So you want to earn money by building websites, huh?
Whether you know it or not, building a website for a client involves a lot of moving pieces, such as design, hosting, communication with the client, structuring your contract, and more. In your first project, it's guaranteed that you will miss something, and that's okay. You will improve with each project you work on.
Here , I'm going to explain the end-to-end process I follow to create a website for a client:
1. Initial Meeting with the Client:
The first meeting sets the tone for the rest of your interaction with the client. Before the meeting starts, it's important to get the client in the right mindset. Throughout the meeting, emphasize the value of a high-quality website. Clients are usually busy people, and overhauling their website can be a chore. So, stress that the effort put into their website directly affects their business's bottom line, which is something they care about.
During this meeting, aim to:
- Understand the purpose of the website.
- Identify any special needs the client has.
- Determine the necessary pages to create.
- Grasp the desired vibe of the website.
- Ask the golden question: When someone visits your website, what do you want them to do?
This helps you understand how to help the client achieve their business objectives. Remember, in most cases, a website exists for users to make a purchase, schedule an appointment, or subscribe.
💡 A tip for understanding the client's vibe is to come prepared to the initial meeting with three different websites from similar businesses in their space. Have the client review them and provide feedback on what they like and dislike. Keep all the notes in a shared Google Drive for reference throughout the project.
2. Design:
Create the initial look and feel of the website using tools like Figma. It may be tempting to jump into the building right away, especially if you're new to the tools. However, trust me that taking the time to use a tool like Figma will save you a lot of time later on. The mockup stage is where both you and the client should fall in love with the design. Once that's achieved, you can move on to the building step.
3. Time to Build:
For a long time, I thought it was cool to build websites using pure HTML and CSS. I had a fear that clients would think I'm cheating if I used tools like WordPress or Wix. But let me tell you a little secret: "They don't care at all." All your client wants is an awesome website. They don't care how you get there; that's why they hired you. It's up to you as an expert to decide the best tools for the job. After building the website, thoroughly test it and demo it to the client.
4. Deploy:
If you use Wix or WordPress, use providers like Hostinger or Wix hosting itself. Use Namecheap or GoDaddy to purchase the domain.
5. Payment:
One crucial part of the process is getting the client to pay. When discussing the price upfront, you can use strategies like offering a 15% discount if they pay the full amount upfront. In this case, simply mark up the price by 15%. That way, if they choose the discount, you still get what you wanted initially. If they don't, you get an extra 15% and they still need to pay half upfront or in milestones.
And that's it! Have you built websites for clients before? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!