So you’ve decided to plunge head-first into the world of freelance web development. You’ve now taken the first step toward being your own boss and having more freedom. Yet, you can’t become a freelance web developer without clients. Not only that, but you need reliable resources to gain clients continuously. After all, since you’re a freelancer now, your clients won’t need you around 24/7.
Instead, you’ll be tackling one-off projects and sometimes regular tasks for clients.
As a result, you’ll need to learn how to get more clients as a freelance web developer. Like with any freelancing position, the hunt for clients is always on. Luckily, there are some tactics you can employ to ensure you have a steady line of work at all times. Read on to learn how you can continuously attract clients for ongoing work.
Build a Portfolio
The first step you should take is to build a robust portfolio that sets you apart from the crowd. Reach out to any clients you’ve designed pages for and see if you can use them for your showcase.
A stand-out portfolio will have the following features:
- Three or four of your most impressive pieces of work
- All examples contained within a specific niche
- Lively and engaging copy explaining who you are and what you do best
- Large thumbnail preview images for each website
- Your contact information is in an area that’s easy to see
Let’s say that you’re a total beginner to web development. You’ve yet to design a single website yet, so you can’t build a portfolio. What should you do?
We recommend trying to find a small business in your area that needs a website. Offer to design it for free under the condition that you can use it for your portfolio. It could be a brick-and-mortar business, or you could select an e-commerce store and design a theme for them.
If you can’t find any businesses or online stores to use, then you can simply create your own website. Clients will be happy as long as your design is impressive and functional.
It only takes a few specific examples to build an engaging showcase that can attract new clients. Lastly, it would be best if you shared your portfolio in as many areas as possible. Another great idea is to include a link to it on all your social media pages, especially LinkedIn. You can also get business cards printed that have a link to your portfolio on the back.
Showcase Your Design Prowess
In your portfolio, it’s essential to show off your skills as a developer. There are a few ways that you can do this. One way is to select a niche to focus on the most. As an example, let’s take a look at specializing in Shopify as a niche.
Shopify for Web Developers
Shopify is a bustling marketplace for freelance web developers. Through the platform, you can:
- Create apps for merchants
- Design storefront themes
Both tasks require talented developers that understand Shopify. If you want to focus on the platform as your niche, then you need to learn Liquid. That’s the programming language that Shopify uses. The good news is that it’s straightforward to learn, especially if you have programming experience.
From there, you need to decide whether you want to focus on apps or themes. For apps, you need to solve merchant problems to make their lives easier.
An example would be designing an app that gives merchants print-on-demand capabilities.
To design an app, you need to identify a pain point that merchants are tired of dealing with all the time. From there, you can create an app that mitigates the issue and saves them time.
Designing themes is about making the store as attractive and intuitive as possible. You should also select a niche within developing themes. Let’s say that you specialize in designing storefronts that sell nutritional products. That will help you find consistent clients that need your specialized services.
UI/UX Design Skills
When showcasing your skills in your portfolio, you need to incorporate UI and UX. UI is short for user interface, and UX is short for user experience.
User interface refers to all the components of your page: the text, color scheme, layout, buttons, and more. Your interface should be as user-friendly as possible, and it should look nice.
The user experience refers to how your users feel when using your website. Working on your user experience takes a lot of research. You’ll need to follow up with users to find out what you can do to improve your website.
UI and UX design will always lead to more clients. If your portfolio examples have great interfaces and experiences, clients will notice.
To see our UI/UX design tips for Shopify themes follow this link here.
Using the Adobe Suite for UI/UX
When focusing on UI and UX, the Adobe Suite reigns supreme. It gives you all the tools that you need to focus on both UI and UX.
- For your user interface, you can use Photoshop and Illustrator. Both programs will allow you to design intuitive and attractive interfaces.
- For the user experience, Adobe has a particular program. Adobe XD is specifically designed as a UX tool. You can use wireframes to test out new layouts to get feedback from users. That way, you can tweak your experience until it’s picture-perfect.
To see Adobe’s apps for website design follow this link.
Find a Freelancing Platform
The best way to attract clients is through your portfolio and personal website. Yet, it would be best if you didn’t rule out websites such as Upwork and Fiverr. As previously stated, you need as many sources for clients as you can find. That way, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps between more significant projects.
Sites like Upwork will always have freelance web development work available. Some of these projects may be small, but they can help you earn some revenue when business is slow.
Freelance platforms are also great ways to form new relationships with clients. What starts as a small project could lead to steady work down the line. It’s imperative to always keep your eyes open for opportunities when freelancing.
How to Get More Clients as a Freelance Web Developer? ( quick video )
Coding Courses on Coding Phase
For learning how to code we recommend trying out CodingPhase. This is the best website to learn all aspects of programming and making side income. For only $20 dollars a month you can learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, React, and much more. If you sign up for the diamond plan you get access to courses on Shopify development and making money online. To get access to a ton of courses follow this link to go to the Codingphase website.
In Conclusion
That’s how to get more clients as a freelance web developer. Remember to build a rockstar portfolio and link it everywhere to attract clients. Also, take advantage of Shopify and platforms like Upwork for a steady stream of clients. To get more Shopify developer tips see our developer posts here.
