Web Design Business with Josh Hall

Welcome to a special, limited time episode which is the replay of my recent AMA (ask me anything) on my YouTube channel! Some GREAT questions and discussion prompts came in that I wanted to make sure you as a podcast listener had a chance to catch as well. Why a limited time episode? Because there's a special Christmas gift attached...a freebie and a big discount! Here's my Christmas gift to you 🎁 Just head here to snag your freebie and/or discount: 👉 joshhall.co/xmas When you get my guide to getting clients, Santa will follow up with something special 🎅 - Josh *** Offer valid until 12/31/24 at 11:59pm EST *** Get my entire suite of courses in the Courses Tier = $49/mo Get courses + all community features in the Community Tier = $99/mo Get everything + direct coaching with me in the Coaching Tier = $199/mo Join today (in the tier that works for you) at: webdesignerpro.com *** upgrade & downgrade available ***

I’m in a bit of an SEO pickle… Since 2017 I’ve built up all my resources - including this podcast - on my personal brand site joshhhall.co but now that my main product (my web designer membership Web Designer Pro™) is on webdesignerpro.com I feel I’m entering new SEO territory. In short, what content should stay at my personal brand at joshhall.co and since all roads are leading to webdesignerpro.com now - what content should be there? Here are my SEO pain points/challenges: It’s now a little confusing sending people to joshhall.co only for them to end up at webdesignerpro.com Well as you can see, I have some challenges and questions. And I don’t like going this type of thing alone so recently, I caught up with my SEO strategist and trusted confidant Michelle Bourbonniere to help me talk this out. Michelle has been on the podcast a couple times, has done 2 training sessions inside of my community Web Designer Pro and is at the top of her game when it comes to SEO strategy so I’m thrilled and happy to share our chat as a little behind the scenes action. I hope this gives you some guidance and ideas for your SEO strategy, especially if you are balancing a personal vs business brand or have multiple businesses online. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/357 Get my entire suite of courses in the Courses Tier = $49/mo Get courses + all community features in the Community Tier = $99/mo Get everything + direct coaching with me in the Coaching Tier = $199/mo Join today (in the tier that works for you) at: webdesignerpro.com *** upgrade & downgrade available ***

At some point, most web designers dream of moving from lengthy, time-intensive, custom web design projects to a more “productized” or “templatized” web design service. Something that clients can purchase, that has clear boundaries, constraints and limitations. There are a lot of ways to go about productizing your offers - and one way - is to frame it as a program or course. Especially if you’re empowering your clients with any sort of marketing or growth help. A shining example of how to do this is Web Designer Pro member Whitney Bateson who, after years of developing custom websites, refined her process into a web design + education solution for her wellness clients in her signature program “The Wellness Pro Website System” In this convo, we get into: Whether you’re interested in productizing your web design services as a course, service, product, program, etc…Whitney is a shining example of how to do it right so I really hope this convo helps you get more time and sanity back when you’re ready to productize your results! Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/356 Get my entire suite of courses in the Courses Tier = $49/mo Get courses + all community features in the Community Tier = $99/mo Get everything + direct coaching with me in the Coaching Tier = $199/mo Join today (in the tier that works for you) at: webdesignerpro.com *** upgrade & downgrade available ***

