Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more details.

Why You Need Great Graphics for Your Website

Not to mention that using the wrong stock photos and graphics can lead to some serious trouble:

• Clients walking away
• Brand/service disparities
• Lack of brand recognition
• Legal issues

The trick to running a profitable business is differentiating your brand from your competitors. But if your images and graphics look exactly like your competitors’, you won’t be able to stand out from the crowd.

If you have unique photos, your clients will perceive you differently.

How to Use Stock Photos 

In order to use stock photos successfully, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

1. Know Your Hierarchy

Before you start downloading photos left and right, make sure you’ve designed your website. There’s no point in selecting photos before you know your design constraints.

This is especially important if you plan on paying for the stock photos.

Once you’ve prepared your website design, you’ll know the type and format of images you can work with, and select your stock assets accordingly.

2. Branding

Regardless of whether you’re designing your own website or a website for your client, it’s going to be the storefront of the brand.

This means that you need to pay attention to visuals and color palettes.

The stock photos you choose have to fit the branding.

If you’re working with a brand that has a soft, romantic aesthetic, you shouldn’t go for technical images.

It’s a good idea to consult your client before you purchase the stock photos to ensure that the images go with the branding, and you don’t waste any money on the wrong photos. You can also use free stock photos for mock-ups before selecting the final images.

3. License Types

While the majority of stock photos are royalty-free, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you’d like with them.

Make sure you double-check the license under which you’re downloading your photos:

• Can you use the images commercially?
• Can you modify the images freely?
• How many times can you use the images?
• Do you have to give credit to the photographer?

The best stock photos sites we’re covering in this article include license guidelines with each photo, so you’ll be safe.

If you’re using other sources, make sure you know the legal constraints before you embed them into the site.

4. Use and Reuse Images

If you want to make the most of the images you download and/or buy (and your license allows it), you can customize and reuse them.

From editing images in graphic software to creating additional materials, you can do plenty with just a few stock images.

If you can also get some of your own images (e.g. product images), you can combine them and create enticing visuals to draw more clients to your/your clients’ sites.

Websites Using Photos the Right Way

Graphics can produce some really great results for your freelancing business. Images draw a lot of attention, and if you’re not using them correctly, you’re just wasting valuable space on your site. Using the right images, however, can boost your site’s conversions and create a better connection with your target audience.

For example, did you know that adding a smiling photo to your website can increase conversions by 10%?

Check it out:

Step 1: Take a serious photo of yourself where you’re not smiling.

Step 2: Retake the same photo, but this time smile.

Now that you know the power of images, it’s time to find amazing photos!

Let's dive into the best stock photos sites for 2019.

5 Best Stock Photos Sites for Your Website

3. Depositphotos

4. Unsplash

Now It's Your Turn!

You now understand the importance of using great stock photos for your website and the five best stock photos sites for you and your clients.

And now I’d like to turn it over to you:

Which stock photo provider will you choose?

If you're already using one of these services, what has your experience been like so far?

Or maybe you have a question.

Either way, leave a comment below right now.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more details.

Why a Great Web Design Template Is Hard to Come by

If we’re all so aware of the importance of web design, why do we still come across websites with random themes?

Surely, the only piece of online real estate you and your clients truly own needs more attention.

Unfortunately, many clients either choose themes that don’t offer the functionality they need, or they’re hesitant to pay for a web developer to build a theme that fits their needs perfectly.

This results in websites that feel poorly made and are hacked together with plugins to make up for the lack of features.

This is especially common with WordPress websites.

Ultimately, when your client’s customers visit the website, their user experience will suffer.

As soon as they land on a website that feels unfinished, uncared for, or hard to navigate, they will be less likely to trust the company behind it.

If nothing else, that translates to a lot of lost revenue.

But with a great web design template, you and your clients will be able to improve customers’ user experience and attract more paying customers.

So if the clients don’t want to pay for hundreds of hours of code that you’d need to create a design template from scratch, what can you do?

The easiest and quickest thing to do is to use one of the best web design templates and themes described in this blog post.

Creating Beautiful Web Design Templates with Themes, Page Builders and Plugins

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to bury yourself under mountains of code to create a beautiful website.

Depending on your clients’ needs, you can use:

• A child (tweaked) theme
• Plugins
• Page builders

Of course, there are some cases where your clients’ needs are so unique that you can’t help but to build a theme from scratch.

However, in the majority of cases, you will save a lot of time and money by implementing the solutions that already exist.

In this post, we’re going to show you five of the best web design templates and themes that you can customize, and make sure your clients are getting the most bang for their buck.

How to Choose a Web Design Template​

The best thing about using one of the best web design templates is the fact that you can focus on strategy:

• What are you (or your clients) really hoping to accomplish with your theme?
• What features do you need?
• What results are you expecting?

Keep in mind that clients are actually looking to get a solution. They don’t care if they get a website made from scratch, or a modified template that serves its purpose.

All they care about are results.

So when you’re considering potential solutions, keep your clients’ needs in mind.

One of the quickest ways of getting them results is by using one of the best web design templates and themes recommended in this article.

Best Web Design Templates and Theme Options

1. Elegant Themes (Divi)

Elegant Themes for WordPress is one of the most widely used themes. It’s versatile; both institutions and bloggers can use it to create beautiful and functional websites.

Its main perk is that it comes with an integrated drag & drop page builder: Divi.

The main benefit of Elegant Themes and the visual page builder, Divi, is that you can do everything on the front end. You don’t have to switch tabs between back-end code and front-end presentation.

Instead, what you see is what you (and your clients) will get. You can easily preview changes for the clients. Forget about InVision wireframes. Everything you need is right there in Divi.

Clients are expecting the drag & drop approach moving forward. After seeing platforms like Squarespace and Wix, and being able to adjust things with a simple drag and drop of particular modules, clients want web design to be simple.  

Divi itself comes with over 800 pre-made templates, so if you and your clients see something that you like, you can simply implement it. New layouts are added every week, as well as royalty-free elements. It’s all included in the license fee.

If you work with a lot of similar clients, you’ll be happy to know that as soon as you pay for one license, you can create an unlimited number of themes.

Elegant Themes and Divi are one of the best examples of page builders, but they do come with a few cons.

Elegant Themes (Divi) Pros:

• Faster build time. Since Elegant Themes and Divi come with a variety of pre-made templates and features, you can simply plug and play. The ultimate result will be a beautiful website. You don’t even have to spend hours coding it into existence.
• Easy to edit. If you or your clients need to make changes, you can do it in a few clicks. The majority of the work is front-end, although you will be able to use custom CSS.
• Layout and element library. Divi is one of the best page builders for a reason. It comes pre-packed with elements such as opt-in and CTA buttons, as well as templates and royalty-free images.
• Responsive design. You can customize different elements of the theme for different device versions.

