How to Start a Web Design Business with No Experience | Tips & Tools

In the early 2000s, web design and web development often went hand in hand. But technically, web design is a subcategory of web development that primarily refers to the visible portion of websites, online services, and applications.

Today web design is not about code and includes several aspects:

• User experience and navigation (UX)
• User interface and visualization (UI)
• Typography and stylistics
• Illustrations & animated elements

We are sure many people are wondering how to start a web design business with zero experience. To explain this, we will discuss the following aspects:

1. State of the web design industry
2. Tools to choose to base your web design business
3. Step-by-step process: How to start a web design business with no experience

Shall we start?

Understand the Web Design Industry & Define Your Goals

Note: 39% of users worldwide are willing to stop interacting with a site if images are not loading or it takes too long to load.

8 out of 10 users will immediately stop interacting with the website if the suggested content is not displayed correctly on the device screen. 

38% will stop further interaction if the content looks unattractive.

By pointing these facts, I would like you to understand that building a web design business is about high responsibility as well as high gains, if successful. 

Why Do You Want to Start a Web Design Business? 

This undertaking is not about money - it is about an idea you have. 

If you just heard that it is profitable and this is your reason to start a website design business- you should better start cryptocurrency trading. This idea underlines more profitability as well as high risks. 

But if you are passionate about design, attractive content, and fastly-downloading pages - this article on how to start a web design business with no experience is definitely for you!

All in all, it makes vast sense to perform business analysis services to understand whether you have the capabilities and capacity to start a company. Companies like MLSDev specifically provide such services to ensure the feasibility of a startup as well as understand initial goals.

Starting a Web Design Business - Profitable?

As you know now, web design is profitable since any business requires an online presence. Still, there are some “buts”.

Web design will be profitable, if:

1. The services you offer have good quality - no one is going to work with you if you offer them the things that can be done by them itself, you know. Don’t make it simple and poor. 
2. You are in the right niche. There are plenty of web design services. This is why it will be easier to expand if you don’t have the right specialization.

How to Start a Web Design Business with No Experience: Detailed Process

When you google “how to start a web design business with no experience”, you will find plenty of courses claiming they can teach you and make a professional web designer for a month or two. 

Don’t be so quick to pay them.

Let’s check if you can learn it by yourself.

1. Find and Specialize in a Niche

Here it’s time to think about special offers you can do to your clients. 

As I told you before, there are plenty of web designers, and everyone offers the same - cheap and good websites, etc. As well, it is possible to specialize in some industry or domain. For example, you can offer a design for online stores, personal landing pages, online blogs, and so on. 

In 2020 it’s time for greater offers!

2. Decide on Your Services

The meaning of "web design" is a very wide definition and may contain many extra services. 

As you only start, you may choose one service that you can offer on a professional level. You may start by providing web design services using some ready-made solutions like Wix, WordPress, Shopify, etc. 

As time passes by, you may add some other services and provide:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
2. Link Building
3. Email marketing
4. Online advertising
5. Copywriting & Content management
6. Social media marketing

3. Build Your Team 

This point is an important matter, for sure. Creating a team of professionals with similar interests and objectives makes you way easier. 

On the other hand, it is recommended to think about your own team when you are ready to expand, and when you know how to choose people and what extra services you may add.

4. Finalize Web Design Business Plan 

Here we are not talking about services like:

“Hello sir, check my website. I am ready to create the same for you very cheap”.

Right?

That is why you need to have your brand with a logo, name, slogan, color guide, etc.

Also, you need to define your target audience and, maybe, specify the area and clients you want to work with - crypto, business, finance, etc. 

Basic example: If you want to be, let’s say, a copywriter, you will definitely write about things you like. 

5. Price Your Web Design Services 

Of course, your payment model will depend on the service you will choose. 

As a copywriter, you may charge a certain fee for each word.

As a link builder, you may charge a fee for each link that you inserted for the client. 

For website design, you will certainly charge an initial fee based on the client’s requirements. It is possible to charge your client with a fixed amount or based on the number of hours you have spent on the work. In the latter case, it is very important to provide some estimate of the predicted amount of work for the client. 

6. Promote Your Services & Find Clients

The main thing that is important for any business is to build an online presence. 

So, you should create profiles on Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Facebook, etc. I don’t ask you to buy the ads there - just inform people about your services, show examples, send interesting tips, etc. 

Then, you may find useful platforms to find first orders such as Upwork, Yelp, Dribble, listing websites specializing in web design. 

Also, don’t forget to spread the word about your web design service among your personal network - your friends, ex-colleagues, etc. Very likely, your first clients will be your friends or relatives.

7. Cover Legal & Administrative Requirements

Last but not least, do not forget to register your web design business according to the laws. Put all your paperwork in the right order. During the initial steps, it is advisable to get a consultation from a lawyer or some online services. 

You should decide will your company have a sole proprietorship of, for example, an LLC. 

What Web Tools To Choose for Design

Frankly speaking, there are plenty of ready-made resources you may use for web design and development. 

Here is the list of the most widely used. Many of them offer a wide list of features and designs which you can learn how to set up quickly.

Weebly

Weebly is a website building service that lets you create pages for it almost instantly with simple drag-and-drop tools. You can work even from mobile devices.

Weebly features:

1. Ready-made themes
2. Blogging
3. SEO services
4. Moderation of comments
5. Loading images and editing

WordPress

WordPress (CMS WordPress) - is a content management system on the site. Roughly speaking, WordPress is a system that allows you to create a website and manage information on it.

With the help of WordPress, it is possible to add pages, posts, change the appearance of the site, add all possible materials (photo, video, audio, etc.). Working with WordPress, we can create sites of any complexity (and most importantly, it's very easy to do this). 

Simply take some time to learn WordPress tools so you can offer a range of web design propositions to your clients. 

Shopify

Shopify is one of the main eCommerce platforms that allow business owners to set up their own online stores. 

Shopify has an easy-to-use system, so it is simple to create an online store without actual coding skills. You can specialize in the eCommerce industry and help build online stores by using Shopify. 

Squarespace

Squarespace is a SaaS platform that allows you to create sites without knowledge of CSS, HTML, PHP, and other markup languages and programming. The platform allows you to create good sites from scratch or based on ready-made templates (paid and free). 

Wix

Wix is ​​a website builder with a convenient and flexible visual editor. 

With its help, it is convenient to create small, beautiful websites with appealing designs - business cards and landing pages. 

In addition, Wix does well in administering blogs and almost as easy to maintain as on WordPress.

So, starting a web design business by utilizing Wix is a good decision for newcomers.

Jimdo

Jimdo is a website design and development system for small and medium-sized businesses. 

The builder can be used to create many types of sites, such as online stores and other commercial projects with a paid plan. Note, when using the free version, the user may face a lot of difficulties and limitations.

Custom Web Design

This is an option for those who want to invest in web design only. 

If you need a custom design, meaning the design from scratch, then you need to learn or hire people who know UX/UI design and its tools. It is necessary to know how to work with Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, know the specifics of typography, stylistics, layout, navigation, etc. 

You may also consider offering this kind of service, but in this case, you need to hire UX/UI designers who know the matter. 

How to Start a Web Design Business with No Experience: Final Word

The job of a web designer is a combination of creativity, logic, clear problem-solving, and fast decision-making. 

Web design trends are changing rapidly - so following tendencies is a must-have for this kind of business. 

Be persistent, but not stubborn; learn to be flexible, thoughtful, and look one step ahead, and, of course, really love to learn - then it will be easy for you to be successful in this area.

• TAGS:
• Business
• Cms
• Web Services