Web Design Business with Josh Hall – Details, episodes & analysis

Clients don’t really want a pretty website…they want a 24/7 sales machine.

You work hard creating beautiful designs that are built solid and have intentional messaging and copy…but how do you know all that work is paying off for your client?

How do you measure results?

How do you keep your clients coming back for ongoing work over and over again?

Well, at the end of the day…one of the best ways is to offer some sort of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) as a service.

But I’m sure you have a lot of questions on how to do this practically and how to sell it to clients so I can’t think of anyone better to dig into this topic with than Leigh Scott, a conversion rate optimization specialist.

As the founder of zainatain.com, a design and conversion consulting company, this is her bread and butter.

We get into the weeds on this one including:

• Mapping out sales funnels for clients
• Micro goals vs macro goals
• Common CRO metrics
• Creating a CRO roadmap for clients
• Selling result-based CRO services

A big thanks to Leigh for opening up her playbook on this one!

If you want to learn more about CRO, she’s the next industry expert who’s doing a live training in my community Web Designer Pro! If you’re catching this the week it comes out, you can join Pro and watch her presentation live, otherwise when you join, the replay with all links and resources will be available for rewatch on-demand for you.

And be sure to check out the show notes for this page which has all the links and resources mentioned at joshhall.co/348

View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast

I recently published a newsletter sharing 5 ways I would get clients if I were starting out in web design today in 2024.

It got a lot of great feedback from both early-stage web designers and established web designers looking for a revenue boost alike - so I decided to expand on these 5 strategies as a full podcast!

We’ll dive into each of these strategies, how I would go about them and how I would execute on them in detail.

In short:

• Join a referral group
• Utilize LinkedIn
• Create local SEO targeted YouTube videos
• Host an interview series
• Start a monthly newsletter

Again, even if you’re established as a freelancer or web biz owner, you can implement some of these strategies as well to get more clients.

But man if I was an early-stage web designer…I would’ve loved to have this roadmap when I got started! So I hope it helps. 🙂

To get more help starting or building your business, be sure to pick up my free training here.

Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at:
https://joshhall.co/347

View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast

We just added new listening pathways on the Podcast Playlists page!

🎙️ joshhall.co/playlists

New playlists added:

• Accessibility
• Self-care for web designers
• Content marketing
• Copywriting
• Platforms and builder chats
• Ai
• Speed & optimization
• Legal and privacy

Also added a new quick link menu to help you zip around to your ideal listening path.

In person networking and referral groups remain to this day the best way to start getting clients, get more clients by expanding your network and get better clients by way of referrals.

There are a lot of different ways to get clients in person and virtually, and I’ve done many but if I were starting as a web designer today, my FIRST priority would be to join a networking group. More specifically, I would invest in a referral group like BNI.

Referral groups differ from networking groups in that they are there to help members give and get referrals. It’s what led to over 50% of my web business revenue and it’s the strategy that is working for many members of my community Web Designer Pro.

One of my community members who this strategy has worked so well for is Mike Albuquerque who, last year, tracked that he brought in $208,000 worth of web design revenue (website builds, hosting and maintenance plans and growth services) that all stemmed from his networking BNI referral group.

In this podcast chat, Mike graciously opened up on exactly how he hit this huge milestone. 

We cover:

• How Mike got into networking despite behind a massive introvert
• How long it took for him to start seeing results and an ROI
• What he would do differently and the same if he started networking today
• The big difference between networking events and referral groups
• How becoming a connector led to referrals and huge boost in trust with leads

And a whole lot more.

Again, there are tons of ways to get web design clients but if you’re in an area where you can join a BNI group or any similar referral networking group, I recommend it. It’s the quickest ROI, it’s what worked for me and tons of members in my community including Mike who is already on track to well exceed his 2023 revenue based off of referrals.

If it worked for me and Mike, it can work for you! You just need a little patience and persistence for networking to pay off but when it does…hot dog it’s awesome.

A big thanks to Mike for being so transparent with his numbers and sharing his success in what’s worked for him!

Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at:

https://joshhall.co/338

The Web Design Business Podcast is available on:

Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME

or wherever you get your podcasts

View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast

Josh shares a behind the scenes look into what went into rebranding the Web Design Club to Web Designer Pro™ and pulls the lessons learned from revamping a strong existing online community.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
01:36 - The 3 reasons
02:43 - 1) Why the change
09:20 - 2) Original Plan
13:27 - 3) Rebranding
15:16 - How to trademark
19:00 - The 3 big C’s
21:58 - Direct coaching
23:44 - Pro pricing and why
25:44 - Forward thoughts
27:59 - Pro help

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/248

“Think like a creative… Act like a CEO.” Mat Casner of freelanceceo.com shares how to become a successful web design solopreneur and how he built his business up while living in a rural location.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
02:00 - Greeting to Mat
07:43 - Utilizing the network
10:17 - The secret “sauce”
15:48 - Cultivate relationships
20:17 - Retention first
24:19 - Lessons learned
28:47 - Simple things work
33:17 - AI opportunity
38:54 - The new mainstreet
43:19 - A rural niche
49:22 - Passing the knowledge
55:21 - Advice for starting

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/247

Sarah Oates of Endure Web Studios and the Divi Chat Podcast shares her top lessons learned after a full decade of building and growing her web design business from a side hustle to full time endeavor.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
02:04 - Greeting to Sarah
04:10 - In the beginning
10:04 - Choosing a name
15:06 - Intentional web designing
20:12 - Starting a business
22:13 - First services
24:21 - Building confidence
26:41 - Staggered annual hosting
31:54 - Increasing prices
32:50 - Best marketing plan
37:18 - Growth process
43:09 - Worth of a good portfolio
48:52 - Second level network
52:50 - Scaling a designer
54:28 - Competing a new market
1:00:26 - How it’s lasted 10 years
1:05:46 - Community
1:10:47 - Final thoughts

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/246

Founder of CDBaby, TED Speaker and Author of “Hell Yeah or No” Derek Sivers shares his always provoking counter intuitive thoughts on positioning, brevity, musician entrepreneurs and much more in this wide-ranging conversation.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
04:28 - Greeting to Derek
06:28 - Musicians in business
11:02 - Power in the niche
18:54 - NIN technique
28:01 - Staying niche focused
34:49 - Testing other waters
40:42 - Keeping score
45:03 - Know what excites you
47:29 - Love of simplicity
52:29 - Be considerate 
54:26 - Simplicity matters
1:01:32 - A bold move 
1:04:01 - Intentional communication
1:08:59 - Training
1:10:46 - Ask questions
1:16:32 - Everyone’s websites
1:19:48 - Final thoughts

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/245

Josh explores the 4 types of common web designer paths to see which one you are now and which one is right for you.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
02:56 - 1) Freelance
06:50 - Pros & cons
11:06 - 2) Solopreneur
13:38 - Pros & cons
17:56 - 3) Business Owner
20:33 - Pros & cons
22:59 - 4) Webpreneur
26:20 - Pros & cons
28:56 - Recap

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/244

Keynote speaker and professional communication coach Karen Laos

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
02:03 - Greeting to Karen
05:24 - Marketing yourself
07:30 - First tip
12:33 - Communication concepts 
18:34 - Timeframes
23:12 - Listen don’t pitch
29:12 - Create clarity
31:40 - Curse of knowledge
33:48 - Trust factor importance
38:47 - Have warmth
45:04 - Listen to yourself
48:40 - Don’t fill the air
51:28 - Being credible
55:54 - Meet the right person
58:28 - Final thought

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/243

Acting and performance coach for entrepreneurs Tom O’Brien shares how to gain confidence and clarity in sales, calls, coming across like “you” on camera, in your marketing and more.

In This Episode

00:00 - Introduction
01:54 - Greeting to Tom
04:29 - What is performance
08:14 - In your own way
10:14 - An imaginary friend
13:25 - Overcome challenges
18:48 - Having confidence
20:28 - Belief into truth
23:12 - Tip before you speak
28:30 - Core desired wants
33:54 - Be in “Doing” mode
36:25 - Become a storyteller
38:57 - Mistakes
42:47 - Build a relationship
45:20 - Call yourself out
49:24 - Calming nerves
55:32 - Facial expressions
59:27 - Unshakeable confidence
1:03:53 - Re-learning in-person
1:08:27 - Quick tip

Get all links, resources and show notes at:

https://joshhall.co/242