Owning your own web design business or working as a freelance website designer can be hard. With websites ranging from a few hundred bucks to $10,000 and beyond, it’s sometimes hard to find your place in the pricing madness.

(Need help pricing your services? Download our free Web Design Project Cost Calculator!)

Having just one revenue stream in your web design business can sometimes leave you feeling like you’re always scrambling to find your next client. In this post, we’re identifying 5 ways you can increase your revenue without simply raising your prices.

1. Resell web hosting
   This may be a no-brainer, but if you’re not self-hosting the sites you build, reselling a hosting package can be an easy way to make some extra cash. Siteground offers $50 for every account you sign up, and you can rest assured knowing your client’s website is being hosted somewhere fast, reliable, and safe. We’re big fans of Siteground for its security, customer service, and free SSL certificates, but most hosting platforms will offer a referral or reseller fee.If you’re hosting enough clients, building your own hosting platform on Google Cloud might also make sense.

    

2. Offer maintenance packages
   Websites are very rarely a set-it and forget-it service. There are plugins to be updated, security patches to apply, and it’s likely that your client will want some help updating or changing both content and photos at some point. Rather than doing these things for free, or charging them on a pay-as-you-go basis, consider creating a maintenance package that you can sell to your client after their website has gone live. This will set you up with recurring revenue every month which can take some of the stress out of finding your next project.
   
   
3. Create a course
   With more and more people trying the DIY approach to their websites, there’s a huge market for teaching others how to build websites. You don’t have to sell your secret sauce — a course for beginners could include something as simple as how to choose the right hosting platform, how to install WordPress, and how to choose and install a theme. An evergreen course is something you only have to create once but can sell over and over again. And, in many instances, once someone who purchases your course realizes how much work goes into creating a website they’ll come back and hire you to do it for them. 

    

4. Create a referral program
   Your current and past clients can be a huge source of new referrals. Consider creating a referral program where you offer your clients a small gift or referral fee in exchange for a referral to someone they know. A simple workflow can even automate this process for you.
   
   This may seem like the opposite of a revenue stream since you’re paying them, but the value of a new client is far more than the cost of the referral fee you pay out. 
5. Resell other services
   Consider reselling services that compliment your web design services. Email setup services, for example, can be easily and naturally resold to your clients. If they have a new domain, they’ll want an email address to go with it.
   
   G Suite offers a referral program where you can earn money for every user you sign up, but the downside to that is that you still have to do the work of creating the account and you’ll likely be the person they reach out to if something goes wrong or they need to add/remove users.
   
   Our G Suite Made Simple® partner program is designed specifically for web designers and agencies who want to offer G Suite to their clients but don’t want to deal with the tech or support that can come along with it.
   
   Other services you could resell might include: logo design, social media management, social media ads, Google ads, or SEO services. Just be sure to find a reputable partner you can rely on and aligns with your clients’ wants and needs.

Finding additional revenue streams can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Look for outlets that will provide a decent return while still leaving most of your time free for focusing on the core service of your business — building beautiful & function websites.

Click here to learn more about or join our G Suite Made Simple® partner program!