If you’re on the shallow or deep end of the “introvert spectrum” spectrum, I’m guessing the sales part of web design is your least favorite part of the job, right? For some, going to in person networking, business meetups, chamber of commerce events or even calls can be energizing but for others, it’s draining. It is, however, part of being a web biz owner if you’re the one doing the selling… There must be some strategies for making sales easier as an introvert, right? There is! And that’s why I’m pumped to have Michelle Warner on the podcast who specializes in networking and has many introvert-friendly sales techniques. That’s exactly what we cover in this convo, including: Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/355 Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Ah…the tug and pull between wanting to avoid being a burned out agency owner but also not being a stressed out, overwhelmed freelancer… Surely there’s a happy medium between the two? Good news, there is. My whole web business education model is focused around this hybrid approach to having a business that runs like a true business/agency but having the freedom and flexibility of a freelancer. Though I never had a great name for it - someone who does is fellow web design business educator Payton Smith, who calls it “The Solo Agency.” In this convo, we’re getting into the ins and outs of his experience from being a full fledged agency owner to stripping things down to the basics and taking on a more solopreneur approach. We cover: I really appreciate Payton being totally open and transparent on this one. With not only the business side of his experience but what he’s learned on a personal level as well. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/354 Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Copy, written by a human, with its flaws, oddities, and personally lived experience beats out corporate, stale, or AI-generated content every time. From home pages to service pages, to lead generators, blog posts, email sequences, and sales posts…the more personal and genuine you come across, the more it’ll stand out in today’s AI slop world. To help us get practical and tactical with writing personalized copy that sells more websites, I’m excited to bring on copywriter, podcaster, and speaker Emily Aborn who works with web and graphic designers to help them create, refine, and optimize conversion-based copy. We cover: Head to the show notes to get all the links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/353 Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Josh here with big news! Web Designer Pro™ 2.0 (tiered model) is live now!! 🎉 Up to this point, Pro has been one membership tier which gave full access to all of my web design courses, the amazing community and coaching with me directly with a member cap of 250 active members. We're closing in on capacity but the exciting news is...we now have two lower tiers available! Available in Web Designer Pro™ now is: Courses tier = $49/mo Community tier = $99/mo Coaching tier = $199/mo These new tiers will make it more accessible and practical to help you dip your toe into Pro, with a plan that works for you, depending on where you are in with your web design business. In this episode, we're diving into all the details on the new tiers for Pro and what led to this big innovation. Jump into Pro now at the tier that works best for you at webdesignerpro.com Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

The Web Design Business Podcast turns 5 today!!! 🎉 What a ride it’s been so far (and I have no plans on slowing down.) For this special milestone, I polled my community Web Designer Pro™ for questions and they delivered, asking some GREAT conversation starters. So in this special, 5 year anniversary podcast episode, I’m dishing out the longest AMA session I’ve done to date at 2 hours! The questions that came in were mainly in 3 categories: So that’s what we dive into (in depth) on this one! I hope you enjoy it and that you get some great takeaways to apply to your web design business and/or online entrepreneurial endeavors. I also want to say a big THANK YOU for listening to the show on Apple, Spotify, etc or watching on YouTube. I have absolutely loved doing this show at least once a week for the last 5 years and have no plans of slowing down. Means the world to me to see the reviews coming in, to hear your wins and feedback on how the podcast has helped you in your web design business so thank YOU for keeping this thing alive. Want to say thanks or give me your feedback on this special occasion? Leave a comment on the post at joshhall.co/351 or better yet…leave it as a podcast review to help grow the show! 00:00 - Intro to 5 year podcast anniversary 03:30 - Strategy for getting guests 09:28 - Showcasing client results when building portfolio 12:24 - Walking the line being boss and spouse when working together 16:21 - Tips for asking to be on a podcast 18:27 - Guests pushing their free or paid resources 21:13 - The legacy I hope this podcast leaves 23:39 - Vision of the podcast and how it's evolved 30:35 - Episodes that led to the most personal growth 39:13 - Most rewarding part of the job 44:46 - Favorite moments from the podcast 48:55 - Podcast gear, setup, etc 50:22 - Future plans (and how the pod fits into them) 55:20 - Next hot marketing strategies ahead 1:00:26 - Cultivating an engaged community 1:05:45 - Creating and growing Web Designer Pro 1:09:01 - Marketing funnel from podcast to Pro 1:12:42 - Reflecting on the work you've done 1:13:21 - Best (and most challenging) decision in business to date 1:26:37 - Most memorable podcast episodes 1:28:53 - Biggest mistake new web designers make 1:33:47 - Current struggles and pain points 1:36:00 - What I've learned from so many different people, cultures and personalities 1:42:56 - Batting imposter syndrome (as a web business coach) 1:51:46 - What I'd do if I restarted everything today 1:53:35 - Thank YOU 1:55:42 - Web Designer Pro 2.0 teaser Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

