How to Start Freelancing Your Web Designing

3rd Jan 2013 | Posted by Eko S. | No Comments

Ditching the 9 to 5 for a work from home career as a freelancer has become one of the most popular choices in recent years. If you’re skilled in web design or web development, it’s very easy to transition to running your own home business. Many companies need the professional services for their own websites and you can make a nice living as a designer with the right set up.

An Easy Way to Set Up Your Design Business

Using WordPress as your CMS or content management system will allow you to design websites much easier and faster.  Once you discover all the ins and outs of the system, you can do nearly anything with each site you design.  It’s also possible to learn how to design your own themes or buy custom designed themes for each site you design.

It’s important that you show off your design skills with your own website, as well.  You will need hosting to get you started and Siteground web hosting is a good choice with plenty of upgradable options. Choose a domain name to help brand your business and design your website not only to capture your target market, but also to show off the skills you bring to the table.

Make sure your own website uses WordPress and you use some of the design tricks you already know to give potential clients an idea of what you can do.  Most of the work you will do can be outsourced, but the actual design will be up to you.  This is your chance to show how much talent you have and how you can benefit others looking to hire your services.

Your Home Office

Another very important part of setting up your business is your home office. This part can be a bit difficult if you are transitioning from a corporate environment. Distractions at home can cut into your work time and they can cost you money. Make sure to set up your office in an area with little traffic, and if possible, a door you can shut. In addition, make sure to properly light your office, as it will help keep your energy up throughout the workday.

Finding Clients

With thousands of small businesses taking their business to the internet every year, it’s not hard to find design work. Of course, if you decide to offer development services, you can increase your profits from each client. Before you can make any money, however, you need to find some clients. Here are a couple effective ways to advertise your new business.

1. Pay Per Click Advertising
Most of your potential clients will search with Google, Yahoo or Bing for companies offering your services. By using the different PPC advertising programs, you can put your ad in front of your target market. It’s possible to set up your campaigns for a specific country, state or city, if you only plan to offer services locally.

2. Business Relationships
Creating relationships with other internet businesses, such as SEO (search engine optimization) companies and advertising companies can help you gain a steady flow of business. As these companies take on clients, they may need your help redesigning their websites or creating a website from scratch. Many SEO and advertising firms outsource the design work, which is where your services fit in.

What Should You Offer?

As a web designer, you should only actually do the design work yourself.  This is your specialty and when you choose to use the WordPress system for your design, you can offer a number of different design packages.  Some packages can include specific plugins capable of sharing blog posts, creating a better foundation for SEO benefits and much more.  It will be up to you to decide what you want to offer and you can offer more than just design services, if you have dependable people to outsource tasks, such as content writing and SEO work to.

Offering a variety of packages ranging from a small website to a large website with a full marketing and content package will help you cater to a larger audience. Some business will only need a few pages designed and won’t really need marketing services, but others will want a full package. Make sure to research other design and development companies in your area and set your prices competitively.

Becoming a freelance web designer can provide a rewarding business you can run from home. Working from home comes with its own set of challenges, but with the tips above, you can make the transition much easier.