Design clean, effective websites and landing pages for businesses and creators — and turn that skill into a predictable online income stream, even if you start with simple tools.
Use this module as your web design roadmap: learn the essentials, ship real websites, charge fairly, and then raise your prices as your skills and portfolio grow.
Web design is the process of planning, designing, and building websites that look good, work smoothly, and help clients achieve their goals
2–7 pages that showcase the business and drive action
Focused pages for specific offers or campaigns
Simple, clean pages that consolidate all important links
For photographers, coaches, artists, and creators
You can do a lot with:
Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, Carrd, Framer
With solid themes and page builders
Layout, typography, and UX understanding
Websites are still the home base of almost every brand
Social media can change or disappear — websites are more stable
People expect to be able to "look you up" and see something real
A good website increases trust, leads, conversions, and sales
A site that doesn't embarrass them
A clear way for visitors to contact, book, or buy
Someone they can call when they need changes
$500–$2,000+ for a complete site
Monthly retainers for updates
Landing pages added later
Copywriting, branding, SEO basics
Six stages from choosing your tools to scaling beyond $10K
Pick a niche and a primary builder to start with.
No-Code
Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Framer, Carrd
CMS
WordPress + a page builder theme
Super-Simple
Carrd or similar for one-page / link-in-bio sites
Pro Tip: You do not need to master every platform. Start with one main stack and get good at it.
Focus on fundamentals that matter to clients:
Clear sections, easy to scan, obvious next steps
Simple fonts, good size and spacing, no crazy overload
2–3 main colors, enough contrast, aligned with their brand
Buttons that look clickable, easy navigation, mobile-friendly
Before clients, build practice projects to establish your portfolio foundations.
Pick "fake" or real example businesses in your niche
2–5 page site structure (home, about, services, contact, etc.)
Clear placeholder copy or realistic dummy text
Create the full site in your chosen tool
Decide what you do and don't include:
Start with simple, small wins by reaching out strategically.
Start with something positive about their business
"Your site isn't mobile friendly" or "No clear call-to-action"
"I can build you a new website that does X, Y, Z"
Offer starter pricing for your first few clients in exchange for honest feedback, portfolio permission, and testimonials.
Multiple web projects
Ongoing retainers
Higher-priced complex sites
Everything you need to design, build, and manage client websites
Website Builders
Webflow, Framer, Wix, Squarespace, WordPress + builder, Carrd
Choose 1–2 to master
Design Tools
Canva or Figma for simple mockups or graphics
Planning Tools
Notes/Docs for planning site structure and copy
Templates
Save templates for home pages, about pages, services pages
File Storage
Google Drive / Dropbox for client assets
Task Tracking
Notion/Trello for managing projects and tasks
Contracts & Invoices
Simple agreements and invoicing tools
Client Communication
Email, Slack, or project management tools
Video Calls
Zoom or Google Meet for client meetings
Screen Recording
Loom for quick walkthroughs and tutorials
Don't try to use every tool. Master one website builder, one project management tool, and one design tool to start.
Build your own templates for common sections and page types. This speeds up your workflow dramatically.
Learn from others' mistakes and set yourself up for success
Mistake:
"This looks cool to me" but confuses visitors
Fix:
Ask what visitors need to see, know, and do. Design for that.
Mistake:
Animations and crazy layouts everywhere
Fix:
Keep it clean and simple. Focus on clarity and speed.
Mistake:
Site looks great on desktop but broken on phones
Fix:
Always preview and adjust mobile layouts. Test on actual devices.
Mistake:
Beautiful site, no "Book," "Contact," or "Buy" buttons
Fix:
Decide the main action and make it obvious on every page.
Mistake:
$150 for a full custom site that takes 30+ hours
Fix:
Start low if you must, but raise rates quickly as you get experience.
Mistake:
Unclear timelines, missing info, confused clients
Fix:
Use a simple onboarding checklist, clear timelines, and regular updates.
Always under-promise and over-deliver. Set realistic expectations, communicate clearly, and deliver slightly more than expected. Happy clients lead to testimonials, referrals, and repeat business.
