After I posted, "https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/how-do-you-handle-clients-that-wants-ugly-site.1173386/" I received a few questions from beginners asking me for tips, how to start earning, how much to charge, which theme to use (if you are making sites in WordPress), and many more.
So I decided to make this guide to help (I hope so) those guys who want to start or already doing something but not enough to live from that.
When you are a complete beginner, it's hard to start, because you don't know where to find clients, how to contact them, how to charge and how much, how to deal with them if they are annoying and more. I am still learning after all these years.
But I can tell you this:
The hardest thing to learn is how to read people and how to handle them.
Enough talking, let's get started, and this will be covered in parts.
PART I: You are learning or want to start with learning
One guy said he is only making fundamental changes in WP with some CSS, and that's all.
Working like this is okay if you are a beginner, and you want to get some skills and sites for the portfolio.
If you want to get better, you need to learn HTML, CSS, and how WordPress works for the beginning. After that, you need to learn JS (jQuery, but I do recommend you to learn JS; it will be easier later to learn other things), and at the end, learn some PHP to make changes in WP files.
When I was starting, I didn't want to start learning JS because it was "hard to learn" and I was looking for an easy way, but if you're going to make more complex sites, this is needed to know.
The last step, make a few sample sites and make your portfolio site so that you can send it to potential clients.
PART II: How to get clients
Sometimes this question can be questioned for $1M, but this worked for me, and I am sure it can work for you.
So, how to get clients?
Ask them! Just ask people if they need a website or re-design (if they really need it, and I am sure there is a bunch of sites that need some re-design).
No one will contact you and ask, "Hey buddy, can you make me a website". You are a beginner; no one knows you, and even if you are not a beginner, just ask them.
Where to find them?
I started locally, and I used mostly Instagram for that. A lot of business promotes its business on Instagram and Facebook, and that's a great way how to find clients. Start with searching for dental, real estate, and other companies in your town and they will start showing to you on FB and Instagram.
So, what to do when you find them?
I was sending them a message something like:
"
Hey, I saw your ad right now, and I can see that you don't have a website. I don't know if you have a plan to have one, but I am making websites, so if you are interested and I can send you an offer in the e-mail, and how the site can look? You can check my work at yoursite.com"
There are three potential scenarios:
- They will tell you no, they are not interested or they are already making one and say thanks for asking
- They will ask you to send them an offer
- They will not even reply to you.
SCENARIO No. 2)
They said yes. What now? At the beginning I was just sending them an e-mail with offer like I will do this and that, that will cost you $$$, and it was pretty good, but you can skip that amateur approach.
You can make a template in photoshop or Word document and export it as a PDF that you will send them over e-mail.
You can https://www60.zippyshare.com/v/EcTSdHoX/file.html.
VirusTotal: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/url/a55988afe628b5f40e467f3c3d20514f2fda173df13662da4cef4bf87a52e6fa/detection
If you are not checking the template, there is written that you need to ask them for 50% in advance before you start working.
Why?
This way, you will know if the client is serious and that he will pay you for your work.
Tip: Always give them a little bit higher price; that way, you can negotiate with them if they want a less price. Let's say you offer them $400 for a site, but you would do that for $300, that's a lot of space for negotiating.
PART III: Start working, earn money, and spread your business outside of your town, country...
Try to be as much as a professional with your clients, even if they are not. Always inform them what you have done, what still needs to be done. Ask them for content, talk to them.
If you want to save your nerves, use this tip from
@DropshipDave "Customer is always right," even if you don't like that. Try to explain to them what could be better for them and if they still insist on their idea, do it.
Conclusion
I think I covered everything you need to know, and this can help you to start your first money from making websites.
Be professional and don't try to cheat people or to make money and not make a website or something cheap. Those sites will be your presentation to new clients, and words will spread if you try to fool them.
Make those sites like you are making them for yourself.
Good luck!