Elegant Themes (Divi) Cons:

• Website speed. Since Divi is full of elements (and chances are your clients are going to want a lot of them), it can cause code bloating and slow down the speed of your websites.
• Limitations. Divi has its own way of doing things, so you have to follow the framework closely. Unfortunately, it comes with some pretty hard limitations, so keep that in mind.
• Messy code. Since Divi is an ambitious page builder, it can leave some messy code behind if you ever choose to stop using it.

Use Cases for Elegant Themes (Divi):

• Simple websites. If you need to create an eCommerce website with hundreds of pages, avoid using Divi.
• One & done. Divi is a great fit for clients who don’t plan on making any significant changes to their websites. Otherwise, they could break something easily.
• UX. When your clients’ customers expect to see beautiful websites, go with Divi. Especially if you don’t plan on adding a lot of custom code or plugins.

Pricing:

• You can pay $89 for yearly access to Elegant Themes and Divi Builder.
• You can also pay a $249 one-time license fee that comes with lifetime updates and lifetime support.

2. Thrive Themes

If your clients want you to focus on results, Thrive Themes are a great choice for their websites. Promoted as conversion-focused WordPress themes and plugins, Thrive Themes offer a variety of features for next-gen business owners.

Thrive Themes offer a variety of other features and products that increase conversion rates:

• Thrive Leads – An email list building tool complete with opt-in forms and A/B testing features
• Thrive Architect – Visual, drag & drop page builder
• Thrive Landing Pages – Landing page builder
• Thrive Clever Widgets – Advanced widgets that allow your clients to target specific customers and adapt widgets accordingly
• The Headline Optimizer – Headline A/B testing
• Thrive Ultimatum – Scarcity marketing plugins such as countdown timers
• Thrive Ovation – Testimonials on autopilot
• Thrive Quiz Builder – Build quizzes that improve conversions, collect data, and build your clients’ email lists
• Thrive Comments – Gamified feedback collecting
• Thrive Optimize – An A/B testing tool

All in all, Thrive Themes offer more than web design templates.

The company provides well-rounded marketing and conversion rate optimization features, all embedded into the themes you create for your clients.

Similarly to other page builders such as Divi, Thrive Themes’ Architect comes with a variety of pre-loaded modules. The majority of them are specifically focused on improving conversions.

With a variety of plugins created specifically to get your clients the results they want to see from their website, Thrive Themes is a great fit for creating highly-marketable and successful websites that earn money.

Thrive Themes Pros:

• Marketing toolbox. There’s no way around it: Thrive Themes are actually a marketing toolbox, with all the plugins needed to improve your own or your clients’ conversion rates.
• Visual builder. Similarly to Divi, Thrive Themes come equipped with the Thrive Architect, a visual, drag & drop style theme builder. This means less code and more beauty.
• Templates. If you want to get a website up and running in a few minutes, Thrive comes equipped with pre-made themes, templates for landing pages, and modules you can use.

Thrive Themes Cons:

• Pricing. Thrive Themes cost a pretty penny, especially if you opt for full membership and/or additional plugins. They don’t offer a lifetime fee, which means you’ll have to work with $19/month for up to 25 of your own sites. If you’re a web designer, you’ll have to shell out $49/month for up to 50 of your or your clients’ sites.
• Lack of customization. Just like any page builder, Thrive Themes have some pretty hard limits on what you can customize without coding.
• Product confusion. It can be a bit confusing to separate products and choose the ones you and your clients need.

Use Cases for Thrive Themes:

If you work with clients who want to improve their conversion rates with the websites you make, or clients who sell through their websites, Thrive Themes are a great choice.

Pricing:

Thrive membership starts from $19/month for up to 25 sites.

3. Elementor

Elementor is the world’s leading WordPress page builder.

Just like other WP page builders, Elementor offers plenty of pre-made modules you can drag and drop to your clients’ sites to customize them as you see fit.

Again, this saves a lot of time you’d have otherwise spent coding. Instead, you can focus on creating the solutions your clients want to see.

Elementor comes in two versions: free and pro.

In the free version, you’ll be able to use the drag & drop builder. However, there are a few caveats: you don’t get the WooCommerce Builder (indispensable for eCommerce sites), Theme Builder, or the Popup Builder.

Now, other page builders we’ve discussed come equipped with pre-made themes. Elementor doesn’t. It’s only a page builder.

If you want a theme that works with Elementor, you should get one on ThemeForest.

The site has hundreds of Elementor-ready themes. A popular theme used with Elementor is Astra, which is one of the fastest growing themes of all time!

Just like other page builders, Elementor is a great fit for clients that want to be able to easily customize their sites. And on the web design front, you’ll save a lot of time by creating beautiful websites on the front end.

The folks at Elementor even promise you won’t have to struggle with bloated code. Everything is compressed for improved speed and user experience.

However, the speed really depends on the features you’ll add to the website.

Elementor Pros:

• Ease of use and development speed. Elementor is truly simple to use. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience with web development, you’ll have no trouble adjusting to the way things work with Elementor. The learning curve isn’t steep; you’ll be on your way to delivering beautiful sites in no time.
• Library. Elementor is an open-source project, and thousands of developers have contributed to it with their code. This means you’ll get plenty of support for integrating additional features.
• Over 80 elements. The majority of page builders have a very limited number of elements you can use. Elementor offers over 80, and new ones are constantly being added. Forget about plugins.
• Adaptability. On paper, Elementor works with the majority of WordPress themes. Still, we recommend using a ThemeForest Elementor theme or Astra.

Elementor Cons:

• Customization. While Elementor definitely offers the simplest way of adding custom code to your themes, it’s still a page builder. Writing your own code for elements can be clunky but once you get the hang of it, it’ll run smoothly.
• Element editing. It’s not possible to edit elements directly. If you want to make changes to the elements (other than basic style changes), you’ll need to roll your sleeves up and get to coding.
• No lifetime fee.

Use Cases for Elementor Web Design:

Elementor is pretty flexible, so you can use it for any kind of website.

However, it’s mainly used for smaller sites that don’t require you to create hundreds of pages. You can also use it for affiliate sites or eCommerce websites.

Pricing:

4. Beaver Builder

Unlike other page builders, which tend to speak directly to business owners who want to make and customize their own sites, Beaver Builder has a strong background in the developer community.

Overall, Beaver Builder is a great fit for simple websites that can stay within Beaver Builder’s basic features. For example, it doesn’t offer portfolio modules like other page builders. This means that you’ll have to dive into CSS for every additional feature Beaver Builder isn’t offering.

However, if you often create simple websites with an emphasis on functionality, you may find you’re not missing the fancy stuff all that much.

It all depends on your clients.

