How To Make Money As a Web Designer (Complete Guide)

You want to learn how to make $2000 to $8000 per month? In this article I will teach you how to make money as a web designer and answer the question how much money can you make as a web designer but I will also walk you through everything related to making money so keep on reading!

Web design is highly in demand and alot of companies are looking for people with the right skill and because more and more businesses are recognizing the importance of having a strong online presence.

How To Make Money As a Web Designer:

Freelancing
Working For An Agency
Starting Your Own Business
Creating and Selling Templates
Offering Additional Services

What Does a Web Designer Do?

A web designer is responsible for creating the design and layout of a website. This includes the visual elements such as color schemes, typography, and images, as well as the overall layout and organization of the website’s pages. Web designers also work with developers to ensure that the website is functional and easy to navigate. They may also be involved in creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes, as well as testing and iterating on the design. In addition, web designers may be involved in creating and maintaining the website’s content, including text, images, and videos.

How To Make Money As a Web Designer

You have the skills, you have the time, you have the willpower and you decided that it is time for you to use your skills and take on the world as a web designer and get yourself some extra cash, a passive income or just some regular side hustle cash but what do you have to do?

How to make money as a web designer?
You dont have to worry because I got you covered in this article, let’s look at the different options and find an alternative that fits you and your future plan!

Freelancing:

First I would create a portfolio of my past web design projects to showcase my skills and experience to potential clients, after that I would reach out to other web designers and professionals in the industry to build connections and learn about new opportunities.

I would then market myself and create website and social media accounts to promote my services and attract potential clients but I would also consider attending networking events and joining relevant online communities and when I am done with that I need to actively search for new clients by responding to job postings on freelance websites and reaching out to small businesses and entrepreneurs who need a website.

Once I find clients, I would set competitive rates for my services and negotiate contracts that clearly outline the scope of the project and the payment terms.

According to PayScale, the average hourly rate for web designers in the United States is around $22/hour, and according to Upwork, the average hourly rate for web designers is around $40/hour so with enough experience and a strong portfolio, a web designer can potentially earn much more than that.

Working for an agency:

Working for an angency might be the best way to start your side hustle and probably the easiest aswell, so what are the ways to get a job at an agency and what can you offer them, or should you start your own agency?

Freelancing: Offer your web design services to agencies on a project-by-project basis as a freelancer because this would allow you to take on multiple clients at once and potentially earn more money over time.
Joining an agency: You could join an existing agency as a full-time or part-time employee. because this would give you a steady income and potentially provide opportunities for advancement within the company.
Starting my own agency: You can start my your agency and offer web design services to clients and by doing this it would give you complete control over my business, but it would also require more time and effort to build a client base and establish a reputation.

The potential profit from working as a web designer for an agency will vary depending on the individual’s skillset, experience, location, and the type of agency but on an average, a web designer can earn around $50,000 – $90,000 annually.

Starting your own business:

What about starting your own business and making real cash, growing your company and taking over the web design business, what do you need to do?

Develop a strong portfolio of my your work to showcase to potential clients and with this grow your customer base, your business and establish my credibility as a designer.
Network with other professionals in the industry to build relationships and find new clients but also attend industry events and conferences, and join local design groups or meetups.
Create a website to promote your business and services becasue with this it will allow you to reach a wider audience and make it easy for potential clients to contact me.
Offer a variety of services such as website design, e-commerce design, mobile app design, and more to attract a wide range of clients.
Market and promote to increase visibility and attract new clients and the best ways s if you use social media, online advertising, and other digital marketing tactics to reach potential customers.

A web designer who have his own company can earn somewhere between $50,000 – $150,000 annually but you have to remember that starting your own business involves more risks, but also more opportunities for growth and scaling up.

Creating and Selling Templates:

I would say that one of the easiest ways to make money as a web designer is to create and sell templates on online platforms like Etsy or Redbubble, but also on other sites that wants your products. I will list a few different options for you to look through and get an idea.

