Great to have Chris “the self-made web designer” back on the podcast!

Aside from casual catch-up and web shop talk, we get into where the web industry is today compared to when we first entered the industry years ago.

Chris has a unique perspective as a freelance web designer who got most of his work through Upwork, and, with his work with ShowIt, sees a different part of the market than what I often do with WordPress.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/394

I just launched a new DNS Course for Web Designers, specifically to help you get a 101, foundational understanding of all things domains, DNS records, email, security, performance, etc.

It replaced what was formerly my cPanel course. It’s a short, snappy, “what you need to know” DNS course without getting too technical or overwhelming. In this podcast episode, I’m giving you a little teaser!

Included in the episode:

1. A few personal DNS horror stories (to illustrate how important it is to know this stuff as a web designer)
2. The most popular lesson so far on ‘Domain Types’
3. And I’m even including the DNS Checklist from the course FOR FREE! Think of it as your DNS SOP for you and your team.

Again, be sure to download the DNS Checklist I’ve made available to you for free. It also includes a special offer if you’d like to dive into the full course!

Show notes at joshhall.co/393

Repeat guest and founding member of Web Designer Pro™, Marie Brown, is back on the podcast, sharing what’s working for her with getting clients through Instagram.

And she offers a much-needed reminder that, even if clients don’t mark down “found you on social media,” it doesn’t mean it’s not working.

The more touch points you have and the more you stay top of mind, the more likely you’ll land more clients.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/392

In the Summer of 2020, I made a huge decision…to sell my agency In Transit Studios and go full-time into web design online education.

In this episode, I’m reflecting (5 years later) and sharing some lessons learned on the things I would do again and things I’d do differently.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/391

If there’s one word that can sum up where the industry of web design is right now in the age of Ai, I’d say it’s “uncertainty.”

But uncertainty doesn’t have to be bad. I love talking to people who are excited and optimistic about the road ahead and one of those folks is Web Designer Pro member Antwaun Williams (goes by A-T)

A-T is an early adopter of all tech, and when I got a chance to sit down with him in person at our recent WDP CON 2025 event, I learned just how in-the-know he is with things like:

• Where Ai is today in the design industry
• The different types of Ai available (agents vs chats vs ideation, etc)
• How to prompt any Ai tool to get the most out of it
• What Ai tools are best for certain tasks
• And what web designers can be excited about in the age of Ai

We have a great, 101 style breakdown of Ai as a whole in this one and honestly, I felt much more at ease after learning more about Ai from A-T. Hope it helps you as well!

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/390

Have you heard the rumours that high-ticket is ☠️?

Rumours they are, indeed.

Clients are absolutely still investing in high-ticket design packages (both web and branding) that range from 5k, 10k, 20k, 30k +. And to learn about how to structure high-ticket packages and how to sell them, I’m pumped to bring Kenzi Green and Maris Burgett of thebriefcollective.com on the podcast!

They work exclusively with brand and web designers to help offer and sell their high-ticket offers so they’re a great resource to learn from about what’s working (and selling) TODAY in high-ticket world.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/389

Here's the replay of the latest Q&A session held live on my YouTube channel.

Links mentioned:

Copy my new Revenue Calculator (free)

Bailey Collins' Design Day Blueprint Course (affiliate link)

*** Course enrollment ends Friday, July 25th, 2025 ***

Great live Q&A session here where we dove into topics including:

• Website in a day versus website in a week models can both be profitable starting at $2,500
• Setting clear client boundaries during the design approval process prevents expensive scope creep
• Understanding the difference between homepages, landing pages, and sales pages improves site effectiveness
• Real SEO success comes from consistent optimization, regular Google Business Profile updates, and valuable backlinks
• Shifting from a purely creative mindset to a business owner perspective ensures sustainable growth
• Networking with fellow web professionals works best by establishing a specialty and providing value first
• Building industry relationships through meetups and communities like Web Designer Pro creates referral opportunities

All additional links and show notes are at joshhall.co/388

Ready to start selling 3k, 4k, and 5k Website-in-a-Day packages?

Bailey Collin's new Design Day Blueprint Course is now open for enrollment and I'm a proud affiliate/recommender of learning from her!

Her recent episode (#387) on how she and her team have sold over 400+ design days is on 🔥 right now, so I know there's a big need for guidance on this.

Having a design day offer can be your main offer or can be perfect as your starter package for less complex builds.

Use my link joshhall.co/DDB to get an exclusive $500 value bonus when you sign up today!

Enrollment closes on Friday, July 25th, so be sure to jump in before then if interested 🙂

You’ve probably heard of VIP days or Website in a Day packages…but if you’ve yet to crack the code on how to do them effectively, DO NOT MISS this episode.

Bailey Collins and her Honey Wave Creative team have landed over 400+ website in a day projects and are now charging $3,800 (addons available) for each design day client.

Now, I had some questions…

• How do you fight scope creep?
• How do you sell these?
• Is it truly a day or is it more of a week?
• How do you balance delivering these and running the business?
• Do you offer maintenance plans after they go live?

Well, all of that (and much more) is answered here because Bailey held absolutely nothing back. So if you’re ready to launch your design day offer…this is an audio pile of GOLD!!

P.S. Bailey has put her entire system and process into a brand new course to help you do the same!

Because I don’t teach on design days, I’m happy to partner up with Bailey on this and recommend that you just steal everything she does to save you time.

Head here to jump into her new Design Day Blueprint course!

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/387

I’m not currently active on LinkedIn but ironically, if I was starting a web design business today, it’s the place I’d spend most of my social media/online connection time.

Why? Well, mainly because I know it’s geared towards connecting professionals rather than social media algorithm entertainment.

If you’re interested in what’s working well for getting clients on LinkedIn today, my chat with LinkedIn expert Joe McKay is a great guide to follow.

Joe knows the platform, knows the ins and outs and how to practically set yourself up for success rather than burnout if you’re going to commit to making LinkedIn a large part of your social strategy.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/386