I don’t know about you…but I didn’t officially “launch” my web design business when I got started. I just kind of fumbled through starting my freelance journey. But if I were starting today, I would put much more effort and emphasis on creating an official “business launch.” Now to the big question…how do you launch a web business successfully? i.e. Get clients fast? Well, my guest in this podcast chat, Alexia Lynn launched her web design business in June of 2024 and got 3 new clients in her first 2 weeks after her amazing launch. So I can’t think of anyone better to learn from! Alexia went ALL OUT for her launch and it’s paid off in a big way in just a few short months. And today, she’s pulling the curtain back on exactly what she did, step by step. We cover: If you enjoy hearing what worked for Alexia but would love a more step-by-step, checklist guide for your own launch plan…you’re in luck! She’s made her launch plan available FOR FREE at https://visualvibedesign.com/designer-launch-plan Big thanks to Alexia for sharing everything she’s done in the first phase of her journey. Whether you’re preparing to launch your own web biz or you’re an established web designer looking for a revenue boost, you can use these strategies as well! P.S. Alexia is a member of my community Web Designer Pro and will be doing a live training breaking this launch plan down in more detail in November 2024! Join today to catch the live training or have access to the replay. Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/350 The Web Design Business Podcast is available on: Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME or wherever you get your podcasts View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Let’s get real and share exactly how it is…WordPress is not the tool of choice for most web designers getting into the game today. It may be where most end up, because WordPress is the most popular, customizable, and only open-source platform online but as a starting point, it’s not where most new web designers are starting. Drag and drop platforms like Framer, SquareSpace, and ShowIt and even more robust platforms like WixStudio, WebFlow, and Duda seem to be where young whipper-snapper web designers jump to first. So it begs the question…is WordPress just for old people nowadays? To dive into this topic and to explore both the challenges and opportunities ahead for WordPress, I’m pleased to bring on a young web designer and thought leader Mark Szymanski who, despite being a young whipper snapper web designer, decided to choose WordPress over all the options above. We explore: Note: we recorded this conversation before the recent WordPress vs WPEngine drama happened so that is not discussed in this one. If you have anything to add on this topic - feel free to drop us a comment on the show notes at joshhall.co/349 The Web Design Business Podcast is available on: Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME or wherever you get your podcasts View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Clients don’t really want a pretty website…they want a 24/7 sales machine. You work hard creating beautiful designs that are built solid and have intentional messaging and copy…but how do you know all that work is paying off for your client? How do you measure results? How do you keep your clients coming back for ongoing work over and over again? Well, at the end of the day…one of the best ways is to offer some sort of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) as a service. But I’m sure you have a lot of questions on how to do this practically and how to sell it to clients so I can’t think of anyone better to dig into this topic with than Leigh Scott, a conversion rate optimization specialist. As the founder of zainatain.com, a design and conversion consulting company, this is her bread and butter. We get into the weeds on this one including: A big thanks to Leigh for opening up her playbook on this one! If you want to learn more about CRO, she’s the next industry expert who’s doing a live training in my community Web Designer Pro! If you’re catching this the week it comes out, you can join Pro and watch her presentation live, otherwise when you join, the replay with all links and resources will be available for rewatch on-demand for you. And be sure to check out the show notes for this page which has all the links and resources mentioned at joshhall.co/348 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

I recently published a newsletter sharing 5 ways I would get clients if I were starting out in web design today in 2024. It got a lot of great feedback from both early-stage web designers and established web designers looking for a revenue boost alike - so I decided to expand on these 5 strategies as a full podcast! We’ll dive into each of these strategies, how I would go about them and how I would execute on them in detail. In short: Again, even if you’re established as a freelancer or web biz owner, you can implement some of these strategies as well to get more clients. But man if I was an early-stage web designer…I would’ve loved to have this roadmap when I got started! So I hope it helps. 🙂 To get more help starting or building your business, be sure to pick up my free training here. Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/347 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast We just added new listening pathways on the Podcast Playlists page! 🎙️ joshhall.co/playlists New playlists added: Also added a new quick link menu to help you zip around to your ideal listening path. Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

