You can make money as a web designer by building sites for clients, charging monthly for maintenance, reselling hosting and email, selling templates, and teaching what you know. The steadiest income usually comes from combining one-off projects with recurring services. Below are nine practical ways to do it, with notes on pricing and how to get started.
Project income: getting paid to build
1. Build websites for small businesses
Small businesses are the most common clients for independent designers. Salons, bakeries, clinics, law firms, schools and shops all need a clear website with contact details, services and a way to enquire. Many do not have one, or have an outdated site that does not work well on phones.
Start with a simple, fixed-scope package, for example a five-page site with a contact form and business email setup. Fixed packages are easier to sell than open-ended hourly work, and clients know what they are paying for. Ask for a deposit before you start and the balance before the site goes live.
2. Specialise in one type of client
A designer who builds school websites, restaurant sites or online shops can reuse structure, content plans and know-how from one project to the next. That makes each project faster and lets you charge for expertise rather than hours. Non-profit organisations are another option. Budgets are often small, but the work builds a portfolio and leads to referrals.
3. Offer redesigns and fixes
Many businesses already have a website that is slow, insecure or hard to update. You can sell smaller, well-defined jobs: a mobile layout fix, a speed review, moving to a new host, repairing a hacked WordPress site, or rebuilding a contact form that never delivered messages. These jobs are quick to quote and often lead to a full redesign later.
4. Subcontract for agencies and developers
Agencies and freelance developers often need extra design capacity when they are busy. Working as a subcontractor means less selling and steady work, although the rate is usually lower than working directly with the client. Be clear in writing about deadlines, revisions and who owns the final files.
Recurring income: getting paid every month
5. Sell maintenance and support retainers
A website needs ongoing care: plugin and theme updates, backups, security checks, content changes and renewal of the domain and SSL. Most business owners do not want to do this themselves. A monthly or yearly retainer gives you predictable income and keeps you in contact with the client for the next project. List exactly what is included, such as a number of content edits a month, so the scope stays fair to both sides.
6. Resell hosting, domains and business email
Every site you build needs hosting, a domain and usually email on the client’s own domain. Instead of sending clients elsewhere, you can host them yourself with reseller hosting. A reseller account lets you create separate cPanel accounts for each client from WHM, under your own brand, and set your own prices. You stay responsible for the client relationship, while the provider runs the servers.
Tremhost’s reseller plans run from $7 to $60 a month. All include unlimited cPanel accounts, WHM, white labelling, LiteSpeed, CloudLinux, Imunify360 and free SSL. WHMCS billing software is a paid add-on. For background, read what reseller hosting is.
Before you start, decide how you will handle billing, renewals and support questions. Clients will expect a fast answer when their email stops working.
Product and knowledge income
7. Create and sell themes, templates and plugins
If you build similar sites repeatedly, turn the best of that work into a product. WordPress themes, page-builder templates, design kits and small plugins can be sold through marketplaces or your own site. It takes time to build an audience and products need updates and support, so treat this as a long-term project rather than quick money.
8. Teach web design
You can run workshops for local businesses, teach short courses, coach beginners one to one, or publish video tutorials and written guides. Teaching works best when it is specific, for example “build your shop’s website in WordPress in a weekend” rather than “learn web design”.
9. Consult and write
Experienced designers can charge for advice: website audits, user-experience reviews, content plans and help choosing between platforms. Writing about design for blogs, publications or your own site builds credibility and brings in clients over time. Focus on problems your target clients actually have.
How to price your work
- Fixed-price packages suit standard websites. Define the number of pages, revisions and what the client must supply.
- Hourly rates suit open-ended changes and consulting. Track time honestly and send regular updates.
- Retainers suit maintenance and hosting. Bill monthly or yearly and state what is included.
Whatever the model, use a short written agreement covering scope, payment terms, deadlines and who owns the content and design.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to start making money as a web designer?
Build a small portfolio of two or three real sites, even for friends or a local organisation, then offer a fixed-price website package to small businesses near you.
How do web designers earn recurring income?
Mainly through maintenance retainers and by reselling hosting, domains and business email to the clients whose sites they build.
Do I need to know how to code?
Not for every client. Many business sites are built with WordPress and a page builder. Knowing HTML, CSS and some PHP or JavaScript lets you fix problems and take on better-paid work.
Is reseller hosting worth it for a freelancer?
It can be once you have several clients. It turns each site into ongoing income, but you take on billing and first-line support, so plan for that time.
Next step
If you already build sites for clients, compare the plans on the Tremhost reseller hosting page and see whether hosting your clients yourself fits your business.