Use this as a 7-day starter plan to launch your web design business
Pick your main builder (Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, etc.)
Choose: local services, creators, events, or online professionals
Analyze 5–10 modern sites. Note sections, layout, and CTAs.
Create a site for a fake or real example business in your niche
Set up portfolio page. List 20–30 businesses with weak or no sites.
Reach out to 5–10 prospects with compliment + critique + offer + portfolio link
Goal: Book 1–2 calls or chats to discuss their website
If someone agrees, clearly define project scope, price, and timeline
Quick answers to common questions about web design
Visual concepts to help illustrate your web design work and portfolio
Concept: A "before and after" of an outdated website vs a modern one.
AI Prompt:
"Split-screen illustration of an outdated cluttered website on the left and a clean modern website layout on the right, 16:9 ratio, flat design"
Alt text: "Outdated website redesigned into a clean, modern layout."
Concept: A responsive view showing the same site on a laptop, tablet, and phone.
AI Prompt:
"Illustration of a website shown on a laptop, tablet, and smartphone to represent responsive web design, modern style, 16:9 ratio"
Alt text: "Website displayed on multiple devices, showing responsive web design."
Concept: A simple wireframe on the left and a colorful final design on the right showing the design process.
AI Prompt:
"Wireframe website layout on the left transitioning into a colorful finished web design on the right, modern minimal illustration, 16:9 ratio"
Wireframe → Final Design
Alt text: "Wireframe evolving into a finished web design, representing the design process."
Use before/after comparisons and multi-device mockups in your portfolio. They clearly show the value you provide and make your work stand out. Consider using tools like Mockup World or Figma to create professional device mockups of your sites.
Web design lets you turn a mix of creativity and problem-solving into sites that real businesses depend on. You're not just making things look nice — you're building trust, credibility, and conversion tools for your clients.
Pick your builder and niche, then master them
Create practice sites to build your portfolio
Reach out and get your first paying projects
Improve your workflow and delivery speed
Increase prices as your portfolio grows
Offer maintenance for steady monthly income
Layer web design with your other methods (branding, social media, funnels), and it becomes a powerful engine in your push toward $10K and beyond. Web design complements almost every other online income method in this course.
Use this module to choose your tools, practice on real-style projects, build a small but strong portfolio, and get real clients. Then refine your process, raise your prices, and add maintenance or retainer work.
Ambitious stretch goal, not a guarantee
This 90-day plan is about building skill, portfolio, clients, and systems. Most people won't hit $10K/month immediately. The goal is to create a real web design business that can grow to that level over time.
Learn, Practice & Build Your Portfolio
Goal: Pick your stack, build practice sites, and create a basic portfolio
Land Clients, Deliver Projects & Improve
Goal: Complete real client projects and refine your process
Aim to close 1–3 paid projects. Send agreements with scope, timeline, and price. Collect all needed info early.
Build sites, give updates, launch. Take before/after screenshots, ask for testimonials. Note time spent and challenges.
Tweak intake form, improve templates, clarify revision policy. Adjust pricing for new clients if needed.
Update portfolio with real work. Narrow positioning. Contact 30–50 more prospects in your niche.
By End of Month 2:
Raise Prices, Add Recurring Income & Aim for $10K+
Goal: Treat web design like a real business with better pricing and more stability
Decide core focus (type of clients, type of sites). Turn services into packages with clear deliverables, timelines, and prices.
Create simple maintenance plan (monthly fee for updates/tweaks). Offer to existing clients. Add upsells: extra pages, features.
Target slightly bigger or more serious businesses. Personalize outreach with specific notes. Quote higher rates.
Calculate total earned, average per project, recurring income. Sketch your $10K+ scenario and path forward.
Option 1: Volume
10 projects at $1,000 each = $10K total
Option 2: Mixed
$6K new builds + $2K landing pages + $2K monthly maintenance
You might not hit $10K in your first 90 days, and that's okay. What matters is that you go from "I'm interested in web design" to "I have a portfolio, I've built real sites for real clients, and I know how to find more work and charge appropriately."
That's the foundation you build bigger numbers on.