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Thanks to website-building platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix, even beginners can create stunning websites without coding knowledge.
The key is to learn the ropes, practice your designs, and develop a niche that sets you apart from the competition.
Let’s talk about how to make money making websites and turn your passion for websites and design into a lucrative small business.
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Key Takeaways
- Start making money from home and set your own schedule by building websites with the right skills and knowledge.
- Follow 7 steps to get the skills you need to create websites, such as taking courses in HTML & CSS and practicing designs.
- Learn how to create websites through online courses on SkillShare
- Leverage job sites, freelance platforms, networking, and more to showcase your website-building services and land clients!
7 Steps How To Make Money Making Websites
Wouldn’t it be great to make money doing something that you enjoy?
Whether you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or just looking for a side hustle, creating websites can be a great way to make money.
If you have an interest and talent for designing websites and want to turn it into a full-time career, then you’re in luck!
Following these steps will guide you toward a successful business to make money building websites:
1. Take Courses- Learn How To Build Websites
The first step towards making money by building websites is to learn the skills required for website builders.
Website-building platforms like Wix and Squarespace and content management systems like WordPress have made creating websites without coding knowledge easier.
Also, having a solid understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other development languages will set you apart from the competition.
Thankfully, plenty of online courses and video tutorials are available to help you learn these skills.
Platforms like SkillShare offer a wide range of courses covering everything from the basics of web page design to more advanced topics for turnkey websites.
2. Pick Your Niche Site
Selecting a niche is a crucial step in making money by building websites. By focusing on a specific niche, you can:
- Position yourself as an expert in that field
- Cater to a particular target audience
- Stand out from the competition
- Attract clients who are looking for specialized services
To choose your niche, think about the industries you’re passionate about and the types of websites that interest you.
Are you drawn to e-commerce websites, lead generation sites, or custom WordPress sites?
Consider the target audience for your niche and who your products or services would be most attractive to.
A narrowed focus will equip you to market your services and prosper in website building.
3. Make Your Own Website
Now that you’ve developed your skills and chosen a niche, it’s time to create your professional website.
Your website will serve as your online portfolio, showcasing your skills, previous projects, and the services you offer.
A well-designed website will attract clients and establish your credibility as a skilled website builder.
When creating your portfolio website, ensure that it includes the following elements:
- Visually appealing design
- Easy navigation
- Highlighting your unique selling points
- Portfolio section showcasing your best work
- Client testimonials
- Clear call-to-actions for clients to get in touch with you
4. Practice Designs
Once you’ve learned the basics of web development and have a website to display your work, it’s time to start practicing to improve your skills and increase your portfolio.
Design can be just as hard as the coding pieces- you must have a good eye for color and detail and make things work well together.
Experimenting with diverse design tools like Canva Pro and Adobe Photoshop allows you to practice and refine your design skills.
You can take color palettes from company websites and practice optimizing them for better readability and find shades that complement each other better.
5. Create Test Sites
Before jumping into a paid project, practice building websites by creating test sites.
These test sites can be used to showcase your abilities in your portfolio and to practice new techniques you’ve learned through online courses or tutorials.
You can create test sites using Bluehost as your web host and then WordPress or similar website builders.
This will allow you to practice and become more efficient to deliver high-quality results faster when you land clients.
You can practice designing with complete creative control over the website with test sites.
If you don’t want to create sites or flip domains for extra cash, you can always approach non-profit organizations to help them update their pages.
It’s a great chance to help important businesses that help people, all while bulking up your own portfolio site.
6. Join Job Sites
By joining job sites, you can increase your chances of finding paying clients. These sites allow you to create a profile where clients can see your sample works, rates, and experience.
Some popular job sites include:
Creating a compelling profile and bidding on relevant projects will enhance your chances of securing your initial paying client and launching your website-building business.
And don’t forget to set up job alerts so you know when you can apply for jobs that fit what you’re looking for!
7. Land Paying Clients
Once you’ve built up your portfolio and have joined job sites, it’s time to start landing paying clients.
To land your first paying client, you can follow these steps:
- Network with potential clients
- Showcase your portfolio
- Offer competitive pricing
- Be proactive in reaching out to businesses
- Present your services in a compelling manner
Don’t be afraid to cold-email businesses, introducing yourself and providing a portfolio of your work. Remember, the more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to land a paying client.
