Web Design Business with Josh Hall

Welcome to a special, limited time episode which is the replay of my recent AMA (ask me anything) on my YouTube channel! Some GREAT questions and discussion prompts came in that I wanted to make sure you as a podcast listener had a chance to catch as well.

Why a limited time episode? Because there's a special Christmas gift attached...a freebie and a big discount!

Here's my Christmas gift to you 🎁

• My Web Design Process Checklist (for FREE) and/or
• My Guide to Getting Web Design Clients for only $27 (normally $97)

Just head here to snag your freebie and/or discount:

👉 joshhall.co/xmas

When you get my guide to getting clients, Santa will follow up with something special 🎅

- Josh

*** Offer valid until 12/31/24 at 11:59pm EST ***

Get my entire suite of courses in the Courses Tier = $49/mo
Get courses + all community features in the Community Tier = $99/mo
Get everything + direct coaching with me in the Coaching Tier = $199/mo

Join today (in the tier that works for you) at:

webdesignerpro.com

*** upgrade & downgrade available ***

I’m in a bit of an SEO pickle…

Since 2017 I’ve built up all my resources - including this podcast - on my personal brand site joshhhall.co but now that my main product (my web designer membership Web Designer Pro™) is on webdesignerpro.com I feel I’m entering new SEO territory.

In short, what content should stay at my personal brand at joshhall.co and since all roads are leading to webdesignerpro.com now - what content should be there?

Here are my SEO pain points/challenges:

It’s now a little confusing sending people to joshhall.co only for them to end up at webdesignerpro.com

• Should I start moving some web design content from my personal brand to webdesignerpro.com and make joshhall.co more of my entrepreneurial content hub?
• What are the implications of moving my ranking pages (including course sales pages) to a new domain?
• How the heck is my domain authority ranking for webdesignerpro.com already at a 22/100 as a one-pager?
• How do I start this transition without blowing up my SEO?

Well as you can see, I have some challenges and questions. And I don’t like going this type of thing alone so recently, I caught up with my SEO strategist and trusted confidant Michelle Bourbonniere to help me talk this out.

Michelle has been on the podcast a couple times, has done 2 training sessions inside of my community Web Designer Pro and is at the top of her game when it comes to SEO strategy so I’m thrilled and happy to share our chat as a little behind the scenes action.

I hope this gives you some guidance and ideas for your SEO strategy, especially if you are balancing a personal vs business brand or have multiple businesses online.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/357

At some point, most web designers dream of moving from lengthy, time-intensive, custom web design projects to a more “productized” or “templatized” web design service. Something that clients can purchase, that has clear boundaries, constraints and limitations.

There are a lot of ways to go about productizing your offers - and one way - is to frame it as a program or course. Especially if you’re empowering your clients with any sort of marketing or growth help.

A shining example of how to do this is Web Designer Pro member Whitney Bateson who, after years of developing custom websites, refined her process into a web design + education solution for her wellness clients in her signature program “The Wellness Pro Website System”

In this convo, we get into:

• What was the “breaking point” for her to move from custom builds
• How her maintenance plan recurring revenue growth rate was factored into this pivot
• What she did to refine her systems and processes to prepare to productize
• How she’s balancing ongoing support for clients
• Why she feels it’s GOOD to start custom before moving to productized

Whether you’re interested in productizing your web design services as a course, service, product, program, etc…Whitney is a shining example of how to do it right so I really hope this convo helps you get more time and sanity back when you’re ready to productize your results!

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/356

If you’re on the shallow or deep end of the “introvert spectrum” spectrum, I’m guessing the sales part of web design is your least favorite part of the job, right?

For some, going to in person networking, business meetups, chamber of commerce events or even calls can be energizing but for others, it’s draining. It is, however, part of being a web biz owner if you’re the one doing the selling…

There must be some strategies for making sales easier as an introvert, right?

There is! And that’s why I’m pumped to have Michelle Warner on the podcast who specializes in networking and has many introvert-friendly sales techniques.

That’s exactly what we cover in this convo, including:

• How to create comfortable sales environments
• How to find referral partners
• The power of creating a “connection avatar”
• Mindset shifts that make sales less icky
• How to network efficiently

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/355

Ah…the tug and pull between wanting to avoid being a burned out agency owner but also not being a stressed out, overwhelmed freelancer…

Surely there’s a happy medium between the two?

