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Documenting my progress to scale up my Web Design Business

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Currently have completed the majority of the client's site here: lightslategray-snake-774748.hostingersite.com | (Don't mind the weird site name, it's currently on a test domain).

Things that I need to get better at:

1. Improving SEO knowledge.
2. Getting better at acquiring higher-paying clients. This is something that I am still struggling with and want to actively work on. Currently, my strategy is to send out cold messages to businesses I find on google maps or through referrals.
3. Moving to a faster/better hosting platform with better compatibility for divi.
 
Currently have completed the majority of the client's site here: lightslategray-snake-774748.hostingersite.com | (Don't mind the weird site name, it's currently on a test domain).

Things that I need to get better at:

1. Improving SEO knowledge.
2. Getting better at acquiring higher-paying clients. This is something that I am still struggling with and want to actively work on. Currently, my strategy is to send out cold messages to businesses I find on google maps or through referrals.
3. Moving to a faster/better hosting platform with better compatibility for divi.
Congrats on the first build, been helping my 19 year old son setup his first webdesign business so been following your updates 😀

He's on his 4th website now in the first 30 days but got him to focus just on building websites and playing into his strength of being new to the market. Might drop a post in the group of how we did it if you think it might be of value of how he's doing it if enough interest?
 
Congrats on the first build, been helping my 19 year old son setup his first webdesign business so been following your updates 😀

He's on his 4th website now in the first 30 days but got him to focus just on building websites and playing into his strength of being new to the market. Might drop a post in the group of how we did it if you think it might be of value of how he's doing it if enough interest?
Hey mate!

Amazing stuff! Yes, please drop updates here to they help everyone. I would love to know how he's found 4 clients within the first 30 days? That is amazing.

Great work on encouraging your son, that is very lovely to see.

Regards,
 
Hey mate!

Amazing stuff! Yes, please drop updates here to they help everyone. I would love to know how he's found 4 clients within the first 30 days? That is amazing.

Great work on encouraging your son, that is very lovely to see.

Regards,
ok I'll create a post and share his journey, we started of with facebook groups then moved onto ads. He's been increasing price up each time so started at $400 and now i think last quote was $3k but he's closing at at least $1600 for a website now. All locals close to him in Australia
 
I see, that is amazing! What sort of ads are you currently running to acquire those clients? Currently looking into running ads myself to attract clients but don't have any ideas on how to begin haha.

Thanks,
Sahil.
 
I see, that is amazing! What sort of ads are you currently running to acquire those clients? Currently looking into running ads myself to attract clients but don't have any ideas on how to begin haha.

Thanks,
Sahil.
Lead Ads, but the magic is pretty much what you put in those ads. WIll make any designer cry if they saw what we running but you got to break through the doom scrolling going on. He's picked up people from online shops, to a real estate person and a support worker type company. All from purely cold traffic ads with no posts on his facebook page

I'll chuck up a post as might help a few out as a lot of it was to keep him focused on sales and marketing as he was like oh I'll do facebook ads now, or I'll go off and build an app, or .... And then it's like was what you built easy, did they pay it quickly, do you want more of that?
 
Right I see! Haven't really looked into ads from cold traffic but clearly you've been getting much better results than me so that's worth a shot!

Thank you very much for sharing, I'll definitely give ads a run and see how they go. Happy to also share what I put in my ads in the event that I'm successful with them.

Thanks,
 
Site is done! The client only wants a simple site to start of with since they are testing the business out.

Feel free to roast my site, I appreciate any and all feedback as I improve in this space: lightslategray-snake-774748.hostingersite.com |
 
You could state how the classes are delivered. Are they online or in a dedicated room she has? And if the latter, where is it because no where does it identify her location.

I would also change the about us to about me and start by saying something like 'Hi. My name is Swetha. I'm a10 year certified yoga instructor based here in sunny xyz and it's my mission etc etc rather than Welcome to Yoga with Swetha, our mission etc etc you currently have.

Plus a few other things but at least you have a skeleton you can build on.

Dan
 
You could state how the classes are delivered. Are they online or in a dedicated room she has? And if the latter, where is it because no where does it identify her location.

I would also change the about us to about me and start by saying something like 'Hi. My name is Swetha. I'm a10 year certified yoga instructor based here in sunny xyz and it's my mission etc etc rather than Welcome to Yoga with Swetha, our mission etc etc you currently have.

Plus a few other things but at least you have a skeleton you can build on.

Dan
Hey Dan!


Thank you for your feedback! I'll make those changes tonight after I'm back from work.

Your right, this would just be a skeleton for me to expand the site on. If the client agrees that they want a more complex site down the road, then I will definitely add in a lot more.

Sahil.
 
Site is done! The client only wants a simple site to start of with since they are testing the business out.