Make sure to prioritize clients’ needs, maintain a professional attitude, and provide ongoing support for completed projects.
Niche Website Ideas
Creating niche websites to sell is a great online business idea you can start right now.
The main goal is to find areas where there’s a need for these special websites and fill that gap with your services to start making money building websites.
Here are some niche websites you can get into to make money building websites:
Custom WordPress Sites
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of all websites.
To get your sites up and running smoothly, WordPress is a top choice for web designers, known for its user-friendly interface and customizable features as a website-building platform.
Pair it with a reliable web hosting service like Bluehost, and you’ve got a solid foundation to build a website that meets your specific needs and style preferences.
The platform has thousands of customizable themes and plugins, making it easy to design and add functionalities to your website.
Some custom WordPress site niches include food blogs, beauty blogs, and online portfolios.
Lead Generating Sites
Businesses often need help finding new customers and sometimes waste their marketing budget. But there’s a solution: lead-generating websites.
These websites offer something valuable, like a free guide or special discount, in exchange for a visitor’s contact info, usually an email.
If you’re skilled at creating websites that look good and convince visitors to take action, you’ve got a valuable talent. Businesses want websites that can attract potential customers.
Think about it: you can build websites that act like customer magnets for your clients. They gain more customers, and you earn more money for your web development skills.
Product Selling Sites
You can make an online business building websites that help other businesses sell products with an eCommerce store.
You can provide a valuable service to clients looking to expand their online presence and reach a wider audience.
For instance, a site that sells only organic skincare products. This niche is highly profitable because it targets a specific audience with unique needs.
With a focus on user experience and conversion optimization, you can create product-selling sites that drive sales and help your clients succeed in the competitive world of e-commerce.
Service Selling Sites
Service selling sites are designed for service-based businesses, showcasing their offerings, selling ad space, and attracting clients.
You can create clear websites that describe ongoing services and sales a business has and create helpful FAQs about what the business does and has to offer.
Creating websites highlighting the unique selling points of their services can help your clients attract new customers and grow their business- while growing yours, too!
Donation Sites
Here’s an avenue you might not have considered: creating donation websites for non-profit organizations and causes.
Donation sites are all about helping non-profits raise funds and make a positive impact. You can play a crucial role in this process as a web developer.
By crafting websites that effectively convey a non-profit’s mission and goals, you can help them attract more supporters and, in turn, more donations.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to use your web development skills to make a real impact and get paid for it, creating donation websites could be the perfect avenue for you.
Subscription Sites
Subscription websites, like my “Savvy Mamas Membership,” are special places where people can find premium content by paying a small monthly fee or even yearly fee.
For example, a website that gives bloggers stock photos can be a popular landing page that attracts more people. It can also be a good place to sell ad space.
Similarly, a fitness site with custom workout plans can help increase the number of visitors and make money through Google Adsense.
These websites usually have a group of regular subscribers, which is good for businesses that focus on a certain area.
Shopify Stores
Shopify is a platform that allows users to create their online store without needing technical experience.
Shopify websites are generally e-commerce sites that sell niche products. For example, selling products that appeal to vegans or eco-friendly enthusiasts can be an amazing niche market.
If a web designer is passionate about a particular niche, they can easily capitalize on it by setting up a Shopify store.
It’s easy to optimize these sites for search engines, and with the right marketing strategy, their SEO ranking could attract the right customers without breaking the bank.
By designing and developing websites optimized for online sales, you can provide a valuable service to clients looking to sell their products through an online store, such as creating e-commerce websites for other businesses.
With a focus on user experience and conversion optimization, Shopify stores can help clients succeed in e-commerce and enable you to make money by building websites.
Shopify
The future of business is yours to shape. Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.
Get Started Now
Affiliate Marketing Sites
Affiliate marketing websites are created specifically to help online businesses promote various products and services.
You can assist others in setting up their own affiliate marketing sites, helping them step into this profitable space.
Using tools like Google AdSense or network advertising as part of your marketing strategies can further boost the earnings potential of these sites, making it a win-win situation for everyone.
When someone buys something through an affiliate link on their site, they earn a commission through the affiliate program.
