Let’s chat how to add web design services & make $10k months (if ya want).

Paige Brunton (aka the Squarespace QUEEN) & I will discuss
1. Is it too late in 2023 to become a designer
2. First step you need to take to become a designer
3. Do you need to know coding
4. Difference between designers making $2k/month vs. $10k/ month
5. Best marketing tool to get to $10k/ months

Quick intro to Paige: When I first started my business in 2018, I noticed Paige’s blogs kept popping up whenever I searched anything related to Squarespace! She was a website designer that made $10k months and then pivoted to having courses. Her passion for helping women create profitable and productive web design businesses is AMAZING.

Is it too late to become a website designer in 2023?

I feel like there are so many website designers, but when you are in the industry, you notice the people doing the same thing. We have a skewed perception of what is happening in the World.

I was talking to a custom website designer and she does websites for the trades (like plumbers) and they don’t feel like there are a million website designers. Every time I have new students join my course*, they get clients very quickly ESPECIALLY if they niche down right away.

I forget the exact statistic, but I think it is like 46% of small businesses don’t have a website. Let alone all the businesses who have a website, but their website sucks and needs to be redone. And just generally, you should probably be re-designing your website every 3 years or so is a good cadence or it will start to look outdated.

What if I want to go from being a VA to a web designer?

The thing that needs to be solved is the CONFIDENCE of the individual! Do a project or two just so you have the confidence that you can start charging! Even if you are doing it for free for a testimonial, you can get the confidence that you are capable and are appreciated. It could even be a website for yourself! You can even build a website for a fake company. That would be my first recommendation.

Or find an industry you would love to design for and reach out to them and offer a very cheap website like $400-$500.

Do I need to know how to code?

No! How I would frame that to your client is “I will build you a website with capabilities that are in this platform and if you want additional things, there will be an extra fee.” If the situation comes up where the client wants a custom thing that needs coding

1. Give them an alternative
2. Hire someone to do that bit
3. Go into a Facebook group and ask for a code
4. Plugins! Many times you can buy a plugin for $20 that is so much faster anyway

Many times it is better anyway to NOT use code, because when you hand off the website to the client you want them to feel empowered to make updates (especially if you’re using an easy platform like Squarespace or Showit) and not have to wait on a developer to make those changes and pay that ongoing fee.

What’s the difference between a $2k a month and $10k a month website designer?

So many people start on Fiverr and charge $250 for a website design. Get off Fiverr if my first tip.

People do just Squarespace websites (no branding or SEO) for $10,000. For example, if you are working with a custom homebuilder and they get one extra client because of the website you designed, that is incredibly worth it for them to pay $10,000.

You can charge more if you are thinking about designing the website strategically and not just making it pretty.

Questions to ask yourself if you want to charge more as a website designer:

1. What is my client’s end goal and am I achieving that on the website? (example: are people actually INQUIRING when they go to the website?)
2. Am I also educating my client in the process of designing their site?
3. Am I implementing a client journey (for them AND for their ideal client through the website)?
4. Is it a seamless user journey?

The other key could just be freaking beautiful designs like what my Square Secrets student Freya Rose does! She designs on Squarespace, but they don’t look like a Squarespace template site AT ALL.

Confidence is the other thing. When you go into it with so many past clients that have been pleased and it has positively impacted their business, they will be ready to drop 10 grand and you will feel confident saying that price.

Another one of my past students designs websites for people who want to become an influencer in their city. She builds the website, educates them on how to have this business model, helps them get their first 10 blog posts published, and helps them set up their whole business and she is charging $14,000 at this point.

It also depends on who you are serving and pivoting your business to work with that ideal client.

For someone who wants to get to 10k months what marketing tool is best?

The best tool is the one you don’t hate to use and will be consistent with. Find one you GENUINELY ENJOY and you will naturally become good at that thing. For both Paige and me it was blogging but yours could be:

• In person networking
• Facebook groups
• YouTube channel
• Guesting on podcast
• Going to conferences
• Speaking
• Social Media (Instagram)

Every one of these works, but being CONSISTENT, doing it WELL and NOT trying to be on EVERY PLATFORM is the best marketing tool. Also don’t try to get clients through freelance websites. Build your own website and web design business.

You can pitch to get clients, but there will be a different dynamic when you go to them versus when they come to you REALLY wanting to work with you. This will allow you to charge more.

Difference between students who can charge a lot very quickly, to people who take a while to get it going:

Most often the ones who charge $10k months quickly have one of two things

1. Uber-specific niche
2. Hella beautiful websites (no niche)

The easier of the two is picking the specific niche. I have a student that had built her own Squarespace website for her own book launch and was in a Facebook group for authors. She was constantly giving advice and she offered 2 websites for free and TONS of people wanted it.

After designing those websites she individually reached out to the other commenters, gave them a steal of a deal, and booked herself out for 6 months so that is what I mean for a specific niche.

Moral of the story – join the Minnesota Electrician Facebook group or figure out where your niche is hanging out and BE THERE.

Or you can study design best practices/ branding and make incredibly beautiful websites.

Interested, curious, aspiring website designer?

Paige is hosting a bootcamp April 17, 18, & 19, 2023. There will be FREE LIVE trainings all about:

• Finding clients
• Managing projects/ keeping it on schedule
• Income stream potentials and prices that you would have as a designer

Inside the bootcamp there will also be an amazing giveaway you won’t want to miss from Paige! I HIGHLY SUGGEST JOINING!

FREE training Profitable & Productive Web Designer Bootcamp ⇩

* Affiliate Disclaimer – I am an affiliate, but would suggest the Square Secrets Business course either way if you want to become a website designer and build a profitable business!