How to find web design clients?
Let’s be honest. No matter how talented and skilled you are in web designing if you can’t find any clients to offer your services to, The bad news is that having the skill and being a creative web designer is NOT Enough.
Now the big question comes up: how to find web design clients as a freelancer? Whether you are a rookie, or you’re about to grow your business, you should know that finding clients in this matter won’t be limited to a single thing.
To grow your business and find more clients, you need to mix some strategies that are aligned with your path. But what are the strategies? How can you handle them? Let’s jump in and break it down to find web design customers.
Create a portfolio that screams: HIRE ME!
While creating a portfolio, keep in mind that in today’s competitive market, no client cares about how many years you’ve been designing. Your portfolio is your digital storefront.
If you want to get paid, work on it and instead of telling them who you are, just simply show them. If you want to stand out, use the tips below:
- Choose your best work: collecting all of your works and keeping them in your portfolio won’t help at all. Choose quality over quantity. Keep your best to impress the clients.
- Include case studies: Talk about the process and details of your work. So the client understands that you’re in control of the process and can handle the potential problems.
- Keep it simple and easy to navigate: Keep in mind that less is more. A simple, neat, clean and mobile-friendly portfolio is the key. Confusing portfolios are not trustworthy to the clients.
- Create your personal brand: Creating brands makes you professional. Pick a name, create a brand and provide your contact info for them to easily reach you.
If you’re not that experienced yet, show your best by designing samples. You can redesign famous websites to attract more attention. Whatever it takes, the purpose is showing your ideas, talent and skills before your first big gig.
Define Your Niche – Be the one for a specific niche.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to do everything and be active in all the areas-blogs, e-commerce, corporate sites- Focus on one of them and be the best of that. This brings you more experience and more clients, too. Here are some of the niches that you can choose from:
- E-commerce websites
- Tech startup websites
- Real estate websites
- Nonprofit and charity website
- Personal branding sites
Once you focus on one of them and design multiple projects, you’ll be known as an expert. So, you can charge higher prices and attract the right clients. If you’re not sure how to pick the best niche for yourself, take a look at your past projects.
Which one do you think was your best? Which one was more interesting, while working on it? What are the demands of the market? Answering these questions gives you a hand for picking. But in the end, you have to find your sweet spot!
Leverage Social Media – be a part of their social media.
The days of duplicate resumes are over. To get more attention and attract clients, you need to show your work in action. Social media is the best place for this. For a better result, you need to know on what platforms and how you should be active. This is what I’m gonna tell you:
- Instagram and TikTok: The best options for showing the process of your project, before and after pictures and building trust.
- LinkedIn: Find the businesses that need website designers on LinkedIn.
- Twitter (X): Twitter is the platform for engaging and conversations. Provide the potential clients with free tips and interact with them.
- Pinterest: The best platform for sharing pictures. By uploading your best works, inspire others to follow you.
The fact is there are different strategies that you can benefit from, depending on your purpose. But following the tips below will work for you, one way or another.
| Strategy | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Post regularly | Post consistently based on your workload—daily, every other day, or weekly. | Keeps your audience engaged and informed. |
| Share free tips | Providing free tips builds credibility, showcases your knowledge, and fosters trust. | Establishes you as an expert and trusted source. |
| Use hashtags | Using relevant hashtags effectively connects clients to freelancers. | Increases discoverability and client reach. |
| Don’t underestimate the engagement power | Engage with your audience by commenting, asking for feedback, and building personal relationships. | Creates stronger connections and brand loyalty. |
Web designers are always in demand. So if you show up constantly on their feed, you’ll easily win the “Finding clients” game.
Network with other professionals; people hire who they know
If nobody knows you, your skill and talent would be a waste and you’ll be left with no clients. So what’s the secret sauce behind this matter? Networking here comes as a hero. And no. It’s not as awkward as it seems.
Making these connections brings you leads that result in finding web design clients. If you’re OK with that and are wondering how to make these connections, follow the items below:
- Online communities and social media: Instagram, Facebook, Discord and Twitter (X) are fields with the groups that are there to gather freelancers and clients and make these connections.
- Events: Participating in different events that are related to your work could be a game changer. And happy for you, almost all the businesses need a website designer for their online activity.
- Freelancer meetings: Most of the freelancers (marketers, copywriters, etc.) are in need of web designers to display their projects.
The bad news is just participating is not enough to make connections. You need to show them that you have the power to give them what they need. To do so, you can offer them some professional advice that shows you’re an expert and do other things that make you unforgettable.
Use freelance platforms, get clients even on vacations.
Freelance marketplaces have no difference from a battlefield that can easily kill your skills, if you don’t know how to use them. But it’s a secret weapon too, when you make the best use of it.
These platforms can connect you to clients all over the world, and I think it’s the biggest advantage of freelancing. 99designs, TOPTAL , Fiverr, and People per Hour are just some of the best. If you want to stand out on each of them, you need to follow some tips:
| Tip | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Make a killer profile | Showcase who you are and your capabilities with a professional bio. Use a trustworthy profile picture. | Builds trust and helps clients get to know you. |
| Offer lower prices at first | Start with lower prices to attract your first projects, and use this to build reviews and credibility. | Helps you get your first reviews and higher rates. |
| Ask for feedback | Request feedback from clients after completing a project. | Builds a positive reputation and attracts more clients. |
| Highlight your best work | Use your portfolio to display your best projects. Update it regularly to keep it fresh and relevant. | Shows your capabilities and expertise to potential clients. |
| Be responsive | Respond to inquiries quickly and professionally. Clients appreciate prompt communication. | Builds trust and shows you are reliable and available. |
| Specialize in a niche | Focus on a specific area of expertise that sets you apart from the competition. | Makes you more appealing to clients looking for specialized skills. |
| Set realistic deadlines | Make sure to set achievable deadlines and deliver on time. Clients value reliability. | Creates a reputation for being dependable and professional. |
Freelancer platforms are not the best options for those big goals you have in mind. But they could be the best to start, bringing you clients and experience. So take them seriously !
Final thoughts
Knowing that you know how to find web design clients, it’s obvious that you can’t leave it to chance. Finding the clients is about having the strategies and mixing them to win the game.
You want the gigs to come to you? Put yourself out there, be consistent and don’t get disappointed. The key? Keep showing up, improve your work, follow the tips and have patience. Then you see your designing business take off.