Variety of templates: Make a variety of web templates for different types of websites such as e-commerce, portfolios, blogs, and landing pages cuz this would allow me to appeal to a wider range of customers.
Portfolio of templates: Create a portfolio of my templates to showcase to potential customers cuz this would help you to establish my credibility as a designer, and give them an idea of what they can expect to receive.
Sell my templates: Sell my templates through an online marketplace such as Themeforest, TemplateMonster or on my own website, using a payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe.
Market and promote my templates: Invest in marketing and promotion to increase visibility and attract new customers is a great thing to do because you could use social media, online advertising, and other digital marketing tactics to reach potential customers.
Update/Make new templates: Regularly updating and adding new templates would help you to maintain customer engagement and would keep the sales going.

On average a template can be sold from $10 to $100, and if a designer is able to sell a good number of templates, it can be a good revenue stream and many people put their art out of different photo sites, sites with different products that want different templates.

Offering Additional Services:

You don’t find what you are looking for in the article so far and you are almost giving up? Don’t do that, there is more ways to make money as a web designer so let’s look through these different options and see if some of them fit.

Identify: First you should research and identify additional services that complement my web design skills such as SEO, PPC, social media management, and content creation because these services can help to increase the visibility and engagement of my clients’ websites.
Learn the skills required: Invest time and effort in learning the skills required to provide these additional services and this may include taking online courses, attending workshops or getting certified in the specific skills.
Build a team: Build a team of experts in different areas, such as SEO or PPC, to help you to deliver these services to my clients.
Offer packages: I would create packages that combine web design and additional services, to offer my clients a comprehensive solution.
Market and promote: You really should market and promote your additional services to your existing clients, as well as to new prospects.

A web designer can earn anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour for additional services such as SEO, PPC, and social media management.

How Much Money Can You Make As a Web Designer?

So how much money can you make as a web designer? The amount of money you can make as a web designer can vary widely depending on a number of factors such as your location, experience, and the type of work you are doing.

Freelance web designers can charge anywhere from $50 to $200 or more per hour, with an average hourly rate of around $75. If a freelancer works 40 hours per week, they can make anywhere from $2000 to $8000 per month
Web designers working for an agency typically earn a salary. According to PayScale, the average salary for a web designer in the United States is around $55,000 per year.
Starting your own business as a web designer can be more profitable, but it also requires more investment and hard work. Some web designers have been able to build successful businesses and earn six-figure salaries.
Selling templates online can be a great way to earn passive income, depending on the popularity of the templates you create. Some web designers are able to make a full-time income by selling templates alone.
Web designers who provide additional services like SEO, PPC, Social Media Management etc can earn more money.

Salery

The average salary for a web designer in the US is around $50,000 to $55,000 per year, or an hourly rate of $23-25 but the average hourly rate of people reporting their salery ranges from $20 to $29 and the annual salary ranges from $44,158 to $60,202. Web developers typically make $10,000 to $20,000 more per year than web designers and factors such as experience, niche and demand can affect a web designer’s salary.

Difference Between a Graphic Designer vs Web Designer

Graphic designers and web designers are both involved in the creation of visual content, but they have distinct differences in terms of their roles and responsibilities.

Graphic designers primarily create static visual content such as logos, brochures, posters, packaging, and print materials and they work with a variety of mediums, including print, video, and digital because they use software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, etc but they are more focused on visual elements and typography, color theory, and composition to create visually appealing designs.

Web designers, on the other hand, focus on creating the design and layout of websites because they work with web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create interactive and responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes. but they also focus on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) to create websites that are easy to navigate and visually appealing. They use software such as Adobe XD, Sketch, Figma etc.

Different Kind Of Web Designers

Yes, there are different types of web designers and everyone of them have their own niche and specialties depening on what they work with, so lets look at the different web designer jobs and see if we can find any good ways to make money!

UI/UX designers: These designers focus on the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) of a website and they are responsible for creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to test the website’s layout and navigation but they also conduct user research to understand the needs and preferences of the website’s visitors.
Front-end developers: These designers focus on the coding and technical aspects of web design as they use languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the visual elements of a website and make them interactive.
Full-Stack Developers: These designers have knowledge of front-end and back-end development as they are able to design and develop the entire website from scratch.
Motion Designers: These designers focus on creating animations, moving graphics, and other interactive elements for websites and they use tools like Adobe After Effects, etc.
WordPress developers: These designers specialize in creating and customizing websites using the WordPress content management system.
E-commerce designers: These designers focus on creating online stores, payment gateways, and other features specific to e-commerce websites.
Accessibility designers: These designers focus on creating websites that are accessible to users with disabilities cuz they use techniques and best practices to ensure that websites are usable by as many people as possible.