These websites usually focus on a particular area of interest, like health, beauty, or personal finance, to draw a crowd into those topics.
Pros & Cons Of Website Building
Pros
- Website building allows for creative expression
- There’s a constant demand for web developers and designers
- Offer flexible work arrangements
- Can command high fees for services
- It offers continuous learning
- Work with clients across various industries and niches
Cons
- The industry is highly competitive
- Technical Challenges
- Clients often have tight project deadlines
- Client management can be time-consuming
- Continuously learning web technologies
- Website building often involves long hours of sitting
Learn Website Building & Design Skills
If you want to acquire the essential skills for website building and design, several online platforms offer a wide range of courses.
Here are some popular options, along with example courses and their respective costs:
SkillShare
- Cost: Free trial; $165 per year
SkillShare is an excellent platform for creative individuals, offering a variety of courses on website development and design.
When you join Skillshare, you gain full access to thousands of courses and additional perks like offline viewing, subtitles, transcripts, and more.
They provide a subscription-based service, which gives you access to their entire library of courses for a yearly fee.
You can begin with a free trial, giving you a preview of everything you need to learn as a website builder.
Here’s some information on one of their website-building courses:
How to Build a Professional WordPress Website Fast & Easy Step-by-Step
If you’ve ever wanted to create a website without getting tangled up in complicated coding, this online \course might catch your eye.
“How to Build a Professional WordPress Website Fast & Easy Step by Step” claims to make website building a breeze.
This course seems like it’s meant for everyone, no matter if you’re a beginner or have some experience.
It teaches you many useful skills, like picking and setting up the right website theme, adding new web pages, creating an online store, writing interesting blog posts, and getting backups saved.
One cool thing about this course is that it gives you templates and tools to make your WordPress website even better.
And here’s the best part: they say all the tools they recommend are either free or the best of the best.
Udemy
- Cost: $16.58 – $199.99 per month
Udemy is a popular online learning platform where you can find a course on almost anything you want to learn.
From professional development to hobbies, it’s a treasure trove of knowledge, offering courses created by experts worldwide.
Moreover, Udemy offers a flexible learning experience. You can learn at your own pace, with lifetime access to the courses you purchase.
This means you can revisit the material anytime you want. It’s a great platform for learners looking to expand their knowledge base and experts aiming to share their skills with a wider audience.
The platform also allows instructors to update course content regularly, ensuring you learn the most current and relevant information.
Here’s a course example that could teach you about being a website builder:
Web Design for Beginners: Real World Coding in HTML & CSS
Have you ever dreamed of designing your website but didn’t know where to start? Look no further than this Udemy course, “Web Design for Beginners: Real World Coding in HTML & CSS.”
It’s perfect for anyone, whether you’re just starting or have tinkered with web design before.
You’ll get the lowdown on HTML & CSS, the ABCs of web design. The course walks you through creating a website that looks good on everything from your phone to your desktop.
The instructor makes it easy. He’s not just talking at you; he’s showing you how to build a website with your own two hands.
The kicker? You don’t need any fancy software. Everything you’ll use is either free or super easy to get.
So, what do you think? Ready to roll up your sleeves and give web design a whirl?
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is your go-to online resource for picking up new skills, including the ins and outs of website building and design.
What sets it apart is its professional focus. Since it’s tied to LinkedIn, the courses are geared toward helping you advance in your career or switch to a new one.
The courses come in bite-sized videos, making it easy to fit learning into a busy schedule.
You’ll find a mix of lectures, hands-on exercises, and quizzes to ensure you get the hang of things.
Plus, once you complete a course, you get a certificate to add directly to your LinkedIn profile. How convenient is that?
I found this course you might like if you want to try using WordPress.org to make money-building websites:
LinkedIn Learning’s “WordPress Essential Training” may be the perfect online course for you if you don’t want to learn coding but want to design websites and make money online.
This course, led by instructor Allie Nimmons, focuses on using WordPress, a website-building platform that lets you create a website without coding (just like this blog!).
You’ll learn everything from setting up your WordPress account to customizing your site’s appearance and functionality.
Plus, you’ll gain valuable tips on keeping your site secure and optimized.
