The landscape of website builders has evolved so much since I got started in 2010 and you know what else has evolved? Web designers. 

Building high-converting, well-designed professional websites is still at the core of most web designer studios and agencies but the landscape is evolving now to where, in my experience, clients are relying on web designers to help make sense of the scattered online world and to help them drive traffic, leads and customers to their website.

This means an identity shift for many web designers, who are now viewed as more of webmasters or web consultants/strategists. 

That’s exactly what we dive into in this chat I had with Mark Szymanksi. This convo was recorded for his show Fueled by Progress but we covered so much important ground, I wanted you to hear it as well.

Apart from the landscape of website builders changing, we get into:

• How web designer identities change as we progress
• Where AI is in web design now in 2026
• The changes in the DIY market
• My identity shifts from designer, to course creator, to community builder and coach
• Running an online business around family (as Mark is expecting his first kiddo soon)
• And more.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/416

This is a deeper dive into how and why I've changed my mind on offering a Website In A Day service.

It's all thanks to Bailey Collins blowing my mind last year after digging into how she sold 400+ (now over 500) website in a day packages back on episode #387

Straight up, I recommend and fully back her Design Day Blueprint Course

Use code JOSH10 for 10% OFF and when you use my link, you'll get the Brand Day bonus model for free! ($500 value)

Based off my latest newsletter:

• Sign up for free here
• View the last 12 issues here

Bailey Collins has now landed 500+ website in a day clients since 2021. This free masterclass is a behind-scenes-look at her entire process which she shared live in my community Web Designer Pro®.

If you're ready to launch your website in a day offer and confidently charge 1k-5k per day, I recommend Bailey's full Design Day Blueprint course which I'm a proud affiliate for.

We've partnered up to give you a special 10% OFF discount and – when you use my link – you'll also get her bonus Branding Day module (normally a $500 add-on)

👉 https://joshhall.co/ddb and use coupon code JOSH10 to activate your discount!

Note: I recommend most web designers have 2-3 package ranges. This can be the PERFECT starter or productized offer, priced anywhere from $1,000 - $5,000 while leaving room for your higher packages for custom, larger, longer projects.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/415 

Links mentioned:

• I'm speaking more about this topic at the upcoming LevelUp 2026 Designer Boss Summit – free to sign up!
• Sign up for my weekly newsletter
• Join my community Web Designer Pro®

As a web designer, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of people ask “is AI going to take your job?”

Well, my position is firmly NO.

But one adjacent part of the industry I was curious/cautious about is copywriting. After all, I’m primarily using AI for copywriting and messaging help these days.

To hear how copywriters are surviving, even thriving in an AI world, here’s copywriter for web designers Nikki Thompson who shares everything she’s implementing today!

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/414

Expanding in audio form on my latest newsletter entry.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter here:
joshhall.co/newsletter

In this solo/case-study episode, I’m sharing a super simple—but insanely effective—pricing tweak that helped one of our Web Designer Pro® members, Tom, land a $5,000/yr SEO deal… on the same day he made the change.

We break down:

• why too many plan options confuse clients
• how to structure your plans to make the right option stand out
• what Tom changed to close the deal immediately
• his updated SEO plan layout
• lessons you can apply to your own recurring plans right now

If you’ve ever struggled with pricing, packaging, or getting clients to choose higher-value plans, this one will help big time.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/413 

To kick off the New Year, I wanted to share this convo I had recently for my email/DNS partner specialist Amr Selim which we recorded for his podcast where we do a recap of my journey from cabinet maker/drummer to designer/agency owner to course creator/community builder.

We also get into how different the industry of web design is today in 2026 compared to when I got started in 2010. But also, how many timeless practices and strategies work today like they did back then.

We also cover where AI is, how it’s affecting (or not affecting) web designers, how to utilize it with clients, where the DIY market is and more!

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/412

Sign up for my newsletter at joshhall.co/newsletter

See the visual highlight post on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn

I’m in reflection mode right now and as we get ready for the New Year, I’m been thinking a lot about these 5 timeless lessons from high-profile guests on my podcast that have really helped me over the last few years. Hope they help you as well as you gear up to build and grow your web design biz in 2026!

In this episode:

Amy Porterfield On Managing Doubt (from ep #185)
Pat Flynn On Risk And Regret (from ep #100)
Derek Sivers On Simple Versus Easy (from ep #245)
Mike Michalowicz On Sales Stress (from ep #250)
Chris Do On Revenue Goal Mindsets (from ep #368)

Additional links mentioned:

• Anything You Want Book by Derek Sivers
• Profit First Book by Mike Michalowicz

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/411

Join my community Web Designer Pro® if you're ready to make more and work less as a web designer in 2026!