Beaver Builder Pros:

• Simplicity. Beaver Builder is simple and functional. Forget about the sleek gimmicks of Elementor or Divi. Beaver Builder is ready to help you get down to business.
• Reduced development time. When you work with a variety of modules to create the perfect pages for your clients, you’ll be spending a lot less time on individual websites.
• Plugin & theme. Beaver Builder plugin works with the majority of themes. However, you can get the special BB theme that works like a charm and allows you to create a variety of different sites for your clients.
• Override core templates. If you opt for the agency package, you can override core Beaver Builder templates to create your own, and reuse them as you normally would.

Beaver Builder Cons:

• Back-end customization. Despite being advertised as a visual page builder, Beaver Builder will have you poking around custom CSS if you want to do simple things like resizing images.
• Limited templates and modules. If you’re using the basic Beaver Builder, you’re not going to have a lot of modules and templates to pick from.

Beaver Builder Use Cases:

Beaver Builder is a great option for creating blogging and affiliate marketing websites, especially if you spring for additional plugins that give you more features than BB’s core offer.

Pricing:

Beaver Builder starts at $99/year.

5. ClickFunnels

If you want to sell like crazy, ClickFunnels is a great option.

The majority of website builders offer a lot of features with no precise focus.

ClickFunnels, on the other hand, offers sharp focus on the one thing that matters: selling your products.

With ClickFunnels, you’ll be able to create sales funnel pages.

ClickFunnels is not a website builder, per se, but it gives you everything you and your clients need to sell through your website. It’s perfect for commerce websites. And when you consider some of its other features, you’ll have a sales toolbox before you’ve clicked “Subscribe.”

ClickFunnels’ features include:

• Visual website editor
• Sales funnel builder
• Smart shopping carts
• Marketing automation

And much more.

ClickFunnels Pros:

• The complete sales stack. If you provide a web design service with a focus on sales, then ClickFunnels is a great option for devising solutions. You can provide your clients with a full-stack sales service with just one tool.
• Diverse features. ClickFunnels has all the features you and your clients need to track sales, perform split tests, measure engagement, and run affiliate programs.
• Templates. The templates were made with conversion optimization in mind, many of them also tested to ensure that they’re conversion ready. You can simply pick a template you like, and plug & play.

ClickFunnels Cons:

• You may not need some elements. Again, ClickFunnels is focused on getting your (and your clients’) revenue up. This means it comes pre-packed with marketing automation tools.
• It’s (too) simple. Since all the templates are conversion-proofed, you may find them too simple for your clients’ sites. CF strips web design to bare basics and offers only the most important elements.
• Pricing. Since pricing for ClickFunnels starts at $97/month, it may be too much, depending on what you and your clients need.

ClickFunnels Use Cases:

There’s no way around it: ClickFunnels is the perfect website builder for web designers and clients who want to make money with their websites.

In addition to providing a drag & drop visual builder, ClickFunnels also provides sales tools.

The website is integrated with your sales process, which makes it really easy to advance your customers through the funnel and win more sales.

However, if that’s not what you’re building the website for, you may want to check out other page builders.

You can also use ClickFunnels as a landing page builder. It’s great for building landing pages for webinars and other products. You can generate a lot of high-converting leads since the first page they land on will be created to drive them towards making a purchase.

In general, ClickFunnels are used successfully by marketers, affiliate marketers, and numerous businesses that have short sales cycles.

Pricing:

• ClickFunnels plans start at $97/month for up to 20 funnels.
• If you want an unlimited number of funnels and pages, you will have to opt for the Etison Suite which starts at $297 per month.

Now It's Your Turn!

You now understand the importance of having a great design for your website and the five best web design templates and themes for you and your clients.

And now I’d like to turn it over to you:

Which web design template or theme option will you choose?

If you're already using one of these themes, page builders or plugins, what has your experience been like so far?

Or maybe you have a question.

Either way, leave a comment below right now.

Related Content:

Need web hosting? Check out the 4 Best Website Hosting Options For Web Designers.

Want to start a developer blog? Check out How To Start A Developer Blog.

Want to make money building websites from home? Check out Code Your Way to $5K.

Want to land clients? Check out how 29 professional designers get web design clients.

Interested in our favorite tools and resources? Check out our Resources page.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more details.

Why Does Good Web Hosting Matter?

When you’re thinking about creating and building up a new website, your choices when it comes to hosting is probably the last thing on your mind. However, failing to choose the right host as early as possible can have adverse effects on your website and your brand.

With so many choices out there for hosting, it’s easy to just go for the cheapest option available. This isn’t always a wise choice. Web hosting should realistically be seen as an important investment in your brand and business.

When it comes down to it, web hosting is the real foundation of your site. You wouldn’t build a property on a foundation that is cheap or crumbling. You shouldn’t build your website on a hosting platform that isn’t reliable and secure.

How to Choose the Best Website Host

When you start shopping around for a high-quality hosting platform, look for a few key qualities:

• Reliability
• User-friendliness
• Speed
• Ample space
• Ample bandwidth
• Excellent customer support (sort through reviews!)
• Accurate, affordable, and transparent pricing
• Scalability
• Plugin and web design-friendly

For web designers specifically, it is very important to take into account what you will uniquely need for your website portfolio. Your hosting platform will need to handle large image sizes, side pages that boast design examples and demos, ample security if you plan on selling your services directly through your website as a couple of examples.

Too Many Website Hosting Options

We’ve established that you probably haven’t been thinking about your hosting platform enough. Now that you’re actively looking for website hosting options that are worthwhile, you’re probably feeling pretty overwhelmed.

There are hundreds if not thousands of hosting platforms out there. They vary significantly by price and quality, and comparing them is a chose that a lot of web designers probably don’t have the patience or time for.

It really shouldn’t be so difficult. But it is extremely important to select a hosting platform that can handle the type of responsive and detailed design that your website portfolio will be presenting.

The root of the problem is simply too many options. Luckily, we put together a solution.

We pitted some of the best website hosting options out there together and compared and contrasted their pricing and quality. The top four that came out swinging are by far the best options for web designers to choose from.

These four website hosting options all have great unique qualities that you’ll have to compare and contrast on your own-- but we bet at least one of these platforms will be perfect for your website hosting.

The 4 Best Website Hosting Options

Our top four contenders include Bluehost, Siteground, WPEngine, and WPX Hosting.

Bluehost

First up is Bluehost. This web hosting platform is popular for being extremely easy to set up and is one of the most popular web hosts in the world. This option would be perfect for web designers who don’t know much about hosting and want to get set up as quickly as possible. Simply find a domain name through their step-by-step guide, select a hosting plan, pick through some bells and whistles, and purchase! You’ll be transported pretty quickly to your portal when you can set up WordPress with extreme ease. 