If you’re an established web designer, think back to your first year in business. What was your highest paid project? Aside from some exceptions, I’m guessing it was in the low-thousands…or hundreds. Well, Ben Forred, a web designer who’s still in his first year of business, building it as a side hustle alongside full-time corporate employment recently landed a $7,500 website package and in this podcast chat, shares the entire journey on how he did it. We cover: This is a bit of a 2-part convo because we also dig into Ben’s desire to leave his corporate job to have the freedom and flexibility he wants in his personal life as a Dad to a growing young family. Ben’s story on how he got into web design really sets the stage for the quick progress he’s made in less than a year. It’s evident that he’s serious about this web business and is going for it - and as one of our top engaged members of Web Designer Pro™…I feel honored to have a part in his journey. Incredible first year that he expands on here. Next step…6-figures and freedom! Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/346 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

It’s been a little while since we’ve talked about accessibility on the podcast and one area we haven’t covered at all to this point is specifically how to make accessible eCommerce websites. Everything is more complex with eCommerce sites and accessibility, while complex even at the basic level, gets even trickier. So, to help understand all of this, accessibility expert Bet Hannon (CEO of accessicart.com) is on the show as we dive into: And more. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with accessibility - perhaps because it CAN be extremely robust but every time I speak with an expert in it, I’m reminded that the most important thing is to have the basics covered. So if you do everything we talk about in the first 10-15 minutes here, that’s a great start. And while we do get into some of the accessibility penalties that have been circulating, I don’t want you to feel intimidated or scaled by web design as a whole. Accessibility is a lot like privacy and security in terms of the “rare events (aka lawsuits and penalties)” making the headlines. The goal is simple, make websites as accessible to everyone as possible. Build sites with that in mind and you’ll be far ahead of most other web designers and you’ll make the web a better, more user-friendly place for all. Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/345 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

You’ve heard of work/life balance…but what about life/work balance? What if, instead of prioritizing our work and living life around that, we set our calendars, schedules, and weekly routines to have our work revolve around our ideal week? As freedom based lifestyle web designers, that’s exactly the option we have available to us But it takes a proactive approach to make this happen, otherwise calls, meetings, design and troubleshooting will take up our entire week. So, to help dig in on how to do this practically, I can’t think of anyone better to learn from than Oscar, the CEO of Lifedge who’s at the forefront of this life/work balance movement. Covered in the episode: Personally, I love these types of conversations because, as someone who loves my work and who likes to work, I constantly need to be prompted and reminded to make sure I’m not out of balance with my wife and family. A healthy approach to balancing work and family = doing this sustainably without burning out. Get all the show notes, and view a full transcription of our podcast chat now at joshhall.co/344 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

I’ve noticed a common thread among web designers who always seem to have no trouble getting clients - they’re easily ‘referable’ 🤝 It might be a niche, it might be a skillset, it might be something they're known for but in all cases, they’re easily referred to. For example, here are some Web Designer Pro members who fit the “easily referred” bill: aprilraycreative.com church websites page SwyftSites thencandesigns.comcopy boostIn all cases, these folks are easily referable; easily remembered, and often top of mind. So, what can you do to make yourself more “referable”?? In this podcast episode, I’m expanding on my top 6 tips to make it easier for clients and colleagues to refer you and help you get more web design clients! Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/343 The Web Design Business Podcast is available on: Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME or wherever you get your podcasts View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