How To Become a Web Designer

Ok after reading all this you decided that becoming a web designer is your dream, it is something that you want to work with, make money with on the side and you are ready to make this your future, so how do you do it?

Learn the basics: Start by learning the basics of web design, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and you s hould know that there are many online resources, such as Codecademy and FreeCodeCamp, that offer free or low-cost web design courses.
Practice and build a portfolio: Once you have a good understanding of the basics, start building your own websites and practice your skills and create a portfolio of your work that you can show to potential employers or clients.
Learn more advanced skills: As you gain more experience, start learning more advanced web design skills such as responsive design, user experience (UX) design, and user interface (UI) design.
Get a degree or certification: While a degree or certification is not always required to become a web designer, it can be helpful in terms of getting hired or finding clients and there are so many schools and universities that offer web design programs.
Get a job or start freelancing: Once you have the necessary skills and experience, start looking for a job as a web designer or start offering your services as a freelancer.
Keep learning and evolving: The web design industry is constantly evolving, so it’s essential to keep learning new skills and staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends.

It’s important to note that becoming a web designer will require a lot of time, practice and dedication, but it can be a rewarding and fulfilling career for those who are passionate about design and technology.

Places To Offer My Web Design Skills

You want to sell your web design skills so where do you go, is there a site or place for your skills?

Freelancing platforms: Websites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are great places to find freelance web design work and you can create a profile, showcase your portfolio, and bid on projects that match your skills.
Job boards: Websites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn have job listings for web designers and you can search for job openings in your area and apply with your resume and portfolio.
Networking: Attend web design conferences, meetups, and other networking events to connect with other web designers and potential clients.
Starting your own business: You can start your own web design business, and reach out to local businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs, who are in need of web design services.
Social media: You can use social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter to promote your web design services and connect with potential clients.
Selling Templates: You can create and sell web design templates on marketplaces such as Themeforest, Envato, etc.
Offer additional services: You can offer additional services such as SEO, PPC, Social Media Management etc, to increase your earning potential and diversify your income streams.

It’s important to note that the more you promote and market yourself, the more likely you will get clients, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and showcase your skills and portfolio.

Alternatives to Web Design

So what are some alternatives to web design if web design doesn’t appeal to you?

Graphic design: Create visual content for print and digital mediums, such as logos, brochures, posters, packaging, and print materials.
UI/UX design: UI/UX designers focus on the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) of digital products such as websites, mobile apps, and software.
Front-end development: Front-end developers use languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the visual elements of a website and make them interactive.
Motion design: Motion designers create animations, moving graphics, and other interactive elements for websites and other digital mediums.
Game design: Game designers create the concepts and mechanics for video games and other interactive experiences.
Digital Marketing: Digital marketer’s use various digital channels to promote and sell products or services.
App development: App developers create mobile and web applications for various platforms.
Data visualization: Data visualization designers use data to create interactive visual representations of information.

That is some great alternatives to web design and you can make as much money if not even more!

Pros and Cons

Pros

High demand: As more and more businesses move online, the need for web designers continues to grow.
Flexibility: Web design can be done remotely, which allows for a flexible schedule and location independence.
Creativity: Web design allows for a lot of creative expression, and designers can showcase their talents by creating visually appealing websites.
Good earning potential: Web designers can earn a good income, especially if they have a strong portfolio and reputation.

Cons

High competition: The field of web design is becoming increasingly crowded, which can make it difficult for new designers to break into the industry.
Constant learning: Web design is a constantly evolving field, and designers need to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and design trends.
Stressful deadlines: Web design projects often have tight deadlines, which can be stressful for designers.
Difficult clients: Web designers may have to work with difficult clients who have unrealistic expectations or a lack of technical knowledge.

Conclusion

I really hope you learned everything you wanted to learn in this article about how to make money as a web designer and how much money can you make as a web designer. By becoming a web designer you can be on a very lucrative career path, with an average salary ranging from $50,000 to $55,000 per year but remember this can vary depending on factors such as experience, niche, and demand.

Related:

How To Make Money As a Web Designer (Complete Guide)

What Does a Web Designer Do?