Bluehost offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, cloud hosting, WooCommerce hosting, and many other types of hosting and domain services for web designers. Bluehost servers are powered by PHP7, HTTP/2, and NGINX+ caching.

Pros of Bluehost

• Customized WordPress Dashboard
• Guided Website Creation for WordPress Beginners
• Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
• Automatic WordPress Installation
• Automatic WordPress Plugin and Theme Updates
• Performance Caching
• Free SiteLock CDN
• Unlimited Storage
• Unlimited Data Transfer
• Unlimited Domain Hosting
• Responsive Live Chat Support
• Customized cPanel Interface

Cons of Bluehost

• Requires Plus or Choice Plus Hosting Plan
• Need to Close Some Ad/Promotion Boxes in their Dashboard
• Less Control over Automatic Data Backups
• Can’t Use Both HTTPS and SiteLock CDN

Bluehost is an ideal choice for freelancers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs hosting a WordPress website. If you don’t currently have a website and you’re shopping around for hosts, this is a great option. They host over two million sites; they have a greater than 99.99% uptime and fast loading times around 406ms.

They also offer 24/7 customer support via telephone or live chat and a free domain for one year. Their pricing packages start around $3.95 per month, but they don’t offer a monthly plan, which means you have to pay for the year in advance.

SiteGround

SiteGround is a web hosting company that is becoming increasingly popular. This platform provides shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated servers, email hosting, and domain registration. SiteGround has invested quite heavily in superior speed, security, and customer service when compared to Bluehost, which has helped them become a bigger and better web hosting company over time. If you really want a great website for displaying a portfolio or running your web design business, Siteground would be an excellent choice in the long run.

Pros of SiteGround

• Free CloudFlare CDN
• cPanel Interface
• 99.9% Uptime
• Data Centers on 3 Continents
• Secure Account Isolation on Shared Servers
• Shared Hosting Utilizes Linux Containers
• Improved Server Restore Technology
• Proactive Server Monitoring
• Unique Anti-Bot Artificial Intelligence System
• Fast Responsive Support
• Free Domain Name
• Free Daily Backup and Restore
• Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
• Solid State Drives
• SuperCacher for Increased Speed*
• Last 30 Backup Copies Available for Restore
• Staging for WordPress and Joomla
• Automatic WordPress Plugin Updates

Cons of SiteGround

• Web Spaced Capped at 10GB – 30GB
• Managed Hosting Features Require GrowBig or GoGeek Plans

The only real downside to this web host is the way they break down their pricing. They are much more expensive than Bluehost because they don’t offer as much for the lower tier pricing packages. For example, their startup package is $3.95 per month, but they only allow you 10 GB of space and 10,000 monthly visits. If you’re doing more than that you can probably afford to upgrade.

WP Engine

WP Engine is one of the leading WordPress digital hosting platforms out there. They’re a fairly a new type of hosting business at the intersection of software innovation and WordPress-based service. Their platform provides brands a number of solutions to create websites and apps on WordPress that drive business.

WP Engine dedicates themselves entirely to WordPress, in order to provide the best service possible for those users. This could be a “con” in a lot of ways. If you’re a web designer who isn’t entirely keen on using exclusively WordPress, WP Engine may not be a good choice.

Pros of WPEngine

• Free 60 Day Trial
• No Long-Term Commitments Necessary
• Excellent Support Response Times
• Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
• Free StudioPress Themes
• Free Global CDN
• Transferable Installs and Billing Transfer Features for WordPress Consultants and Developers
• WP Engine Solution Center
• Managed WordPress Hosting
• Expert WordPress Support Staff
• EverCache Technology for Faster Page Loading
• Hacked Sites Fixed at No Charge
• WordPress Updates Automatically Installed
• Free Data Backup and Restore
• Separate Staging Area for Testing Plugins and Themes
• Development, Staging, and Production Environments

Cons of WPEngine

• More Expensive
• Not Applicable for Non-WordPress Platforms
• Some Plugins and Themes are not allowed
• Exceeding Set Number of Visitors and Storage will Result in Additional Charges

WPEngine is a powerful hosting company. They essentially have all of their bases covered. They have many hosting plans available, all of which are optimized to provide the best performance possible for WordPress. With all of their hosting packages, they offer decent security and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to help encrypt user data. WP Engine offers solid and responsive hosting, as well as a decent customer support team.

WPX Hosting 

Fast loading times are vital for web developers. WordPress loading speed is more or less the reason WPX Hosting was created in the first place, and it was also created by an SEO expert with a focus on business-oriented website hosting. WPX Hosting is able to address the common issues search engine optimizer run into when hosting WordPress websites-- web designers are usually not well-versed in marketing, so it’s a breath of fresh air that this hosting platform has some useful tools built in to make SEO easier.

As part of the services WPX Hosting offers, there are daily website backups. The storage itself is on a separate server in order to make sure that whatever is backed up from any number of hosted sites is safe, and stays there for a full fourteen days. If a failure or technical issue happens (and it certainly does happen sometimes) the retrieval of backed up files is completely free. If you’re a website designer that really needs security and peace of mind when it comes to preserving your work, WPX Hosting could be an awesome choice.

WPX Hosting is a web hosting solution for WordPress websites. If you don’t want to be tied down to WordPress like WPEngine, WPX Hosting won’t be for you. However, if you work mostly with WordPress, WPX Hosting could be an excellent choice.  WPX hosting is a fairly well-established company that has been in the hosting business for some time, which is always a good sign.

Pros of WPX Hosting

• Fantastic Response Times from Most Locations
• Holds 1st Place on Trustpilot Ranking
• Free Site Migration
• Fully Compatible with WooCommerce Sites
• Industry-Leading Speed
• Daily Backups and Fully Secured
• Outstanding Customer Service
• Optimized Hosting
• FREE SSL Certificate
• DDOS Attack Protection
• Continuous Malware & Hack Scanning

Cons of WPX Hosting

• Very Expensive
• No Free Trial
• No Free Version to Test

WPX also offers 24/7 customer service via phone and live chat. You also have the luxury of multiple site plans even on their basic option. With the basic plan, you get hosting for seven websites, which is six more than the rest offer.

Overall, WPX Hosting is the cream of the crop with web hosting. With that comes a high price, somewhere around $25 per month for the basic hosting plan. Since it’s pricey and brings a lot to the table even for the basic price, I would recommend this hosting provider to someone who already has high volume traffic coming through their site.

Now It's Your Turn!

You now understand the importance of website hosting for your website, what to look for in a quality host, and the four best website hosting options for you and your clients.

And now I’d like to turn it over to you:

Which website hosting service will you choose?

If you're already using one of these web hosts, what has your experience been like so far?

