5 Tips I Wish I Knew When Starting My Web Business

Today I am going to talk to you about the 5 Tips I Wish I Knew When Starting My Web Business

The 1st tip I can give new web designers it to Claim your Google Business Profile early (formerly known as Google My Business) Early

The sooner you claim your profile, the sooner you stake your virtual footprint online. Google takes notice when Google Business Profiles have been created. The longer you have been around, the better and the more perceived authority you will have.

Even with my agency, I noticed every year my rankings keep increasing and the organic keywords that I rank for also increase with time.

It’s not enough however, to just claim your listing, you need to feed your Google Business Profile with images, services, products, and of-course posts.

I will be making a video on how to maximize your Google Business Profile for web designers. So, keep an eye out for that one.

Next, important step when building your website agency is to Focus on building your 5 Start Reviews and network early.

The biggest challenges that every web designer will face is credibility, especially when first starting out. People want to do business with designers who come across as credible. Now there are many ways to increase your credibility as a website developer. You can join a local networking group such as BNI, or a chamber of commerce. By the way - If you want to learn more about BNI’s I will include a link to their website in the show notes

A great way to get reviews is to offer free advice. Don’t always be on “I got to sell mode.” Even to this day, when I come across business owners who are clueless with their Google Business Profile, I always offer free advice. In-fact, I will even drive to their office (if its close by) and show them how to maximize their listing. I can’t tell you how rewarding this is and how easy to get them to leave you a 5-Star review in Google.

When building a website always put your best foot forward. Even if your client did not pay you extra for those additional background graphics, do them anyway. Remember, when you are just starting out every website your build is a reflection of the level of quality you provide.

Even if you take on a job at a significantly reduced rate, you should still build it out like you got paid a lot of money. Early on – your portfolio is critical to getting new clients.

All of the websites that I build include SEO. Most of the time (not always) it’s easy to rank my client high in Google with some simple design integrations. I always include these extra steps even if they did not pay for it. For example, I will always install and optimize the Yoast SEO plugin as part of my services, because I know this will help them.

Don’t quit your day job (yet). You got to plan for at least 6-12 months to get some traction.

There is nothing more frustrating than a “dry” spell. Where several months have passed and you have not quoted a job. Unfortunately, this is normal when starting any business, and web design is no different. Having a job that is paying the bills, significantly reduces stress and anxiety when building your web business.

You simply need time to build your online presence and local brand. Starting off with friends and family is the logical first move, but eventually you will need to generate organic leads, unfortunately this takes time.

The good news, is that after you get rolling and your agency starts to rank in google – opportunities will come your way. Combine that with networking and you got a winning formula.

There have been countless jobs that I have gotten from interactions I had several months ago. In-fact I recently was contact by a great prospect who I quoted them over a year ago.

Now of-course you could run Ads, however, I do not suggest beginners run ads until they have gained some ground, built up a small portfolio and got some reviews. Credibility is key, especially when you are paying for traffic!

My Next Tip That I wish I knew before I started my Website Business is ….Let everyone you know, that you are starting a web design business from day one.

Yea, that seems logical right? Well I didn’t do that. Maybe because I wasn’t sure if I would succeed? Don’t fall into that trap. If you are going to do something, then do it right. Commit to your business and don’t worry about what may or may not happen

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Thanks for watching and stay tuned for another helpful video in helping you learn how to build a profitable web design business!

Checkout my website for more information on how to start a website business: https://startawebsitebusiness.com/

Say hi on social: https://www.facebook.com/startawebsitebusiness

Learn about BNI’s here: https://www.bni.com/

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