# Watch These 9 Minutes if You Want to Start a Web Design Business (2026)

Channel: Self-Made Web Designer
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6HC_o4Cvko
Duration: 10 min
Language: English
Words: 1810
Transcript page: https://viewrankai.com/tools/youtube-transcript/m6HC_o4Cvko

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[0:00] 2025 is one of the best times to start a web design business. Why? Did you know that over 137, 000 new businesses launch every day? Every single one of them needs a website. But you've probably asked yourself, how do you stand out when there are already so many other web designers out there? And what skills should you actually focus on?

[0:20] Is AI going to eventually take over? In this video, I'm breaking down a four step process to build a web design business. that guarantees you stand out and actually uses AI to your advantage rather than let it replace you. Are you ready? Let's go. First up is the most important, but also the most unexpected. I've seen so many people sign up for courses, spend hours researching

[0:46] which development language they should learn only to fizzle out months. Even weeks later. Why? Because they didn't have any accountability. The best way to stay on track and build a successful web design business is to create built-in accountability that forces you to move forward no matter what. So the first step to building a web design business.

[1:05] Is it learning design or coding? It's finding a client. You might be thinking, wait Chris, how can I get a client if I don't even have the skills yet? You don't need a fancy portfolio or even decades of experience. Instead, lean on your network. Tell friends, family, acquaintances, Hey, I'm starting a web design business.

[1:26] Do you know anyone who needs a website? And your goal in this isn't to get paid a ton. If at all, you just need someone Willing to work with you while you're figuring things out. But here's the key, there has to be an exchange. What do I mean by that? You're not building this website for nothing.

[1:43] You're doing it in exchange for something the other person is willing to give you. Even if it's not cash, it could be A list of referrals to other business owners, an agreement to introduce you to their network, even a couple of free meals, right? Seriously. The point is you don't want to feel like you're just doing them a favor because

[2:01] when there's skin in the game, even just a little, you'll actually follow through. After you've got that first client, you're ready to move on to the next step of building a web design business. Actually building a website. A lot of folks get tripped up at this point. Why? Because they make it too complicated. You don't need to become a full stack web developer in order to build

[2:21] websites for the average client. The truth is most business owners don't care how you built their website. They just want it to look good, work well, and help their business grow. I know web designers making multiple six figures who couldn't write a single line of code to save their life. All you really need is a good website builder that does

[2:38] everything that you need it to do. And the good news is you've got lots of options. You need to pick a builder that works for you. Here's how to choose the right one. First, you need a website builder that has a low technical barrier. Your goal is to start simple and grow your skills over time. So you need a website builder that doesn't require you to be

[2:58] a developer just to get started. The second thing that you should look for in a website builder is one that has plenty of templates to choose from your, your first website should not be built from scratch, right? So whatever platform you pick, make sure it has a solid library of. templates to help you hit the ground running next.

[3:13] You need one that gives you room to grow right now. Your goal is just to get a simple site live, but one day you might want to add e commerce or create memberships, integrate advanced systems. So you need a platform that won't limit you when you're ready to level up. Finally, you need a builder that you actually enjoy using.

[3:33] At the end of the day, the best website builder is the one that you like. So sign up for some free trials, play around, see which one feels the most intuitive. Once you've built your first website, it's time for the next step. And here's where things get really interesting. When you're just starting, the goal is just to get moving, right?

[3:48] Not be perfect. But as time goes on, you have to improve specifically in two areas. The first is the hard skills or the technical side of web design. There are really two big technical skills web designers need to level up. The first is design or Making websites that, that look good, right? And the second is development, making websites that work well

[4:11] or have different functionality. When it comes to design, you need to be comfortable working with images, graphics, layouts, and typography. And there are really four main tools that most web designers. use. Canva is the easiest to start with. Figma is an industry standard for UX product design and web designers. Then there's Adobe Photoshop, and that's best for manipulating photos.