Feel free to roast my site, I appreciate any and all feedback as I improve in this space: lightslategray-snake-774748.hostingersite.com |
Looks pretty good here's some ideas on tweaks, yeah you could adjust copy and go to town but as you said this is more for the client to start and hey if they run no traffic to it be like a tree falling in the woods, would anyone here it fall 😀

 
Things accomplished yesterday:

1) Completed copywriting course
2) Have rearranged my clients website to better reflect another website that I like. A big takeaway for me was actually looking at websites that are done super well and taking inspiration from them.
3) Have started to rewrite the copy
Some suggestions after looking at the "About" section:

Start with a Compelling Hook: Instead of directly stating their experiences, consider beginning with a question or a statement that resonates with your target audience. For instance:
"Have you ever felt lost and unsure about your direction in life?"
"Life's toughest challenges often lead to the most profound self-discoveries."

Show, Don't Tell: While you mention working hard and investing in yourself, try to illustrate these points with specific examples. Instead of saying "I worked tirelessly," you could say: "I juggled double shifts at a restaurant while attending English classes every evening."1 This paints a clearer picture of your dedication.

Quantify their Experience: Mentioning the length of time you spent in these challenging circumstances or the number of people you've helped can add credibility. For example, you could say, "For five years, I dedicated myself to..." or "Over the years, I've had the privilege of guiding over 100 individuals..."

Connect their Past to their Present: Emphasize how the experiences, including the challenges and their commitment to self-improvement, directly led them to become a life coach. This creates a natural and compelling narrative. You could say, "These experiences ignited a passion within me to help others navigate their own life journeys."

Highlight their Unique Value Proposition: What sets them apart from other life coaches? What specific skills or perspectives do they bring to the table? For example, you could mention their ability to empathize with people from diverse backgrounds or their expertise in a particular area.

Focus on the Benefits to their Clients: Instead of solely focusing on their journey, explain how their experiences translate into tangible benefits for their clients. For example, you can say, "My own journey has equipped me with the tools and understanding to help you..."

End with a Call to Action: Encourage readers to reach out for a consultation or learn more about their services. For example: "Ready to embark on a transformative journey? Contact me today for a free consultation."

Now, I did not come up with all these on my own. I used Notebook LM and fed the about section and asked it to be a constructive critique to make the "About" section more appealing. If you think the above is useful, you can use Notebook LM or other AI tools to enhance your copy.
 
Thank you all for your amazing feedback! I've implemented some changes here as discussed: lightslategray-snake-774748.hostingersite.com |

Still putting together a time to meet with the client and go through the site with them. Fingers crossed they like it, and I will have my first paid project in the bag

Thanks,
Sahil.
 
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Client has agreed to see the final result! Getting closer to my first paid project by the day!!!

Things I am currently working on:

- Improving SEO knowledge.
- Drafting my first lead ad for my services.
- Adding HTML to my tech stack skills.
 
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Keep the process running. Results are bound to follow :)
 
Met with the client yesterday evening. Apart from a few tweaks, they were happy with the site! Once the tweaks have been made, will be closing the job out.

I'm going to aim to get my first Facebook ad out today. Will let you all know how it goes!!
 
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ok I'll create a post and share his journey, we started of with facebook groups then moved onto ads. He's been increasing price up each time so started at $400 and now i think last quote was $3k but he's closing at at least $1600 for a website now. All locals close to him in Australia
I'm kind of curious how did he reach these locals? I'm curious because I created a facebook account, I tried hunting down these so called facebook groups, and most of them are dead (anything in the 20-100K followers) range. If you could point me towards something I'd be incredibly grateful.

Also, here is my website, I'd love know how it compares with your son's websites. gaussjordan.agency The site was done using NextJS.

Thank you!
 
I'm kind of curious how did he reach these locals? I'm curious because I created a facebook account, I tried hunting down these so called facebook groups, and most of them are dead (anything in the 20-100K followers) range. If you could point me towards something I'd be incredibly grateful.

Also, here is my website, I'd love know how it compares with your son's websites. gaussjordan.agency The site was done using NextJS.

Thank you!
just daily pumping the groups and then onto ads to speed things up. I’ll see if I have some time and I’ll start to share how we did it for him.

He just closed of his first $4k shop build and we at month 2.

To be honest the biggest shift was moving him away from I need to build this in … or I need to learn … or what if I bought this to nope if you focus on sales as #1 priority and skill to master.

Where are you currently struggling just so I know when I start to dump it out of my head, like where are you getting work from now
 
Okay, so running my first Facebook ad this week. It'll simply be a lead ad, which means that it'll prompt people to click into a contact form and I'll be able to collect their details.

I have no idea how to structure these ads in a way that's attractive for prospective clients. Currently going through as many videos as I can to see how to best structure my services.

Fingers crossed I can land a client in my local area and score a $1000-$2000 project!
 
Okay, so running my first Facebook ad this week. It'll simply be a lead ad, which means that it'll prompt people to click into a contact form and I'll be able to collect their details.

I have no idea how to structure these ads in a way that's attractive for prospective clients. Currently going through as many videos as I can to see how to best structure my services.

Fingers crossed I can land a client in my local area and score a $1000-$2000 project!
Automate that lead form using pabbly as the free one I think allows you 100 automations a month so it can notify you faster to get on those leads within minutes or they will have amnesia like did I fill out a form, who are you and not answer the phone as never seen your number when you call.

And just focus on ONE thing in the add, which is the problem.