Or maybe you have a question.

Either way, leave a comment below right now.

Related Content:

Want to start a developer blog? Check out How To Start A Developer Blog.

Want to make money building websites from home? Check out Code Your Way to $5K.

Want to land clients? Check out how 29 professional designers get web design clients.

Interested in our favorite tools and resources? Check out our Resources page.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more details.

Expert Advice on How to Get Web Design Clients

The 29 designers I spoke to all shared the aces up their sleeves.

Some methods will completely blow your socks off, while others will make you stop and say: “I should’ve thought of that sooner.”

1. Benjamin N. Spak: “Under-promise and over-deliver.”

Benjamin N. Spak is an experienced web designer and entrepreneur who has worked with companies such as Wells Fargo.

And when it comes to sharing how to get web design clients, he’s got more than a few words of wisdom:

Doing things like offering a free SEO audit that the client didn’t ask for and delivering the results a week early made a huge difference for customer satisfaction. And by providing that kind of value, he often got job offers out of the blue.

After all, referred clients spend 200% more than average clients.

2. Mitchell Lembke: “Attract web design clients with your work, and win them over with your personality.”

Mitchell Lembke isn’t just a web developer. He’s also a US Navy Veteran with background in quality control, aircrew safety and flight readiness. He took his naval attention to details right into his web design work.

Mitchell definitely advocates putting your work front and center, as well as your certifications and degrees, and then winning over your clients by being punctual and personable.

Answer phone calls the same day, meet up for coffee, and show that you’re a real person supporting your clients.

After all, people will be more willing to hire someone they can enjoy dinner with, and not someone who’s hiding behind their computer.

3. Gabriel Macedo: “Show value and address potential issues”

While we’re all hustling, Gabriel Macedo reminds us that sometimes it pays to stop and think.

This web developer, who has been working in the industry for over 5 years, has something to say on how to get web design clients:

Gabriel goes on to further emphasize the importance of addressing problems that clients may think of.

For example, if your clients are often worried about a certain aspect of web design, you can address the issue with new ones and show that you can think from their perspective.

You can even set up your consultation over coffee or at the bar!

4. Timothy Preut: “Help others succeed, and so will you.”

Timothy Preut of TickyboomDesign has been working in web development and similar areas since 2011 and currently runs a company with his wife, Nicky.

And when it comes to attracting new clients, Timothy has one important tip:

If you start reaching out to clients with the idea of helping them, you could double your success rate.

Additionally, Timothy advises against putting on a façade or spamming.

When your potential clients interact with you, be yourself – the same goes for interacting with your followers on social media.

5. Megan Vaughan: “Consistency, activity and networking will help you get web design clients.”

Megan Vaughan of Prolific Banana is a well of wisdom for attracting clients. So far, she’s helped her clients land six-figure contracts and achieve 167% ROI within two weeks of launching their site.

And if you want to get web design clients just like Megan, here’s what she advises:

According to Megan, you should connect with copywriters, SEO experts, brand strategists, advisers and financial lenders. They can refer you to their clients and in turn, you’ll have someone to refer, too.

And when you reach out to clients on places like Quora, Alignable and Reddit, put value first.

Answer business questions your clients are asking and soon enough, they’ll notice your expertise and reach out.

If you share more about your process through content marketing, you could also improve your conversion rate!

6. Chris Castillo: “Network and refer your way to success.”

Chris Castillo of Propel Digital Media Solutions is not just a web designer. He’s also a CEO who knows a fair bit about marketing your services to clients.

Chris uses knowledge sharing as a key component of his sales system. It helps others grow while he establishes great relationships which generate referrals.

And speaking of referrals, Chris says a referral/affiliate program creates win-win-win scenarios. The end-client gets connected with the best company for their project, the affiliate gets a healthy commission, and the agency generates steady revenue.

These two strategies helped him close over $38,000 in sales this month.

7. Nicole Grinsell: “The more things that pop up under your name on Google, the better!”

Nicole Grinsell is a prolific web designer and a previous venture coach. And when it comes to getting new web design clients, she encourages having a strong web presence, but here’s what she found to be the best method:

While the majority of her clients have been referred by her friends, family, or met at events, Nicole made sure the key factors of her process were easily organized documentation and transparency.

8. Troy Glancy: “The best way to generate leads is through networking and Facebook Groups!”

Troy Glancy is the man behind WP Pro Fix – a WordPress development company.

And not only is he a web designer, but he’s also been an entrepreneur since 2011 so he knows exactly what his clients are feeling.

Fortunately, he knows what you are feeling too, and he swears by using your current relationships to generate leads.

Troy has been helping others for free in Facebook groups, providing value before anything else.

And this content marketing approach is not only 62% cheaper than other methods, but it also results in 3 times as many leads.

9. Albert Hu: “You may be a web designer, but you have to become a salesperson, too.”

When I asked Albert Hu, an expert marketer currently making Compelling Animations shine, if he had any advice to give, he didn’t beat around the bush:

The truth is: if you’re a web developer who wants to get clients, you can’t just write the code and call it a day.

Instead, you have to focus on actively marketing your skills.

A great way to do it is by building a portfolio first, and then promoting yourself on social media.

10. Rishad Quazi: “Give before you get.”

Rishad Quazi, the founder and lead builder at Kajimojo, has 15 years of experience in web development and project management, and plenty of wisdom to show for it.

When I asked him how to get web design clients, he emphasized four things:

Rishad particularly emphasizes choosing a niche and then figuring out where the people are most likely to gather.

When you’ve zeroed in on your potential client, offer them a free evaluation of their site, a free consultation, or another offer of value which will show your expertise.

And finally, know your client and know yourself. Don’t blast out emails to masses if you don’t know how you can serve them best.

11. Kelsey Cossifos: “Be prepared and be professional.”

Kelsey Cossifos is a web designer who has worked with a variety of companies, and brought a dash of creativity to every single one. 

And when we asked Kelsey to share her two cents on the topic, she emphasized the two things we’re often quick to forget in a sea of client generation methods:

Make sure you act professionally, listen to what the client needs, answer any questions, and stay proactive.

Tell them how you’ll accomplish their goals, and be flexible about payment options (hourly rate or a project breakdown).

12. Kevin Phillips: “Keep creating, even if you don’t have clients.”

Kevin Phillips has been working with computers even before they’ve invented the mouse, so he’s a verified expert if there ever was one.

When I asked him what advice he could share with people who want to get web design clients, he emphasized one thing:

You need to have a strong portfolio for a variety of different sites.

And when it comes to leads – quality over quantity. Getting a few valuable clients (over plenty of clients with low ROI) is much better for your business.

13. Nathan McKay: “Cast a wide marketing net.”

Nathan McKay has been working in web development since 2006 and his diverse experience in other sectors has allowed him to be one of the most creative web devs today.