Web designers often ask me “how long will it take to get to 6-figures in my web design business?” And it's a tough question to answer. There are a lot of variables to how fast you can build your web design business. Your background, your time availability, your area of focus or expertise, your aversion to risk, work ethic, etc are all factors. But I can tell you, there are folks who go from zero to 6-figures in less than a year. One of those folks is Sam Sarsten, a member of my Web Designer Pro community who joined BEFORE he even had a paying client and in less than a year, is closing in on 6-figures with (as of August 2024) $7,197.00 in monthly recurring revenue. And that’s just monthly MRR, not including one off web design projects and hourly work. If you’re curious about what he did to get to this level so fast, you’re in luck because Sam is on the podcast sharing exactly what he did! We cover: One of my favorite aspects of Sam is that he’s an open book. We talk numbers, real sales data, and proven strategies that work in this one. Sam has consistently been one of the most engaged members of Web Designer Pro and has quickly become the “go to Pro” for Local SEO which has not only been a huge help to his business but also for our community as he recently did a full expert training on How to Rank Websites Locally which you can now watch on my YouTube channel! Even if you’re not yet a member of Pro, we want to give you some hot tips for local SEO because, as Sam has shown, it can really help you build your recurring revenue and be a great addition to your web design business. Sam just launched a sub-community of Web Designer Pro “Local SEO Academy” which you can check out now at https://localseoacademy.co/josh which is a great additional place for you who are interested in diving deeper into local SEO! We cover a lot of the fundamentals and most important SEO strategies for web designers in Pro but since that’s not our primary focus, I’m so excited to have partnered up with Sam who is diving deeper into it. And quite frankly, who better to learn local SEO from than the man who went from $0-$7k+ in MRR in one year?? Get all the show notes, and view a full transcription of our podcast chat now at joshhall.co/342 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

What’s the most terrifying phrase that hovers in the back of all our minds as a web designer and web business owner? Well, aside from “email down” it’s likely “burnout.” You may have seen a fellow web designer go through this or experienced it yourself. And the harsh reality is, burnout is where all roads can lead if we’re not careful. The onslaught of clients, fulfillment, design, development, troubleshooting, sales, support, administration, calls, meetings, content creation, your OWN businesses work, learning, marketing, team building, and scaling years on end will catch up to you. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of web designers and business owners I know. But GOOD NEWS - burnout can be avoided. I’m 15 years into my journey as a self-employed web designer and entrepreneur and I’m still loving it. But it hasn’t always been a smooth journey. And boy howdy do I wish I would’ve heard this conversation earlier on because on the podcast is CEO of Time Boss, Andrew Hartman, who is sharing some “take your time back” GOLD in this convo! We cover: And much more. All helpful, practical tips for you to help get more time back, no matter what stage of business you’re in. Spend some time listening then get some time back my web designer friend! Show notes, links and full transcript live now at joshhall.co/341 View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

We’re doing a first for the podcast on this episode…I’m featuring a recent Web Designer Pro coaching call! If you didn’t know, in my web design community Web Designer Pro, I host a live coaching call every week. These coaching calls typically include: Today, I’m sharing a recent call that had some great topics of discussion with you to help you in all these areas in your business and to give you a glimpse of what’s going on in Web Designer Pro. This session includes: And I have an exciting update since this call…Landon LANDED that proposal!! Way to go dude. What a bunch of awesome PROS here. I sincerely hope you enjoy this coaching call and implement some of these takeaways and strategies. Again, this is the type of thing that’s happening EVERY WEEK in Web Designer Pro and things are just getting more, as the kids say these days, LIT in Pro. Ready to join the fun? You can now go to the newly redesigned (with Divi 5) Pro page at: WebDesignerPro.com Check out all the links mentioned in this episode at joshhall.co/340 Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro

I was recently interviewed on the EverBros Agency Growth Podcast about my journey in fumbling through starting and scaling a web design agency. It was a really good, casual chat with tons of important topics for web designers (early stage and established alike) so THE BROS were kind enough to let me repurpose our chat here for you! Don’t let the name fool you, these are not your typical marketing bros. In fact, they’re super down to earth, sustainably minded, and have a very, very successful niche agency in the landscaping company marketing world with a focus on SEO and marketing. Oh and they’re Divi guys so of course we hit it off. We cover: Enjoy friends! I believe this is one of the longest we’ve aired on the show but it flew by. And you can check out their podcast by searching Ever Bros Agency Growth Podcast wherever you listen. Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at: https://joshhall.co/339 The Web Design Business Podcast is available on: Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME or wherever you get your podcasts View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast Join Web Designer Pro™ before we hit the 250 member cap! https://joshhall.co/pro