10 Web Design Business Tips That’ll Blow Up Your Business

Finding legit web design business tips online is like trying to find your kids tiny dinosaur toy after he threw it into a muddy lake. In other words, it’s hard. I know from experience. Both the dinosaur and the web design tips.

But, after over a decade of working as a web designer and building a business, I’ve been around the block and finally have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.

I’ve worked with big clients. I’ve burned out. I’ve been cussed out by clients. And I’ve landed dream projects I never thought I’d get in a million years.

So this isn’t some theoretical BS you’ll find in a textbook. These are real web design business tips that have been battle-tested through 10 years of trial and error.

I went back through a decade of notes, proposals, emails, and client feedback to give you the clearest version of what I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out.

Don’t want to read nearly 2,000 words about web design business tips? I got you. Watch the video instead:

Lesson 1: Niches are Optional. Action Isn’t.

A lot of people will tell you that you HAVE to pick a niche if you want to make serious money in web design.

Now, I know some people might push back on this. Heck, that might have been advice I gave a while back too.

But here’s the deal: I’ve never really picked a niche.

I’ve worked with all kinds of clients from non-profits to wedding venues to tech startups. And guess what? I still get plenty of business.

Could a niche help you charge more? Sure, probably.

But here’s what’s way more important for your web design business: Just start. Get clients. Build momentum.

Because clarity comes with movement, not from sitting around trying to pick the perfect niche for six months.

Stop overthinking it and start doing it.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 2: Don’t Be a Specialist

A lot of people will tell you that if you want to get paid the big bucks, you need to specialize. Get really, really good at one thing.

But in the new era of web design? Only the generalist will survive.

Why do I say that? Because even companies like Shopify just dropped “UX” from all their UX roles. Now everyone’s just called a designer.

And if that’s not clear enough, Nielsen Norman Group just published an article called “The Return of the UX Generalist.”

I used to get so much flack for doing projects that mixed UX, development, and visual design. People would be like, “Pick a lane!”

But with AI on the rise, hyper-specialized roles are going to get automated first. Clients and businesses won’t want to hire 3 different experts for one website. They’ll want the full package in one person.

And that person should be you.

Lesson 3: Build What Works for YOU

Some people will tell you real web designers don’t use templates. Others will tell you that you don’t know what you’re doing unless you can code everything by hand.

I’ve seen web designers build 6-figure businesses simply by customizing templates. And those same designers couldn’t write a line of code if their life depended on it.

Your path isn’t wrong just because it doesn’t look like someone else’s highlight reel on Instagram.

There’s a mix of 3 things that can guarantee you’re building something that will work for you: Find something that’s at the intersection of your skills, your passion, and the opportunities in front of you.

Stop trying to copy someone else’s blueprint. Build a web design business that actually fits YOU.

But while you’re doing that, make sure you…

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 4: Do a Little Marketing Every Day

It’s easy to try and fill every single hour with paid work.

After all, “If I’m not getting paid, it’s not real work,” right?

So a lot of web designers think they’ve made it when they spend 99% of their week buried in client projects… and the other 1% recovering from burnout.

But if you want this to last, you’ve got to carve out space for marketing and growth.

Because most web designers live in one of two extremes:

You’re slammed, saying yes to everything because you don’t know when the next project is coming…

Or you’re panicking because your inbox just went completely silent.

That cycle doesn’t break on its own. You break it by protecting time for the work that sets up future work.

Even if it’s just 30 minutes a day. Do something that brings in tomorrow’s clients while you’re working on today’s projects.

Lesson 5: The Website Isn’t the Product

I used to cold call businesses in the early days. I would only call people that had really rough-looking websites and see if they needed help.

One day, I called a business with one of those truly awful websites, you know the type.

And they said, “Oh no, we just had it redone.”

Wait, what?

That’s when I realized that good design is only a small part of why you actually get paid.

Most clients don’t know what a good website looks like, BUT they’ll know exactly how well you communicated during the process.

Design still matters don’t get me wrong. But it’s not the only thing that does.