Good news, there is. My whole web business education model is focused around this hybrid approach to having a business that runs like a true business/agency but having the freedom and flexibility of a freelancer.

Though I never had a great name for it - someone who does is fellow web design business educator Payton Smith, who calls it “The Solo Agency.”

In this convo, we’re getting into the ins and outs of his experience from being a full fledged agency owner to stripping things down to the basics and taking on a more solopreneur approach. 

We cover:

• The pros and cons of being an “agency” today
• How a life-changing medical diagnosis caused him to rethink his agency model
• How he pivoted to a “solo agency model”
• What he learned leads to more profit and less overhead
• Creating a sustainable business around YOUR goals and needs

I really appreciate Payton being totally open and transparent on this one. With not only the business side of his experience but what he’s learned on a personal level 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/354

Copy, written by a human, with its flaws, oddities, and personally lived experience beats out corporate, stale, or AI-generated content every time.

From home pages to service pages, to lead generators, blog posts, email sequences, and sales posts…the more personal and genuine you come across, the more it’ll stand out in today’s AI slop world.

To help us get practical and tactical with writing personalized copy that sells more websites, I’m excited to bring on copywriter, podcaster, and speaker Emily Aborn who works with web and graphic designers to help them create, refine, and optimize conversion-based copy.

We cover:

• A copywriters’ take on AI now that we’ve had over a year with ChatGPT
• How and where to personalize content and copy
• How far is too far when creating personal copy
• The superpower of “saying more with less”
• And how stories and real lived experiences translate better today than ever before

Head to the show notes to get all the links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/353

Josh here with big news! Web Designer Pro™ 2.0 (tiered model) is live now!! 🎉

Up to this point, Pro has been one membership tier which gave full access to all of my web design courses, the amazing community and coaching with me directly with a member cap of 250 active members. We're closing in on capacity but the exciting news is...we now have two lower tiers available!

Available in Web Designer Pro™ now is:

1. Courses tier = $49/mo
   Includes access to my entire suite of courses + the private Pro podcast feed
   
   
2. Community tier = $99/mo
   Access to courses, all community forums, events, monthly trainings and AMA's with Josh
   
   
3. Coaching tier = $199/mo
   Access to everything above + direct DM line with me for coaching and weekly group coaching calls

These new tiers will make it more accessible and practical to help you dip your toe into Pro, with a plan that works for you, depending on where you are in with your web design business.

In this episode, we're diving into all the details on the new tiers for Pro and what led to this big innovation.

Jump into Pro now at the tier that works best for you at webdesignerpro.com

The Web Design Business Podcast turns 5 today!!! 🎉 What a ride it’s been so far (and I have no plans on slowing down.)

For this special milestone, I polled my community Web Designer Pro™ for questions and they delivered, asking some GREAT conversation starters.

So in this special, 5 year anniversary podcast episode, I’m dishing out the longest AMA session I’ve done to date at 2 hours!

The questions that came in were mainly in 3 categories:

1. Questions about the podcast (including guest selection, favorite episodes and monetization)
2. Questions about the business of web design (including what’s working today and what I would do differently)
3. Questions about online entrepreneurship (including sustainability, what marketing channels are working today and biggest challenge/best biz decision made )

So that’s what we dive into (in depth) on this one!

I hope you enjoy it and that you get some great takeaways to apply to your web design business and/or online entrepreneurial endeavors.

I also want to say a big THANK YOU for listening to the show on Apple, Spotify, etc or watching on YouTube. I have absolutely loved doing this show at least once a week for the last 5 years and have no plans of slowing down.

Means the world to me to see the reviews coming in, to hear your wins and feedback on how the podcast has helped you in your web design business so thank YOU for keeping this thing alive.

Want to say thanks or give me your feedback on this special occasion?

Leave a comment on the post at joshhall.co/351 or better yet…leave it as a podcast review to help grow the show!