Just call it out "<Insert city name> Do you need a website?" Then let the rest flow in the ad copy, use the old AIDA copywriting framework.

Your goal is to START a conversation.

You got this my man
 
Automate that lead form using pabbly as the free one I think allows you 100 automations a month so it can notify you faster to get on those leads within minutes or they will have amnesia like did I fill out a form, who are you and not answer the phone as never seen your number when you call.

And just focus on ONE thing in the add, which is the problem.

Just call it out "<Insert city name> Do you need a website?" Then let the rest flow in the ad copy, use the old AIDA copywriting framework.

Your goal is to START a conversation.

You got this my man
Thank you legend!! I'll let you know how it ends up going.
 
Ad has been sent for publishing! I;ve also started a facebook page for the business: Wavetown Media | Sydney NSW
Since I'm just starting out, I've put the ad up for 7 days. Let's see how this goes!
 
Will also start publishing marketing content on the Facebook page to attract clients after I close this project out.

No ideas on where to begin here. Has anyone had any luck doing this?
 
No luck with the ads.

Here are the mistakes I think I have made:

1. Not spending enough on overhead advertising

I have now increased my budget to improve the reach of my business to people within the local area. With this new budget, I'll be reaching 1.5-2.5k people per day as opposed to the hundreds I was reaching beforehand.

2. Focusing on local areas only.


I have tweaked the ads to focus on implementing my services within my local area only. The new ad is currently under review and will be posted shortly.

I'll keep you all updated to see how this goes. Still aiming to close out my first $1000 project!

Thanks,
Sahil.
 
No luck with the ads.

Here are the mistakes I think I have made:

1. Not spending enough on overhead advertising

I have now increased my budget to improve the reach of my business to people within the local area. With this new budget, I'll be reaching 1.5-2.5k people per day as opposed to the hundreds I was reaching beforehand.

2. Focusing on local areas only.

I have tweaked the ads to focus on implementing my services within my local area only. The new ad is currently under review and will be posted shortly.

I'll keep you all updated to see how this goes. Still aiming to close out my first $1000 project!

Thanks,
Sahil.
What’s your current ad image, text and headline as happy to have a look over.

Also for the ads that run what was the spend in total, cpm, ctr, cpc as can show as they always tell you next steps.

Might help get you on the gold if you want another set of eyes over it
 
What’s your current ad image, text and headline as happy to have a look over.

Also for the ads that run what was the spend in total, cpm, ctr, cpc as can show as they always tell you next steps.

Might help get you on the gold if you want another set of eyes over it

Hey mate,

Thank you for pitching in to help.

I've attached a screenshot below of what the advert looks like.

The full text of the advert reads: "Hey Hills District! We're building websites for local businesses starting at $500. Why is this affordable? I'm new, building my portfolio, and I want to help local businesses thrive. There's no agency overhead, just honest work."

Thank you again!

Sahil.
 

Attachments

  • Wavetown Media Ad .webp
    Wavetown Media Ad .webp
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Hey mate,

Thank you for pitching in to help.

I've attached a screenshot below of what the advert looks like.

The full text of the advert reads: "Hey Hills District! We're building websites for local businesses starting at $500. Why is this affordable? I'm new, building my portfolio, and I want to help local businesses thrive. There's no agency overhead, just honest work."

Thank you again!

Sahil.
cool so I wouldn't worry at all about your logo, as ad has it in the icon and name and they care more about what you can deliver so I would get a 1080px x 1080px image and repeat the headline and have a image of a website or laptop with a website on it. Or just the text "Hey Hills District! Are you a local business in need of a professional website?"


That way your calling them out and also hooking them with a visual of a website, test gradient or bold colour backgrounds.

Also my son is running lead ads, so messenger you may have a different experience. All about testing to see how they local market responds. Some may want to be called back, some may like to chat online. That is the other variable I can see different but don't know about ad setup so could be other factors 😀

Here is another idea for text
Hey Hills District! Are you a local business in need of a professional website but worried about the cost?

I’m a passionate local website designer offering custom websites starting at just $500. Why so affordable? I’m building my portfolio and want to help local businesses like yours thrive without the hefty agency fees.

Imagine having a beautiful, functional website that truly represents your business and helps you attract more customers—all for a price that makes sense for your budget. It’s high-quality work, with no middlemen or unnecessary overhead.

Ready to bring your business online or give your current site a boost? Let’s chat! Message me to get started—I’d love to hear more about your goals and how I can help.

---

Again sometimes they work sometimes not, so always be running 3 ads minimum in your adset targeting local area so you can see which is working better than others based on clicks on the add for example.

I'll write another post this week on how i run my ads
 
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Thank you very much mate!

I've just setup a lead ad using your advice in parallel with the messenger ads that I have running. I will let you know how it goes!

Great work with your son's agency by the way, $8K in 60 days is phenomenal result!
 
I SOLD THE WEBSITE FOR $200

Huge news, this is my first paid upfront site in the 7 months that I have dedicated to this journey. The client has just confirmed today that they will be paying me for the site now that they are satisfied with it.

This isn't life changing money but it's a major step forward.

Huge kudos to everyone who has pitched in on this thread and helped so far!
 

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