The course is structured with easy-to-follow video tutorials and includes hands-on exercises and quizzes so you grasp the concepts.
What’s even better? Once you complete the course, you’ll receive a certificate to showcase on your LinkedIn profile.
FAQs
Is website building a good job for beginners?
It’s honestly a great choice! You get to learn some cool stuff and work on interesting projects while possibly making cash on the side or with a new career.
You might think, “But I don’t know the first thing about coding!” No worries at all!
There are platforms like Wix and Squarespace that are super beginner-friendly. You can create an awesome web and landing page without learning all the tech stuff.
You can build a portfolio website to showcase all the awesome stuff you’ve been working on as you get the hang of it.
Who knows? This might even turn into a full-time job or a fun side hustle.
As a beginner, you can also learn skills in coding and designing websites. I highly recommend joining SkillShare, where you pay one flat fee to take multiple online courses.
You can learn coding, design, how to use WordPress, and even brush up on other high-paying skills for other side hustles.
Do I need to know coding to make websites?
You don’t have to be a coder to make websites.
Nowadays, user-friendly website builders like Wix and Squarespace let you create websites without coding knowledge.
They do the coding work, and you make selections based on templates and plans, where you focus on customizing and designing what they already have built.
But if you ever want to work on really intricate or special niches, having some coding skills can be helpful.
So, while coding isn’t a must, it can be a valuable skill in your website-making toolkit. It gives you extra power to customize websites the way you want.
What skills do website makers have?
Wondering what skills you need to become a website maker who can land a paying job?
Here’s a list to give you an idea of the skills web designers might need:
Technical Skills
- User Experience (UX) Design: Understanding how users interact with a website is crucial.
- User Interface (UI) Design: This involves choosing the right fonts, buttons, and layouts.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Knowing how to rank a website well on search engines.
- Programming: Familiarity with coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Web Hosting/Computer Management Systems (CMS): Ability to use hosting tools and content management systems.
- Design Software: Proficiency in graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop.
Artistic Skills
- Graphic Design: Ability to create visually appealing layouts.
- Typography: Skill in manipulating fonts for visual design.
- Composition: Understanding how design elements work together.
- Color Theory: Knowing which colors evoke certain emotions and how to use them effectively.
CMS and Other Skills
- CMS Management: Familiarity with platforms like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal is often a requirement for managing content-heavy sites.
- E-commerce Platforms: Knowing how to work with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce can be a big plus for a web designer, especially for online store projects.
- Database Management: Basic SQL or other database management systems skills can help you handle data-driven websites.
- API Integration: Understanding how to integrate third-party services can add functionality to your projects.
- Web Security: Basic knowledge of security protocols to protect websites from threats.
- Web Analytics: Skills in using tools like Google Analytics can help in tracking website performance.
Is building websites the same as designing websites?
Building and designing websites are different, but they work together to make a website come to life.
Building a website is like setting up the bones of a building. This part is more technical and is done by people who know how to code.
It’s about ensuring everything on the website works properly, like links, buttons, and other features.
Designing a website, on the other hand, is like painting and decorating the building. It’s about making the website look nice with the right colors, pictures, and layouts.
This part is more about being creative and thinking about what users want to see and how they will use the website.
How much money can I make from building websites?
The average annual salary of a website builder in the United States is around $89,729 per year.
Some skilled website builders charge around $43 per hour they work on a website, while others prefer to set a fixed price for the whole project.
As a beginner, you could charge closer to $20 – $30 per hour or $100+ per project.
The more you specialize and get good at building certain types of websites, the more money building websites you can make.
Where can I find clients to pay me for website building?
The most common ways to find clients when starting your website-building business include advertising your services on classified sites and job boards like FlexJobs.
Networking with other website builders or digital marketing agencies and asking for referrals is also one of the best ways to get potential clients.
You can also offer a referral bonus to your existing clients and ask them to refer you to other potential clients
Final Thoughts
Building websites is a lucrative way to earn money online and offers limitless possibilities.
Whether you’re a beginner or have experience, website building can be a career or side hustle that can bring you satisfaction and financial freedom.
You can easily earn money building websites by learning the skills necessary to build and design websites, promoting your services, and networking.
Learn how to build websites successful from classes on SkillShare and start making money today!
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