How to Get Web Design Clients Without Spending Time on Marketing
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How do you run a booked out web design business with almost no time spent on marketing?
Typically the web design industry is one in which you need to be doing pretty consistent marketing in order to land one client after the next.
But Becca came up with a genius way to turn one client into five, ten or even twenty projects!
She also navigated the transition to motherhood and taking care of her adorable 6 month old newborn with a business really intentionally.
As you're about to see, Becca is one smart cookie and she is one of my many brilliant & super successful Square Secrets Business™ alumni.
She has so much incredible & unconventional wisdom to share:
client-finding-made-easy
insights on networking-done-right
what to do in the nightmare scenario when your client is REALLY unhappy with the site design you create
motherhood & business
The Accidental Web Designer
How did you first get into web design?
What wasn't I doing?! My corporate journey spanned from the wedding industry to nonprofit work, tech, product management, and everything in between.
But web design wasn't actually my idea—I started a blog on WordPress years ago, got thoroughly frustrated trying to edit it, and discovered Squarespace.
I spent three days completely immersed in building my own blog. Then, a friend saw my work and asked if I could help with hers. When she offered to pay me, suggesting others would too, something clicked.
Just like that, a business was born—in the most wonderfully unplanned way possible.
Building a Foundation
How did you transition from that first project into a real business?
I started it as a side hustle while keeping my corporate job for the first two and a half years.
I wanted to skip ahead, so I invested heavily upfront in courses and coaches. My time was my most precious resource, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting it.
Evening hours: I'd meet with clients in the evenings after work to handle all the prep work.
Saturdays: then Saturdays became my dedicated business day—I'd design an entire site start to finish. By the end of that day, they could press publish.
Sundays: this left me Sundays for actual weekend time, which was crucial for maintaining some semblance of real life.
The Power of Strategic Networking
How do you find clients without spending time on marketing?
Paige, I know you're the queen of content, but I've never been one to be consistent with content marketing.
Early on, I felt this pressure that you've got to be blogging, you've got to be on Instagram, you've got to have your value posts. But it just wasn't jiving with me—it felt like a chore.
Networking is really my biggest form of marketing, and it energizes me.
It's all online too—I don't even leave my house! I'll have a coffee chat, and afterward, I'll ask, "Is there anyone else you think I should know?" or "Is there anyone you're looking to meet?" Usually, one meeting leads to two or three quality introductions.
Services & Pricing
What does your service offering look like today?
I have two versions of custom sites—a one-page website ($1,200) and a four-page website ($4,000). These are for entrepreneurs, typically teams of one to three people.
My niche isn't industry-specific, but rather people who like to work the way I do. I've worked with doctors, writers, television producers—but the common thread is their work style.
Then there's my development work for Squarespace designers. They mock up sites in XD or Figma, and I implement their designs in Squarespace, adding any necessary code or special effects. For this work, I charge $300 per page, with a $500 fee for complex sales pages and a $500 global CSS setup fee for special features.
Handling Client Challenges
What do you do when things don't go as planned?
Of course I dealt with imposter syndrome—I don't know anyone who hasn't!
I remember one client who wasn't happy with their initial design. Everything in me wanted to just give their money back, but instead, I took a day to gather myself and make a plan.
When I did reach out, I suggested we get on a call to figure out where things went wrong between our kickoff meeting and delivery.
What I realized was that I had delivered exactly what she asked for, but when she saw it, she realized it wasn't what she wanted. The changes weren't actually that drastic, but she was panicking, thinking she'd made this huge investment and wouldn't get what she wanted.
Balancing Business & Motherhood
BECCA’S TOP MOM TIPS:
Tip #1 Extended timelines
I started preparing during pregnancy because I knew my usual fast-paced work style wouldn't be sustainable with a baby. I extended my timelines to two weeks for both custom and development sites.
Tip#2 Focus on repeat clients to reduce marketing needs
I also shifted my focus to development work because it means repeat relationships rather than constantly finding new clients.
Tip#3 Weekly childcare
The baby stays home with me full-time, though I have a mom friend who watches her once a week for focused work time.
Tip #4 Independent play
My biggest hack has been focusing on independent play. When she gives me 30 minutes of play time, I focus completely on work, then can give her my full attention afterward.
Tip #5 Square Secrets Business™
The course really helped me see that there's no one right way to run a web design business. Your business can change and evolve with your life, and that's perfectly okay. It doesn't mean the old model failed—it just means you're growing.
Advice to Aspiring Web Designers
Just go for it.
Nobody has the confidence or know-how to start a business at first. You learn as you go. You don't need to know everything upfront; you just need to know how to figure things out when challenges arise.
The beauty of Square Secrets Business™ is that it gives you information in such an organized, succinct way.
You don't have to know more than the next designer; you just need to know more than the person who's paying you.
You start where you are and work your way up until you reach the level where you want to be.
Feeling inspired by Becca's journey?
I thought you might be.
But perhaps you're wondering about the practical side:
how to build that initial portfolio
where to focus your energy for quick growth
which marketing strategy is truly right for you?
These are exactly the questions I've crafted Square Secrets Business™ to answer.
Becca is just one of many exceptionally successful designers who have transformed their businesses through this course and I'd be thrilled to welcome you into our community.
Here's a little secret—
Square Secrets Business™ only opens its doors once or twice a year.
If you're reading this right when it's published, you have just a day or two before they close again.
Like Swiss clockwork, when we say they're closing, they're closing!
If you're thinking…
"This sounds wonderful, but I'm not quite confident enough in my design skills yet,"
I have the perfect solution.
Consider our most popular bundle: Square Secrets™ (the internet's leading Squarespace design course) paired with Square Secrets Business™.
Together, they give you every tool you need to build stunning websites AND run a thriving business.
Ready to write your own success story?
