Web Design is an exciting field for anyone with programming or graphic design skills to get into. It's especially attractive because of the very low barrier to entry for people with a large amount of talent but not the same large amount of startup capital to start their own traditional business. Thanks to the constantly falling costs for the essentials of a web design business you can start your new career in an afternoon on the cheap.
The first thing you'll need is your own web site on your own domain name. It seems obvious but you'd be surprised how many people either fail at this first critical step or make some bad choices along the way. Your own site will be used not only as a portfolio for any existing or future work but as a means for potential clients to contact you as well so it's important to make a good first impression. A .com domain name only costs $10 on average so spend the money and pick a name that suits you and your business. Try and be professional but at the same time unique.
Once you have your domain name chosen and purchased you'll need to find appropriate web hosting for not only your site but your clients as well. Again, it's important to choose your web host wisely. There are many snake oil salesmen in this industry so you do not want to rush out and find the cheapest provider you can. For a few hundred dollars a year you can find a high quality host with lots of storage and bandwidth available.
The web host is without a doubt the single most important aspect of starting your new web design business. If you pick a host that is constantly having problems with uptime then you'll eventually lose clients and work. That is why it's so important to make the right decision now to avoid disaster later.
Once you purchased a domain name and found suitable hosting its time to put together your site to advertise your services. If you have previous examples of work you've done make sure you add them to your site. It's important to only show the strongest pieces of your portfolio so if there are some designs or sites you've done in the past that you aren't 100% proud of then leave them out. Only present your best work to potential web design clients. In addition to a portfolio, it's critical to provide a working email address or contact form on your site so potential customers can contact you. It's recommended that you include a phone number and postal address to help at legitimacy to your business.
Those are the three basic steps to launching a web design business. Once your site is up and running to advertise your skills and talents you need to start searching for new clients to keep the work coming in. Being a freelance web designer can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding for anyone with a passion for programming and design.
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