There are numerous ways you can make money online, from completing surveys for a few cents up to replying to that email from that Nigerian prince that wants to send you a few millions. However, if you want to make real money online, opting for a real job is the best course of action, and web design is a very good option to pursue. Web design is fairly easy to learn, and with some dedication and hard work, it can become really profitable. Here are some useful tips on how to make money online as a web designer.
Learn
Learning the basics of a career you want to dive in may seem a no-brainer, but here’s the thing – to be a good web designer you need to know a whole lot more than just design-related stuff. Sure, you need to know your way through programs like Photoshop blindfolded, but you will also need to get familiar with some connected fields. A good knowledge of SEO, for example, will allow you to optimize your file names and other behind-the-scenes stuff for search engines, while a bit of understanding of human behavior will allow you to understand how a user navigates on a page, the areas that he focuses on first, and what colors to use to attract and maintain his attention.
An important thing to remember in that, in this industry, things are changing fast, so a layout and color scheme that is a must-have today might become obsolete by tomorrow. Well, not literally overnight, but very fast. Luckily for web designer wannabes, the Internet is full of resources, courses and forums that will allow you to master the latest trends and technics in the field, so make sure you never stop learning.
Do
So you learned the basics, you did a few design drafts and logo concept, and you annoyed all your friends with your newly acquired skills – awesome! It’s time to make some money.
The best places to start your journey to the top are freelancing sites. Platforms such as Upwork, Freelancer, or even Fiverr are great places to go project-hunting, and even though you might not make a fortune working on the latter for $5 a project, it’s still a good place to get some practice and familiarize yourself with the client-provider relationship dynamics. Keep in mind that part of your job as a web designer will be marketing yourself and getting new clients, so make sure you treat these platforms and the people there seriously and professionally, just like you would do at any other job.
Show
An image is worth a thousand words, so why not let your images speak for you? Once you have a few projects under your belt, it’s time to put together a portfolio to highlight your work. Sure, you could do this right before you even got your first real project, using a dummy project as a proof of concept, but a real project will always be more valuable, as it will not only highlight your design skills, but it will also demonstrate your ability to follow client orders and your ability to visualize and create the artwork your client had in mind. Being able to transform words into images is a crucial skill for web designers.
Grow
Once your web designer career picks up from the ground, it’s time to think ahead. Sure, you’re doing a great job and making a lot of money, but there’s always room for improvement. Since you already have a client base, you basically have the perfect opportunity to expand, and the ideal way to do so is to offer related services.
Just thing about it: a client that comes to you for the design of a website – what else does he need? He will most likely need web hosting, possibly some coding, maybe some IT support, so there’s no point in having him wander around to get all these services when you can help him get it all in one place. London IT support experts are renowned for their patience and aim for perfection, coders from San Francisco are highly skilled and web hosting providers from Romania have the advantage of having outstanding Internet speeds – team up with some people that fit this bill and you’ll be able to offer a one-stop-shop suite of web services.
