides, memberships etc. Brainstorm ideas for solutions to problems your ideal clients have and create a product that solves their problem.
Collaborations
Another source of my business comes from other designers or copywriters. Since I do not offer brand design, I collaborate with other brand designers that do not offer Squarespace web design. We can then refer potential clients interested in both services to each other.
I also collaborate with other designers that prefer to do the web design layout only, but hire me to do the layout and coding necessary to bring it to life.
Reach out to designers who appear to be busy and offer to help with any client projects that they do not have time for. If they have client inquiries for clients with a lower budget than they can accommodate, perhaps they would be willing to pass on your name to the inquiries.
Summary
If you are on the path somewhere to becoming a web designer or growing your web design business, I hope you found some takeaways that you can start implementing in your business to start attracting your dream clients!