How to Get Website Design Clients

If you’re a freelance web designer or running a small design studio, you’ve probably asked yourself more than once: how do I actually get more website design clients? You’re not alone. Many designers spend hours perfecting their craft, polishing portfolios, and tweaking mockups but when it comes to marketing, things can feel messy or overwhelming.

The truth is, figuring out how to get website design clients doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to do everything or be everywhere—you just need a simple plan you’ll actually stick to. That’s where Enji comes in. From defining your customer personas to nurturing leads until they’re ready to book, Enji makes marketing for web designers easy and gives you the tools to turn “I need clients” into “I’ve got a waitlist.”

In simple terms, here’s what you need to do to get website design clients:

Choose your niche
Pick your platforms (a.k.a marketing channels)
Create an email freebie
Share your best stuff
Review your marketing

If that feels like a lot, don’t stress. We’re going to go in more detail below! And it’s easier than it looks.

Step 1: Choose Your Niche

One of the fastest ways to stand out as a web designer is by choosing a niche. Why? Because clients want to know you understand their world, not just web design in general.

Instead of offering a little bit of everything to everyone, start by narrowing your focus. Maybe you build websites for photographers, wedding planners, or stationery designers. Or maybe you specialize in e-commerce sites for handmade shops looking to expand from Etsy.

The more specific you get, the easier it is for clients to picture themselves working with you (and feel confident you understand what they need even if they don’t know how to explain it).

And we know this sounds scary. Like why wouldn’t you want to talk to anyone who you can help? But don’t worry—niching down doesn’t lock you in forever. It just helps you market yourself more clearly right now. If you’re not sure where to start, try free Enji’s customer persona generator. It’ll help you get clear on who your ideal clients are, what problems they need solved, and how your web design services can help.

Once you’ve chosen your niche, decide on your core offer. Don’t try to offer a million different packages, maintenance plans, and add-ons right out of the gate. Keep it simple: one or two packages that you know you can deliver confidently and profitably.

Step 2: Pick 2-3 Platforms Your Ideal Clients Use

Next, you need to figure out where your ideal clients hang out (a.k.a where you’ll market your design business a.k.a your marketing channels). The good news is that you don’t need to show up everywhere to book website design clients. And honestly, spreading yourself too thin is the fastest way to burn out. Don’t do that.

For web designers, some of the best places to connect with clients are:

Instagram (great for sharing visuals and case studies)
Pinterest (especially for creative and lifestyle niches)
LinkedIn (if you’re targeting corporate or B2B clients)
Email marketing (to nurture leads and stay top of mind)

Pro tip: consider having at least one long-form content channel too, like a blog. That way, you can repurpose content across platforms using Enji’s repurposing tool, instead of constantly starting from scratch.

Not sure what to post? Use Enji’s idea generator to come up with prompts for your ideal audience in seconds.

Step 3: Create an Email Freebie

Here’s the thing: most people who land on your website or social media aren’t ready to hire you yet. That’s why you need an email list—to keep in touch and stay top of mind until they are.

The easiest way to grow your list is with a freebie (a.k.a lead magnet). For web designers, this could be something like:

“5 Website Mistakes That Are Costing You Clients”
“DIY Website Checklist for Small Business Owners”
“How to Know When It’s Time for a Website Redesign”

Then you can promote your freebie with Enji’s campaign templates to make sure people know it’s there for them. You can create emails, social posts, and even blog content around your freebie in a fraction of the time.

Need more guidance? Check out our posts on how to build an email list and creating a lead magnet that your audience will love.

Step 4: Share Your Best Stuff

Once you’ve got your foundation in place, it’s time to start showcasing your work. Don’t just tell potential clients you’re good—show them.

Here are a few ideas to share your best stuff:

Case studies: Walk through a project from start to finish and highlight results.
Testimonials: Let your happy clients do the talking for you.
Visuals: Share before-and-after screenshots, mockups, or snippets of your design process.
Tips + value posts: Teach your audience something small but useful, like “3 signs your website needs a refresh.”

You can even mix in behind-the-scenes content, like your design process or client collaboration stories. This makes your work feel approachable and personal—not just polished and distant.

And if you don’t have “real client work” to share yet, make it up! (That doesn’t mean lie though). But it’s okay to design a brand identity and do mockups for a fictitious company to flex your creative muscles and share it with people!

The more consistently you share, the more you’ll stay top of mind. This builds trust and credibility, which is key for anyone wondering how to get website design clients.

Step 5: Nurture Potential Leads

Web design is a big investment, so don’t be surprised if most people don’t book right away. The average client might research for weeks (or even months) before they commit.

That’s why nurturing is so important. Instead of giving up when someone doesn’t hire you immediately, stay in touch through:

Follow-up emails (automated sequences that remind them of your services)
Instagram DMs (personal touch goes a long way)
Regular nurture posts (content that educates and inspires, not just sells)

Think of it this way: you don’t necessarily need more leads—you might just need better follow-up. Check out our post on why more follow-up often beats more leads.

Step 6: Review Your Marketing

Finally, don’t forget to step back and evaluate what’s actually working. This is the piece so many web designers skip, but it’s sooooo important.

Look at questions like:

Where did your last few clients come from? (Instagram? Referrals? LinkedIn?)
Which posts or campaigns got the most engagement?
How many inquiries are actually turning into bookings?

Regular check-ins keep you from spinning your wheels on tactics that look busy but don’t bring results. Even setting aside 15 minutes once a month to review your numbers can reveal patterns you’d otherwise miss.

Enji makes this easy with a KPI dashboard that shows you the metrics that matter most. When you know what’s driving results, you can double down on your highest-ROI efforts and stop wasting time on things that don’t move the needle.