Sometimes the soft skills are the difference between getting overlooked and getting paid.

Your “product” is the entire experience of working with you.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 6: Your Business Isn’t a Piggy Bank

When the first big checks started coming in, I made the classic mistake: I paid myself everything.

No savings. No buffer. Nothing.

And when work slowed down? I panicked.

Here’s what I do now, and it’s one of the most important web design business tips I can share:

I figure out my average income over the past few months. Then I pay myself a percentage of that just like a salary. The rest? I keep in the business.

You can use that money to fuel growth for the company, OR when things get slow or an emergency hits you don’t have to scramble.

And the best part is when your average goes up, you can give yourself a raise.

But treat your business like a business.. not your personal Venmo account.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 7: Do Things That Don’t Scale

Everyone’s talking about automating everything these days.

You can do outreach, research, and follow-up without ever opening your laptop with tools like N8N or Make.

And that’s cool. Efficiency matters.

But if you want to get clients you’ve never gotten before, you have to do things you’ve never done before.

I once sent a handwritten thank-you letter to a client. It was a small project, but I still wanted to show some gratitude.

A few days later, he called me.

Said in all his years doing business, no one had ever sent him a thank-you note.

Then he said something even better: “I’ve got another project I want you to work on.”

That letter probably took me five minutes to write. But it made a huge difference.

Don’t be afraid to do things that might take a little extra time but have a personal touch. Your competitors sure aren’t doing it.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 8: Big Clients Are Amazing, But Dangerous

Here’s why: One big client does not equal a business. That’s just a full-time job without the benefits.

I’ve talked to so many web designers who got that one big client and they were SO excited. But pretty soon, that one client monopolized all their time.

They didn’t have room to take on anyone else. They stopped marketing. They put all their eggs in one basket.

And then, you can guess what happens next, the client pulls out and nearly all of their income disappears overnight.

Big clients are great for your web design business. But never let them become your ENTIRE business.

Keep space for marketing. Keep space for other opportunities. Keep space for life.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 9: Don’t Say Yes If You Feel Hesitant

Every single time I’ve felt even a little hesitation about working with a client… it turned into a bad project.

I get it. You’re excited. You might be desperate for work. You tell yourself, “It’ll be fine.”

But there’s a very big price to pay for bad projects.

That “yes” could cost you:

• A lot of peace of mind
• Having to say no to really GOOD projects
• Burnout that takes months to recover from

And for some jobs, you have to trade all of those things for a paycheck that just doesn’t match up.

There are always red flags. You just have to pay attention to them.

Like:

• Vague project scope
• Unrealistic deadlines
• They bad-mouth their last designer
• Everything’s about price, nothing’s about value

If you’re seeing those warning signs, that’s your cue to pause.

Don’t ignore your gut just because there’s a dollar sign attached.

Web Design Business Tips Lesson 10: The Beginning Is the Hardest Part

The very beginning of building my web design business felt like I was spinning my wheels.

It was late nights. Pitches that went nowhere. Very little money for a whole lot of extra work.

But here’s what I didn’t know back then: A rocket uses 75% of its fuel just to lift off the ground.

That’s not because the rocket is broken. It’s because breaking gravity takes massive energy.

So if you’re in the early days and everything feels way harder than it should… that’s not failure.

That’s liftoff.

Ready to Put These Tips to Work?

Look, building a successful web design business isn’t rocket science, but it’s not exactly easy either.

These 10 lessons took me a decade to learn the hard way. You don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.

The web design industry is full of opportunities for people who combine solid design skills with smart business thinking. But you’ve got to be willing to do the work…both the client work AND the business work.

And if you’re still figuring out how to price your projects (spoiler alert: most designers are doing it wrong), this guide on pricing web design work from is worth reading.

For staying on top of design trends that can help you stand out from the competition, A List Apart has some of the best industry insights you’ll find anywhere.

The bottom line? Stop waiting for the “perfect” moment or the “right” strategy. Pick one of these web design business tips and start implementing it today. Your future self will thank you.