When asked about getting web design clients, Nathan says:

While many marketers and web devs scoff at the mention of Craigslist, Nathan claims that he gets a great lead or two every once in a while from that very site.

You have plenty of options to pick from when it comes to marketing your skills:

• Social media
• Message boards
• Search engines
• Email marketing

It’s up to you to choose which one you’ll use first!

14. Andrea Raynor: “Use your friends and their friends to spread the word.”

Andrea Raynor isn’t just a UX designer – she’s also worked in sales and marketing since 1995. And while the times have changed, the one method of success hasn’t.

This idea, which stems from the idea of six degrees of separation (we’re only six people away from every person on this planet) is tried and true.

Your friends can already vouch for your credibility and if they pass your information along to their friends (who’ll then pass it along to their friends), you’ll have come a full circle with plenty of clients to show for it.

15. Anthony Milia: “Create connections in person.”

While digital marketing is effective, nothing’s more effective than meeting your potential clients in person.

Anthony Milia of Milia Marketing has been helping small and mid-sized businesses get results fast, and here’s what he has to say on how to get web design clients:

And while giving your clients the best services on the market is (and should be) your number one priority, you’ll only be able to get there if your clients trust you in the first place.

So become a well-known name in the community, socialize with your prospects, and soon enough, your phone will be ringing 24/7!

16. Paul Taylor: “Niche is key.”

In the sea of web designers and even more clients who need their websites properly designed so they can in turn attract clients, it’s hard to stand out.

But according to Paul Taylor of Legacy Systems, the key is finding a niche.

Then, do everything you can to reach clients in that particular niche. Email marketing, social media, paid ads… Everything is fair game. And if you have a niche, you’ll have a better success rate.

Personalization is key. According to Evergage, 63% of consumers said they’d think more positively of a brand if it gave them content that was more valuable, interesting or relevant.

And when you’ve found your niche, you can also look for clients within freelancer sites like UpWork, PeoplePerHour or Fiverr.

You can also get in touch with large development companies who frequently hire freelancers for their overflow work.

17. Dan Stefan: “There’s nothing like word of mouth.”

Word of mouth is one of the oldest tricks in the book of promoting your business to potential clients, and it’s still effective. 92% of people trust recommendations from friends, family and partners over any kind of advertisements.

Just one of the numerous ways you can set the referral wheels in motion is by offering a discount to your client and the person they refer to you.

18. Izwan Rusli: “Be there for your clients when they need you.”

Izwan Rusli is a web designer that prides himself in creative work that goes above and beyond the demands of his clients.

And that drive to support his clients is something he recommends as a way of marketing yourself:

When you’re onboarding a client, it’s important to do it properly.

Make sure that the expectations, outcomes and deliverables are clear to both sides, and that you’re on the same page. Clarify anything that the client may be struggling with, and have a lot of patience.

New clients need support, and if you give that to them, they’ll love you for it.

19. Angela Bronson: “Don’t be shy – get your name out there!”

I remember my beginnings. No one but my family and friends knew I was developing websites.

And knowing what I know now, I wish I’d shouted it from the rooftops.

Angela Bronson agrees.

With over 12 years of experience in the field of web development and her own company – Code Dragon, Angela is a veritable expert at finding new web design clients.

Her business finally took off once she began joining clubs and organizations. Previously, she was marketing in every possible way – except locally.

Then, she visited her local Chamber of Commerce and landed plenty of gigs by simply letting people around her know that she’s in business.

20. Shelley Easter: “Start showing up and asking.”

When you’re first starting out as a web designer, showing up and putting your skills front and center can seem pretty daunting.

However, Shelley Easter (the owner of Launch Party, a web design agency that prides itself in a standout style and delivery within 4 weeks) has something to say about that shyness:

It’s that simple.

The point, after all, is letting people know that you’re in business.

When you show up at live events, you’ll be able to connect with your potential clients in person. They’ll get a sense not only for your skills but for your personality.

You’ll both be able to gauge how well you’d work together.

And if that doesn’t sound like the start of a beautiful partnership, I don’t know what does.

21. Kenny Lamidiaux: “Don’t just network – maintain true relationships.”

Knowing a lot of people doesn’t do much, just like having a lot of leads isn’t a guarantee of success. What you should always be looking for is the quality of your contacts and your leads.

Kenny Lamidiaux, who has been in software and web development since 2005, highlights that true relationships are key, as well as…

Kenny’s seen a lot of people who pretended to be Supermen of coding, and it backfired right away.

22. Michelle Scott: “LinkedIn is more powerful than you think.”

Michelle Scott has over seven years of experience working with key clients like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under her belt.

And since she has a lot of experience, I couldn’t help but to ask her how she got her web design clients.

LinkedIn is definitely a network that’s not mentioned often enough.

With a strong LinkedIn profile, you’ll be well on your way to getting more and more clients. Just some of the things you can do to improve your chances are:

• Add keywords to your profile
• Create an interesting summary and headline that makes clients feel like you’re talking to them
• Ask for recommendations from people you’ve previously worked with (even if it was in a different field)
• Actively look for your clients with LinkedIn’s advanced search functions
• Connect with your clients over shared interest

After all, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make purchasing decisions.

23. Rhonda Marie: “Keep your current clients happy.”

The value of referrals cannot be overstated. Referred customers convert better, they spend more, and they stay happier longer.

So when Rhonda Marie, a web developer from Orlando, Florida, tells us that keeping our current clients happy is key to getting new clients, we can’t help but to agree enthusiastically.

24. Andrew Martinez: “Answer questions and offer financial incentives for referrals.”

When you use your skills and your knowledge as a marketing tool, you’ll go far.

Andrew Martinez of Powerful Digital Solutions agrees.

As an experienced web developer and consultant (he’s been in business since 2012) and a dedicated techie, he constantly helps his clients stay ahead of the game with new technological solutions.

But I wanted to know how he gets clients in the first place. Here’s what he advised:

Andrew also likes to encourage word of mouth referrals with a referral program.

He tells his current and past clients that he’ll pay them a 10% referral fee if they refer someone to him.

And it works like a charm!

25. Boyce Poleon, Jr.: “There’s nothing like a solid portfolio and good friends.”

Boyce Poleon, Jr., a full-time front-end developer, has been working in IT since 2013.

And when I asked him how he gets web design clients, he shared his point of view:

So if you don’t have a portfolio, don’t despair.

Everyone needs a good site, and who can promote you better than your friends?

26. Ira Sigman: “There’s no substitute for good communication.”

Ira Sigman, a web developer proficient in everything from Ruby on Rails to DevOps, says:

He’s also in the under-promise/over-deliver camp, and claims there’s nothing like an Agile development schedule to get and stay organized.