00:00 - Intro to 5 year podcast anniversary
03:30 - Strategy for getting guests
09:28 - Showcasing client results when building portfolio
12:24 - Walking the line being boss and spouse when working together
16:21 - Tips for asking to be on a podcast
18:27 - Guests pushing their free or paid resources
21:13 - The legacy I hope this podcast leaves
23:39 - Vision of the podcast and how it's evolved
30:35 - Episodes that led to the most personal growth
39:13 - Most rewarding part of the job
44:46 - Favorite moments from the podcast
48:55 - Podcast gear, setup, etc
50:22 - Future plans (and how the pod fits into them)
55:20 - Next hot marketing strategies ahead 
1:00:26 - Cultivating an engaged community
1:05:45 - Creating and growing Web Designer Pro
1:09:01 - Marketing funnel from podcast to Pro
1:12:42 - Reflecting on the work you've done
1:13:21 - Best (and most challenging) decision in business to date
1:26:37 - Most memorable podcast episodes
1:28:53 - Biggest mistake new web designers make
1:33:47 - Current struggles and pain points
1:36:00 - What I've learned from so many different people, cultures and personalities
1:42:56 - Batting imposter syndrome (as a web business coach)
1:51:46 - What I'd do if I restarted everything today
1:53:35 - Thank YOU
1:55:42 - Web Designer Pro 2.0 teaser

I don’t know about you…but I didn’t officially “launch” my web design business when I got started. I just kind of fumbled through starting my freelance journey. But if I were starting today, I would put much more effort and emphasis on creating an official “business launch.”

Now to the big question…how do you launch a web business successfully? i.e. Get clients fast?

Well, my guest in this podcast chat, Alexia Lynn launched her web design business in June of 2024 and got 3 new clients in her first 2 weeks after her amazing launch. So I can’t think of anyone better to learn from!

Alexia went ALL OUT for her launch and it’s paid off in a big way in just a few short months. And today, she’s pulling the curtain back on exactly what she did, step by step.

We cover:

• How she got her business ready in order to “launch with confidence”
• What marketing channels she decided to use
• How she built anticipation for her big launch
• How replying to comments kept her launch posts top of feed for weeks
• And even though it was a success, what she would do differently

If you enjoy hearing what worked for Alexia but would love a more step-by-step, checklist guide for your own launch plan…you’re in luck! She’s made her launch plan available FOR FREE at https://visualvibedesign.com/designer-launch-plan

Big thanks to Alexia for sharing everything she’s done in the first phase of her journey. Whether you’re preparing to launch your own web biz or you’re an established web designer looking for a revenue boost, you can use these strategies as well!

P.S. Alexia is a member of my community Web Designer Pro and will be doing a live training breaking this launch plan down in more detail in November 2024! Join today to catch the live training or have access to the replay.

Get all links and resources mentioned along with a full transcription at:

https://joshhall.co/350

The Web Design Business Podcast is available on:

Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME
or wherever you get your podcasts

View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast

Let’s get real and share exactly how it is…WordPress is not the tool of choice for most web designers getting into the game today.

It may be where most end up, because WordPress is the most popular, customizable, and only open-source platform online but as a starting point, it’s not where most new web designers are starting.

Drag and drop platforms like Framer, SquareSpace, and ShowIt and even more robust platforms like WixStudio, WebFlow, and Duda seem to be where young whipper-snapper web designers jump to first.

So it begs the question…is WordPress just for old people nowadays?

To dive into this topic and to explore both the challenges and opportunities ahead for WordPress, I’m pleased to bring on a young web designer and thought leader Mark Szymanski who, despite being a young whipper snapper web designer, decided to choose WordPress over all the options above.

We explore:

• What made Mark decide on WordPress over more user-friendly builders
• The challenges in competition WordPress has moving forward
• How WordPress can market better to young web designers
• How important it is to have a lean tool stack as an agency owner
• The key ingredient that continues to keep WordPress leading as the most popular platform

Note: we recorded this conversation before the recent WordPress vs WPEngine drama happened so that is not discussed in this one.

If you have anything to add on this topic - feel free to drop us a comment on the show notes at joshhall.co/349

The Web Design Business Podcast is available on:

Apple - https://apple.co/36wnnc3
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/36ttME
or wherever you get your podcasts

View all Web Design Business Podcasts with show notes and full transcriptions at: https://joshhall.co/podcast