Being a freelance web designer

Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday October 15, 2011 10:40:55:

One of the first things I really wanted to do while still in school and had some computer skills was web designing contracts. I wanted to be able to design websites for people without having to go hunting for customers. If you are a skilled website designer, you would know that jobs don't come every time and when they do come, it can take like a few weeks or months to finish it and when you finally do so, the money starts rolling in. Now as a web designer, I had some skills but no matter how skilled you are, you still need to get clients because that's where the money comes from. It can be hard going from office to office, place to place, meeting people and submitting a bid for web design jobs. I found out that with the internet, it could become easier. One of the first sites I found out where web designers could get jobs remotely was from Guru.com. I was thrilled to see that a lot of experts were already collecting thousands of dollars for jobs they completed. Now this was a cool way to make money online. All you would need to do is create your online profile, identify with your skill, then bid for a project submitted by an employer. If you win the bid based on your portfolio or pricing, you get an initial startup pay. Now freelance web designing can be an easy way to make money. You only need to at least know how to design modern day websites and make it look satisfactory to your online employers and they will pay you.

What you will need to do freelance web designing
- You need to have web designing skills
- You need internet access
- Display an online portfolio of your works
- Be able to receive payments

Now there are two platforms I know with which you can use to setup a freelance web designing business
- Your own website
- Freelance community

You may also use both platforms

The first method involves having your own website already and displaying your online portfolio on it. You would also include a feedback form to allow potential clients to contact you. You would also include your rates and flat fees if any. People can now order for websites from your site, make a commitment payment and you start designing a site for them, according to their order.

The second method has to do with making use of other websites such as freelance communities that allow a varying category of people such as skilled employees and employers to work on projects. The freelance community tends to work as a middleman and holds payment in escrow as well as settle any dispute arising from members. Sites like guru.com, elance.com and others are examples of freelance communities. You should just go to such sites and create an account for free to get started. You should list your profile honestly and make sure that you are really qualified for the skills you identify with.

Selling website templates is also a good idea
As a web designer, you may also create template sites and sell them to people who already want to buy. You can create even customized wordpress themes and sel tem. Most website templates tend to sell fast than websites build with te customer's own step by step adjustments. Selling website templates sell faster and saves you time since there would be little or no need for making any changes or spend more time on a long project. I've seen a couple of web designers doing so already and blogs are the in thing now. Just selling customized blogs and installing them is what a lot of people are already doing

Conclusion
Being a freelance web designer can really earn you money and you should just decide on things like:
- Types of websites to design
- How to get clients
- How to receive payments eg. Alertpay, Western union, Credit card and so on.