You can even share your Kanban board with your clients.

And when talking about your skills, market yourself as a specialist. Don’t use a generic “web developer.” Instead, be specific.

Finally, Ira recommends knowing your market and reading up about a company and their competition before you get in touch with them.

If you can produce familiar names and terms to the client, their trust in you will increase.

27. DavidPaul Sullivan: “Communication is key!”

When asked about tips on how to get web design clients, DavidPaul Sullivan, senior web developer at Pro Gear and Transmission, says:

It’s easy to get nerdy and explain things in detail as a developer. But all clients want to know is they can easily get ahold of you.

Finally, DavidPaul says that developers are a dime a dozen today.

If you set yourself apart with effective communication, you’ll impress the socks of any client.

28. Ronald Forcier: “You don’t have to go digital.”

You may be thinking that the only way to get clients is through digital channels. After all, everyone’s using Facebook and Google.

But Ronald Forcier, a web developer with plenty of experience in the retail and tech industry, says that doesn’t have to be the case.

He’s had plenty of freelance projects without ever using Fiverr or UpWork. All he did was go out and start talking to people.

For beginners, Ronald says the best course of action is starting with smaller local businesses who need their first website (or whose site needs a facelift), and start building your portfolio from there.

29. Ryan McHenry: “Get your work out there.”

Getting web design clients gets a lot easier once you’ve gotten your work out there.

Ryan McHenry, a front-end web developer and designer with over six years of experience, says that it doesn’t have to be as complicated as setting up ad campaigns.

Ryan used websites like OnePageLove and Awwwards.

You should also stay active on social media and keep an eye out for the plethora of opportunities presenting themselves.

Conclusion: How to Get Web Design Clients

Our experts dipped their fingers in many marketing pies but overall, I couldn’t help but to notice the majority of them talked about the value of three things:

• A strong portfolio
• Referrals and networking
• Free value

If you can’t start working with clients who’ll let you share the work in your portfolio right away (and very few of us can, really), you can create mock sites or websites for your friends.

When it comes to marketing, there’s nothing like referrals and networking.

Make sure you’re networking both locally and digitally. Your Chamber of Commerce can be a great starting point for making sure everyone knows you’re in business.

And when networking online, don’t forget about LinkedIn, Reddit and Quora.

Finally, strive to provide value even before the client has signed the contract.

Demonstrate your expertise within niche communities, answer questions, and put your money where your mouth is.

You’ll be getting web design clients in no time!

Now It's Your Turn!

I hope this expert roundup showed you how you can get web design clients.

And now I’d like to turn it over to you:

Which tip are you going to implement first?

Are you going to talk with small local businesses?

Or maybe you start asking for referrals.

Either way, leave a comment below right now.

Author’s Note: This article has been edited for length, clarity, and context.

Related Content:

Curious how to get clients online? Check out How to Get Clients Online: The Definitive Guide (2019)

Curious how to get clients using who you know? Check out 10 Ways to Find New Clients Using Your Local Network

Want to earn more? Check out 10 Ways To Double Your Income While Working Fewer Hours.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more details.

The main problem is that there are so many clients out there. However, they don’t necessarily know that they need your help. They don’t see themselves as clients yet.

Think about it: the owner of the neighborhood coffee shop you buy coffee from every morning may be struggling with getting more customers, but he isn’t sure what he needs help with.

And it’s hard to look for a solution when you don’t know what the root cause of your problem is.

At the same time, there are a lot of freelancers out there – from graphic designers to web designers to web developers.

And what do most of us do?

We wait for our clients to come to us.

We wait for that coffee shop owner to realize that he needs a website and to get in touch with us as web developers.

We wait for a hairdresser down the block to realize she needs a social media manager to boost her revenue and get more clients.

Most of our clients don’t understand what they need. They don’t know they need our services. And by waiting for them to come to us, we’re losing out on revenue.

You should start by looking for clients in your own backyard.

Instead of waiting for business owners to realize they need your services and making them go through directories to find you, be proactive and reach out to them.

In this article, we’ll show you 10 different ways you can use to find clients near you. Even if they don’t know they need you.

The first thing to do is conduct market research. Or, to put it simply: understand what your future clients need. Understand what kind of businesses need your services.

Let’s say you’re a web designer. Maybe you’re even enrolled in one of our courses.

Snoop around and see how many people around you need web design services. Are there business owners in your area that have malfunctioning websites, or no websites at all?

Think about the reasons stopping your prospects from having a great website:

• Do they think it’s not important?
• Do they lack the funds?
• Do they even know they need a great website to bring in even more customers?

Understanding your prospects’ needs goes a long way towards successfully offering them your services, and taking them on as clients.

When you understand what their individual needs are, you can approach them from their point of view.

Let’s say you’re reaching out to a bakery owner without a website (and you’re a website developer).

If you’ve researched their needs, you may understand that they’re elderly and not fully aware of how a website can help them get more customers.

In this case, you can avoid the fancy lingo and be straightforward when you tell them that a lot of people in your area are looking for a bakery, and they’re using the internet to do it. You can design a website that will show people how great their cakes look.

A lot of freelancers make one grave mistake when they’re pitching their services to prospects: they don’t show the value of their work.

Now you’re asking: but I’m telling them I design websites. How’s that not showing value?

It’s actually very simple. You’re not telling them how they can profit from spending money on your services.

It’s incredibly important to show your clients how you can make them money.

This is especially true if your clients aren’t aware that that they even need you.

If you approach a car dealership with a website design pitch, do they even know they could earn upwards of $2,000 extra each month just by having online presence that’ll direct people to their dealership?

Or do they just know that you’re designing websites?

This is where good market research comes in hand, too.

Understanding your market and your clients’ market will help you structure a value proposal that will immediately show clients how they’re profiting by spending money on your services.

We already talked about how important it is to tailor your pitch to your prospects’ needs. So when you’re talking to your friends and family, don’t be mystical.

Don’t use industry lingo only you understand. Clients want a website, and most of them don’t know the difference between Joomla and WordPress.

If you’re a website developer, explain what you do (“I make great websites that attract new clients, even for small businesses.”). Show the immediate benefits, and get to talking with your friends and family.

Chances are, they’ve been talking about your freelance role in vague terms if they don’t understand how your clients profit from your services.

But if you tell them: Hey, I make awesome websites/logos that make new customers stop and buy, they’ll be more willing to give you a referral.

And always – always – follow up with a verbal call to action such as:

• If you know anyone who needs a new website, tell them to give me a call.
• If someone’s got a malfunctioning website, let me know. I can get it fixed ASAP.
• If you know someone who’s talking about needing help with tech, tell them to get in touch. I’ll help them figure it out.

