Method #10: Web Design Work
In the previous section, we discussed one type of web design work that you can
do to make money—namely, creating sites for local businesses and creating
local business directories. In addition to this, there are other ways that you can
make money through web design.
Selling Your Services as a Freelance Web Designer
If you haven’t already designed multiple web sites, it’s probably not a good idea
to try to sell yourself as a high-end web designer. However, as long as you have
a WYSIWYG editor, know a little about Internet marketing, and are willing to work
hard, you can expect to earn a decent bounty from mid-to-low level web design
work.
Since I’ve gone over the general concept of freelancing several times already, I
won’t focus on it too much here. Again, look at sites like Elance.com,
SitePoint.com, Guru.com, and others when trying to sell your web design
services. Additionally, remember that it is vital to have a portfolio (perhaps one
site with multiple sub-domains to show off various styles and themes) and to
avoid overselling your skills.
Sell Site Re-Designs to Companies
This is a little bit harder than doing typical web design work. Instead of simply
selling your services, getting site specs, and then performing the design job, you
will need to start this process by seeking out sites (and preferably sites of local
businesses) that could benefit from a site-re-design.
Once you have located these sites, make a pitch to the business owner. Offer to
redesign the site, so that it is more functional, provides more interactive features
for visitors, generates more traffic, and appears more professional and betterorganized.
When you begin this process, offer to do it for a very low price until
you build up a customer base; and begin receiving some feedback.
Another thing you should do is to offer to maintain the site once it is re-designed.
This means that you would be on call to monitor downtime; and to make any
changes needed. This might seem like a hassle, but it could be well worth it if
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you accumulate a large portfolio of sites that require very little maintenance. By
charging around $50/month for maintenance, you could reap a large and virtually
passive income while only working 10-15 hours per week.
Summary
Freelance web design is an excellent way to make money, even if you have only
created one or two websites and know nothing about Flash, php, or even html.
The key is that you should work with a WYSIWYG editor (and master it over
time), focus on working with local businesses, and sell the maintenance work as
a package. Additionally, you should make an attempt to pitch your proposal over
the phone.