[4:36] And finally, Adobe Illustrator, which is best for creating vector graphics. So which one should you learn? Here's my suggestion. Start with Canva. It's beginner friendly and it's perfect for quick website graphics. Then move to Figma. It's a step up widely used in the industry and great for UX and UI. Then when Figma feels limiting, learn Photoshop and Illustrator.

[4:59] They give you full creative control. When it comes to development, you don't need to be a full stack developer, but you do need to know enough to troubleshoot when things go wrong. The three core languages every web designer should get familiar with. are HTML, or the structure of a webpage, CSS, the styling and layout, and then

[5:17] JavaScript, the interactive elements. Thankfully, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to learn these. There are some amazing free resources out there like Code Academy, which is what I started with. Free Code Camp, which gives you hands on projects and even gives you certifications. Or the Odin project, which is a full roadmap for web development. AI tools like chat2BT can generate code for you, but

[5:40] they don't always get it right. So knowing just enough HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to spot and fix mistakes will make you 10 times more valuable. as a web designer. Think of it as learning basic car maintenance, right? You don't need to be a mechanic, but knowing how to change a tire keeps you from getting stranded.

[5:58] Every project you work on, try to challenge yourself a little bit. Add a little bit more custom design or development every single time, and eventually you'll find yourself with a wealth of knowledge on web design. The second thing you need to get good at is integrating AI into your workflow. AI isn't replacing web designers, but designers who use AI

[6:17] will replace those Who don't? So get familiar with tools like Reloom, which helps generate wireframes and sitemaps. Midjourney, which creates custom images and graphics. ChatGPT and Quad, who can assist with coding, copywriting, and brainstorming. The web design industry is evolving fast, so the designers who succeed are the ones who adapt. Here's the thing, it doesn't matter how amazing you are at building

[6:42] websites if you can't get clients. I've seen so many talented web designers struggle. Not because they lack design or development skills, but because they lack business skills. At the end of the day, if you can't run a business, you won't have a business. So the final step in building a web design business in 2025 is

[7:04] growing your business skills. But here's the good news. There are really only two business skills you really have to develop to succeed as a web designer. The first is finding and landing clients. And then the second is project management for finding and landing clients. You want to figure out how to generate leads. So people actually know you exist, how to sell your services in a

[7:24] way that makes clients say, yes, every time how to price your work. So you're not undercharging. If you don't master these, it won't matter how good your websites are because no one's going to be paying you to build them. For project management, you want to figure out how to keep projects on tracks. So clients don't ghost you or things don't go off the rails. You want to figure out how to set expectations so you don't

[7:46] get stuck in endless revisions, how to streamline your process. You're not overwhelmed with. the work. Even if you're great at selling, if you can't deliver efficiently, clients won't refer you or want to work with you again. So how do you develop these skills without getting so overwhelmed that you want to give up and quit altogether?

[8:04] It's just like learning design or development. You don't need to master everything overnight. Instead, set aside a little time each week to level up. Watch a video on sales and lead generation. Read a book on project management. Try one new strategy for landing clients. Or hey, you could subscribe to the Self Made Web Designer channel. I've even got two videos that talk about these two very subjects and

[8:28] I'll link to them in the description. Taking small steps every day is key. But if you don't have a clear vision for where you're going, you're always going to feel stuck. So here's what you need to do. Start thinking about the bigger picture of your web design business. What kind of business do you actually want?

[8:45] How much money would you love to be making each year? Do you want to stay solo or eventually hire a team? The best way to build a successful business is to start at the end and then work backward. So define your long term vision. Set clear financial and business goals. And then use the skills, tools, and resources available to

[9:05] reverse engineer your success. Because if you don't decide where you're going, You're never going to get there. At the end of the day, you've just got to get going. It's going to be messy. You're going to make mistakes, but if you take it one step at a time, one day, you'll look back and realize just how far you've come.

[9:22] Hey, I hope this episode was helpful for you. Make sure that you like and subscribe so you don't miss any coming out in the future. And don't forget, if you don't quit, you win.

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