If you want to break through and make your web design business a success, you must know how to promote yourself.

From creating a portfolio website to gathering testimonials — we’ll take you through 5 key steps to getting web design clients and earning new business.

1. Build a portfolio website

What better way to demonstrate your web design services than with a portfolio website?

Prospective clients don’t want to spend hours picking through search results and reading about each designer’s skills. Grab their attention with a portfolio that shows off your previous work.

A portfolio website is your online business card, so make it memorable. Start with the design of the site itself. Think about the types of clients you’re hoping to attract and cater the look and feel of your site to that target audience. Feature some of your favorite projects and include details about their results. For example, if you rebuilt a client’s website from scratch and it helped them grow their online presence, add a testimonial from the client that highlights your role in that growth.

Visuals are important, but don’t forget about the usability factor. Make sure your site is easy to navigate and things such as contact information and work samples are easy to find.

If you want a head start, check out Webflow portfolio templates. You’ll find various templates with beautiful designs — from simple, modern layouts to clean web design agency looks.

2. Create accounts on freelance sites

Creating accounts on multiple freelance websites is one way to ensure that you always have work coming in.This way, your web design company isn’t relying on a single source or client.

Narrow in on freelance sites and job boards that are more likely to connect you with your ideal clients. You don’t want to waste time setting up profiles on sites that are all about cheap prices and end up having to lower your prices to get customers.

LinkedIn is a solid place to start. With over 774 million members, there’s a good chance you can reach out and connect with people you know. With tens of thousands of web developer vacancies posted every day, it’s well worth your time. In fact, LinkedIn is 277% more effective than Facebook and Twitter at generating leads.

Dribbble is another great source for finding web design clients. Profiles are very visual, so you have a chance to show off your design chops. Plus, Dribbble receives a lot of traffic from customers on the lookout for talented designers. That traffic means you won’t have to spend too much time marketing yourself — just create an eye-catching profile and let the customers come to you.

Webflow also has a thriving community of web development specialists in the Webflow Experts marketplace. Once you are accepted into the community, you’ll be listed amongst other Webflow Experts so potential customers can easily find and hire you.

3. Maintain a social media presence

Businesses with no social media presence lose out when selling services — 72% of people aged 25-34 look to social media for recommendations.

Social media is a great way to share your work and increase brand awareness without being too salesy. Instagram and Facebook are ideal for showcasing your skills by uploading beautiful images of your work. But don’t skip out on other platforms like Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube. Use these free social media sites to share the work you’re most proud of.

Social media marketing is a great way to persuade customers to become brand advocates who love to share your content. If you’re active on social, current and potential customers can find your work, interact with you, and learn more about your skills.

Large followings are great, but it’s more important to actively engage with people. Be sure to respond to all comments and jump into conversations about web development and design.

Social networking can be a fantastic resource for anything from keeping up with design trends to inspiration for a new design. All of these benefits help you narrow the gap between one-time design projects and ideal client relationships.

4. Step up your SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps you get your website into search results and boost the visibility of your brand. Since SEO is an essential part of every company’s marketing strategy, it pays to take it seriously.

When done well, SEO is a cost-effective method to generate leads for your web design business. It helps to focus on long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are less competitive and have higher click-through rates due to their specificity. Consider how difficult it is to rank for specific search terms before putting a lot of effort into ranking for a highly competitive term.

Use titles and meta descriptions to help search engines quickly identify the subject matter on your website. Meta tags and descriptions use contextually important phrases rather than just words to help rank pages accurately. Search engines like to provide users with high-quality information, so skipping this step will push your landing pages down in search results. Fortunately, Webflow makes it easy for you to follow SEO best practices.

5. Ask current clients for testimonials and referrals

People trust recommendations because they provide social proof that a service is worth looking into. Think about the last time you considered a product or service — did you skim through a few reviews before making a decision?

Contact current customers and ask them if they would be willing to help promote your service by writing or recording a testimonial about their experience with you. You can ask for reviews on established sites such as Google or on the previously mentioned job sites. But be sure to include a few glowing testimonials on your portfolio website as well. 

The testimonial should explain how your services solved a specific problem. The more you have, the more confident potential clients will be in your business. Just be sure you get permission from clients before sharing a quote or video publicly.

Start building your web design client list

Now that you know how to get web design clients fast, it’s time to get started. It may look like a lot of work, but you’ll be bringing in new business in no time if you follow these steps.