Friends and family can help you get more clients just by knowing more people than you. You don’t have to be salesy – just start spreading the word that you’re a reliable person.

And speaking of reliability…

A great place to start finding local clients are businesses you often visit. Corner stores, bakeries, coffee shops…

Why?

These people already know you. And if you’ve left a good impression, they’ll always be more likely to take your advice and ultimately, work with you.

Get to talking with the owners. Listen to what they’re saying and what their needs are. If their needs fit your area of expertise, offer your services.

A good way to get started with finding new clients using your local network is by checking out businesses’ websites (if you’re a web developer) and finding things that could be improved.

Just because they have a website already doesn’t mean that their website can’t be even better.

Local communities often rely on trust. And just like you should be likable and chatty with the business owners whose locales you frequent, you should do the same PR-wise.

Why?

Because word spreads fast in communities. And no matter what outbound marketing tactics you use, there’s nothing like word of mouth to generate new business.

You can stimulate that by becoming a local resource in ways such as:

• Listing your business in local newspapers/directories/Yellow Pages
• Advertising locally (through Google or literally leaving flyers in places like hair salons and libraries)
• Writing for local publications
• Volunteering your services

When it comes to giving your services away for free, be careful. There’s a big difference between doing some web development or graphic design work for non-profits, and not charging the services you provide to for-profit businesses.

Your goal here is to become synonymous with your industry so people naturally refer each other when they have a need for your services.

When it comes to finding new clients using your local network, there’s nothing like partnership.

Partnerships with other businesses can be as simple as cross-advertising: they leave their cards at your business, and you leave your card at theirs.

However, you can also organize a promotion.

For example, let’s say you partnered with a dentist’s office. If someone pays you to make a website for them, they can receive a discount at the dentist’s office, and vice versa.

Partnerships are also beneficial when you strategically choose your partners. For example, partnering with real estate agents is almost always a good idea – especially if they often show business spaces to business owners.

Even though partnerships work best when they’re strategically selected, people in local communities talk to each other. If you’ve designed a great website for a hair salon owner, they’ll talk to a spa salon owner and refer you.

Taking part in local events is a great way to get more clients. Depending on your industry, it may be easy to set up a booth and advertise your services.

However, if you’re a website developer looking to earn more money, you may have to get more creative.

A lot of local events have sweepstakes where they offer discounted local business services. You can offer your services at a discounted rate to the winner.

You can also offer to improve/make a website for the event itself, and ask them to list you as a sponsor.

Pretty much everyone is online today, so don’t forgo digital completely.

You can join local Facebook groups to reach new freelance clients. Be careful about being too salesy if/when pitching, though. Start by offering value, answering people’s questions and being a likable member of the community.

Hearing more about what’s troubling and delighting your community can help you improve your pitch, as well.

You can also join Meetup groups in your area – especially if there are some for business owners.

Finally, geo-targeted ads are always a better idea than just general ads. They’ll help you reach a narrower audience, which generates more referrals than general ads who reach people across the country who aren’t connected to one another. One way to advertise locally is by using Facebook Marketplace.

You should optimize your Google My Business listing to show up whenever someone looks for “web development in [your area].”

By making the most out of both digital and local, you’ll have a great client-generating strategy.

Like we already talked about, some clients don’t even know they need your services. This is especially true if you’re working with older small business owners.

That’s why it pays off to create educative content that will both give them additional value, and help them understand why they need your services.

You can make a pamphlet or a brochure explaining how a website helps them earn more, and publish it online or print it and distribute it locally.

Once they understand that they need a website, they’re readier to talk to you about your services.

Just because you’ve made a website for a local client doesn’t mean that your work is done.

Depending on their technological proficiency, they may need help keeping the site up and improving it to get even more customers.

And that’s where your services come in.

You can always offer them extra services after your work is done, or negotiate them at the beginning. It all depends on what your clients need, and what you can offer them.

The digital landscape means that websites are absolutely necessary for business owners.

However, a lot of them either don’t understand what they need.

While we’ve showed you plenty of strategies you can use to land your first local client today, there are more ways to earn as a web developer.

Our Invent With Code courses are designed to help you make a lot of money developing websites, even if you only know HTML and CSS.

If you want to go from $0 to $10K and beyond with your freelance or agency business, schedule a free consultation today.

Related Content:

Curious how to make money building websites from home? Check out Code Your Way to $5K.

Want to earn more? Check out 10 Ways To Double Your Income While Working Fewer Hours.

We know you are busy running your freelance or agency business and trying to grow your company to the best of your ability. You have followed all the steps taught to you in Business Entrepreneurship 101 and that's part of the problem.

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup.

Don’t be a part of the failing 50% statistic listed above. Not when we are offering you a way to avoid business traps, downfalls, and mistakes. We realize we have all made the mistakes listed below when we started our own business. This list is applied to all businesses, no matter what service or product you provide. Which one of the symptoms below do you think is causing your business setbacks?

How will you dig yourself out of the hole you made for your business?  We have a way you can do just that and it is a strategically proven method which most people in business are aware of yet fail to use.  If you can stay the course on what we give you below, you will double your business while working less and earning more. 

The goal is to increase your total sales revenue, which is the product of your total number of customers multiplied by the average spend per customer.

For example, say I have 1,000 customers and their average spend is $1,000.

My total sales revenue is 1,000 multiplied by $1000 which equals $1,000,000.

Traditionally, to double your business you can either double the amount of customers or double their average spend.

So 2,000 customers with an average spend of $1,000 equals $2,000,000 in total sales revenue.

Or, 1,000 customers with an average spend of $2,000 equals $2,000,000 in total sales revenue.

However, you can distribute your effort by increasing both measures by 50%.

Doing so allows you to work less while earning more. 

Thus 1,500 customers with an average spend of $1,500 equals $2,250,000.

Technically only an increase of 42% is required, but it’s easier to remember 50%.

So how do you put this into action?

Let us start with a productive first step by explaining how you can distribute your efforts to get more customers while encouraging them to spend more.

As a bonus tip, consider giving a customer something extra that adds value to their purchase, but doesn’t cost you that much to give. Statistics show that customer perks help to generate more revenue for your business.

For example, when you have a loyal customer they usually convert and spend money on services and brands they trust. The more loyal the customer, the more they spend. Finally, in the U.S. 40% of online shoppers of products and services come from repeat customers.

Next Steps

To double your income, you just have to ask yourself two questions:

1. How can I get more customers?
2. How can I get customers to spend more money?

By focusing on these two questions, you'll be able to grow your business more rapidly. However, for your business to grow, you have to act. By failing to do anything, you end up doing nothing and you'll never be able to get your business off of the ground.

If you’re struggling to grow your business or even curious how you can start your own, schedule a free 30-minute consultation to make real progress today.

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