Get web design clients

The short answer

To get web design clients, start with people who already know you, ask every client for a referral, team up with businesses that serve the same owners, and pitch local businesses directly with a demo of their own site. Pick one or two channels, run them every week, and track your own reply rates.

Decide who you're chasing

"Web design for small businesses" gives nobody a reason to reply. "Websites for roofers in three counties, live in a week" does. It also tells you where to look, who to ask and what to show.

Write your offer in one line before you contact anyone.

I build [type of site] for [trade] in [area], live in [time], for [price].

Choose a trade where one job is worth a lot and customers search before they call. Plumbers, roofers, dentists and HVAC companies are common choices. If you already know a trade, because your brother's an electrician or you used to work in a salon, start there. Knowing how the business runs beats any list of best niches.

The channels compared

The timings are rough, and yours will differ. A sensible start is two channels, one that can work now, such as direct pitches or people you know, and one that builds over time, such as referrals or partners.

Start with people who know you

Your first client is the hardest to win, and the person most likely to say yes has already met you. List 30 people: former coworkers, family, your dentist, your mechanic, the friend who runs a food truck. Send each one a personal note, and ask who they know, because that's easier to answer than "do you need a website?".

Hi Mark, I've started building websites for local businesses. Do you know anyone whose business has no site, or one they're embarrassed by? I'll build them a free draft to look at, with no obligation.

If you need to, offer your first client a lower price, and say why. You're trading money for a sample and an honest review. Show the normal price on the invoice with the discount beside it, so the next conversation doesn't start at the discounted number.

Make each client the source of the next one

Ask while the site is new. A day or two after launch, when the owner is still showing it to people, works far better than six months later.

Dana, glad the site's live. You know other owners around town. Who has a site that's letting them down, or none at all? If you introduce me, I'll look after them well, and I'll take a month off your plan if they sign up.

Decide what a referral earns before you offer it. A month off or a gift card is plenty. Keep it separate from reviews, because the FTC's rule on fake reviews bars rewards that depend on a review saying something positive. Ask for an honest review, and attach no prize to it.

Ask for permission to show the site in your portfolio at the same time. It's the easiest moment to get a yes.

Find partners who serve the same owners

Plenty of people talk to local business owners every week and don't build websites. They get asked "do you know a web person?" all the time. Your job is to be the name they give.

• Sign makers, printers and vehicle wrap shops. They put web addresses on things, and they notice when there isn't one.
• Bookkeepers and accountants. They often meet a business in its first weeks.
• Insurance agents. They know who has just opened, and who's growing.
• Photographers and social media freelancers. Their clients need somewhere to put the work.
• Chambers of commerce and business groups. Many run member directories and events.
• Marketing freelancers who don't build. They may be glad to hand off the site and keep the strategy.

Approach each one with a single clear ask.

Hi Priya, I build websites for local trades. When your clients ask for a web person, I'd like to be who you send them to. I reply within a day and I'll tell you how it went. Could I buy you a coffee and show you a couple?

Make it safe for them. A bad experience costs them a client, so expect to be tested with a small job first. Answer quickly, do good work and report back. If you pay a referral fee, agree on it up front and tell the client it exists.

Pitch businesses directly

This is the channel you control. You can start today, and you don't have to wait for anyone.

1. Find businesses with no website or a weak one, and write down why each is worth a call.
2. Build each a demo using only facts you can support, and keep it private until they agree.
3. Send one short message with the link. Our cold email templates and call script cover each situation.
4. Follow up twice, each time with something new, then stop.

Know the rules first. In the US, CAN-SPAM covers commercial email and makes no exception for business-to-business mail. It asks for an honest subject line, a clear note that it's a sales message, your postal address and a working opt-out. Texting has its own rules under the TCPA and state laws, and those can reach a cell phone an owner also uses for work. Check what applies to you. This is general information, not legal advice.

Walking in

For shops, salons and restaurants, show up with the demo on your phone. Go at a quiet hour, ask for the owner, and leave a card with the link. Respect a "no soliciting" sign. It's slow, and you can't do it with a plumber who's out on a job, but few sellers bother, so you'll stand out.

Use marketplaces for a start

Upwork and Fiverr can bring your first reviews, especially with no portfolio. Go in knowing the trade-offs. Upwork's freelancer fee runs from 0% to 15% per contract, and you compete with sellers around the world, often on price.

Bid on small jobs with a clear scope, get a few good reviews, and move on once your own channels bring in more.

Get found yourself

Inbound takes months. It's worth starting early, because it keeps working while you're busy.

• A simple site of your own. Show your offer, a starting price and the sites you've built. If you have none yet, label your samples as samples.
• A page per trade. "Websites for roofers in Dayton" answers one search and gives you a link to send in pitches.
• A Google Business Profile, if you qualify. Google's rules require in-person contact with customers, and online-only businesses aren't eligible. If you meet clients in person, it's worth setting up.
• Local groups. Answer questions in Facebook groups and at meetups. People remember who helped.

Should you buy web design leads

"Web design leads" usually means one of two things.

Bought lists are spreadsheets of businesses. They're often old, you don't know how the data was gathered, and other buyers may be pitching the same names. Check a sample before you pay for more. The contact rules apply to you, whoever compiled the list.

Pay-per-lead sites sell you the details of people who asked for a quote. The interest is real, but you're often one of several sellers racing to reply, and price becomes the comparison. Test with a small budget and work out what a won client costs you.

A useful lead has three things: a real business, a reason it needs you and a way to reach it. You can build that list by hand or with a tool such as Radar, the finder inside Shingle.

A week that gets clients

Results come from doing this every week, so keep the plan small enough to keep. Here's one built around about an hour a day.

Keep score in four columns: sent, replied, talked, won. We won't quote you a reply rate, because it swings with the trade, the town and the message, and most published numbers come from people selling something. After 50 sends you'll have your own.

Then the math is simple. If 50 sends brought 1 client, then 2 clients a month takes about 100 sends, or 25 a week. If that's more than you can do, improve the message or change the trade before you push the volume.

What goes wrong

• Too many channels. Two done every week beat six done once.
• Stopping after two weeks. Replies and referrals often arrive long after you asked.
• Talking about the website. Owners care about calls and jobs, so say what the site does for them.
• Taking every client. A client who haggles over $200 may also argue over every change. Say no politely.
• Getting facts wrong in a demo. A wrong phone number or an invented review tells an owner you didn't look.
• Underpricing to win. It feels safe, then it eats your week. Work out your floor before you quote anyone.