Launchers - Build a successful web design business

There’s no excuse for subpar website performance at this point. Not  if your site is well managed by someone who cares about what their  visitors experience every day.

If you need help improving your website’s performance, follow these tips!

Choosing the best web hosting service for you and your business’ needs will have a major impact on your online success.

In this episode, I’ll go over how to choose a web hosting service and what factors you should consider when making your choice. It can be  summarized into the 3 S’s:

1. Speed
2. Security
3. Support

We’ll also discuss some sneaky tricks used by web hosts who don’t have your best interests in mind.

In this episode we have Scott McKenzie from London, Canada! We discuss:

• Where Scott is at in his web design journey
• Why images mean everything for ecommerce websites
• How to choose the right web design niche for you
• Where I get most of my clients from these days
• Pricing your web design services and productizing them ASAP
• Scott's plans for world web design agency domination
• How I've scaled my web design business over the past 6 years
• What is the point of my YouTube channel?
• Building websites for "free" that actually pay you back over years
• My best advice for improving your web design skills faster

In this episode we have Ivor (Ives) David from London, England! We discuss:

• Where Ivor is at in his web design journey
• How Ivor got into web design as a natural extension of his business
• What questions you should ask a potential web design client
• Why getting into website maintenance from the beginning is so important
• Balancing client value vs your time
• How I priced my hosting and website management services
• How client retainers work
• I review Ivor's current website
• Ivor reviews MY work

1-on-1 with Patrick is a series of web design coaching sessions for wannabe web designers.

In this episode we have "JD" from Australia! We discuss:

• Where JD is at in his web design journey
• How JD is using virtual assistants to outsource client acquisition
• How I got my first clients in the early days
• Why client acquisition is a process that requires a ton of practice
• How to get people to open your cold emails
• Why you need to niche down in order to grow
• The differences between some of the major website builders
• Why you should use preview links instead of screenshots
• [Weird spider intermission]
• Why Patrick isn't a fan of Squarespace or GoDaddy
• Concluding thoughts

My 2020 review. Looking at my financial, productivity and personal goals to see how I fared in this year to remember.

It's true. I did it myself.

In this episode we have CJ Gilland from Kalamazoo, Michigan! We discuss:

• Where CJ is at in his web design journey
• Struggling to find motivation and momentum
• Hosting and maintaining client's websites vs handing them over
• Register the domain on behalf of the client or let them register it?
• Why you should always take a 50% deposit before doing any work
• Do I still recommend Weebly to web designers?
• Why coding for web design is gone forever
• How to deal with "feast and famine"
• Some advice about personal finances
• Prioritizing practice and closing thoughts

Really excited to launch this. Hope you guys find it helpful.

Stay safe. Stay sane.

In this episode we have Ben Wall from Leicestershire, England! We discuss:

• Where Ben is at in his web design journey
• Getting a web design client to "buy in" to the project
• Should you force clients to send you all of the necessary content?
• How long does it take to build the average website?
• I review Ben's website and branding, DotWall
• Optimizing your website for presentation on Google
• How Ben found my podcast and closing thoughts

In this episode we have Carla Montaño from Venezuela! We discuss:

• Where Carla is at in her web design journey
• Building a bilingual web design business
• Using social media to get your first web design clients
• Injecting your unique personality into your brand
• Building your web design business with passive income as a priority
• Deciding what to charge for your web design services as a complete newb
• The importance of personal dedication
• Closing thoughts

In this episode we have Aravind Kaliamoorthy from Pudacherry, India! We discuss:

• Where Aravind is at in his web design journey
• How Aravind exchanged web design services for food, housing and travel
• The struggle of finding web design clients that are worth your time
• Being crystal clear about what you have to offer as a web designer
• Using subdomains effectively
• Why Aravind's website is confusing
• Using social media to get web design clients
• How important is it to choose the "right" website builder
• How to compete with other web designers who charge less than you
• Reselling hosting and choosing the right hosting company to partner with

In this episode we have Matthew Latimer from Inverness, Scotland! We discuss:

• Where Matthew is at in his web design journey
• How Matthew got his first web design clients
• What tools Matthew is using to build websites
• How to effectively manage your time and energy
• Aggressively filtering what your mind is exposed to
• The best WordPress plugins and web design tools in 2020
• Why I changed my favorite SEO plugin from Yoast to Rank Math
• Why it's important to keep your websites lean and mean
• Is it important to display web design pricing on your website?
• Ecommerce alternatives to Woocommerce + Wordpress
• How to transfer a website to a client once it's published
• Our mutual hatred for social media
• Concluding thoughts

The following is a true (horror) story of a website design gone wrong. And what it took to fix it...

In this episode we have Rohan George from Kerala, India! We discuss:

• Where Rohan is at in his web design journey
• What the overall goal of a website should be
• Why the technology aspect of web design isn't as important anymore
• How to start freelancing as a web designer
• Why there's no substitute for hard work and consistency
• Dealing with fear of failure and feelings of inadequacy
• Closing thoughts and Rohan's action plan

In this episode we have Trisha Manabat from Baguio, Philippines! We discuss:

• Where Trisha is at in her web design journey
• Why Trisha made the pivot from graphic design to web design
• How online "teachers" can make learning web design very confusing
• Should you learn to code as a web design freelancer?
• How to sell yourself as a web design expert
• The critical importance of content marketing for web designers
• How often can Trisha call me? 😂
• Final thoughts

Managing a website is more work than it seems. Straight up. 

In this complete website management guide, I am going to detail exactly how to maintain a website.

I’ve also provided real world examples for every step that I describe here.

For that reason, it would be worthwhile to check out the blog post or video version so you can see what I'm talking about. But either way, you'll get the idea.

Let's go!

In this episode we have Philip Marks from Kent, England! We discuss:

• Where Philip is at in his web design journey
• What types of questions web design clients typically ask
• The dangers of using old-school SEO strategies
• Additional features you can use to charge more for your web design services
• The democratization of web design and graphic design
• Why old blogging tactics don't improve your SEO anymore
• Why websites are all starting to look the same
• Philip's experience with Google Adwords
• Why Patrick never made social media a major part of his marketing strategy
• Some additional challenges you'll likely experience with web design
• Final thoughts

In this episode we have Ryan Sciolla from Philadelphia, USA! We discuss:

• Where Ryan is at in his web design journey
• Ryan's business model
• Ryan's experience with outsourcing his website's copy and blog content
• I review the content he paid for
• Why Ryan is struggling to focus on what to learn first
• I review Ryan's website
• The importance of great copywriting in web design
• Using web design and SEO to create sales funnels
• Why web design courses are bogus and how to learn for free instead
• Ryan gives me feedback on my content
• The importance of taking action and closing thoughts

In this episode we have Upasana Paul from Siliguri, India! We discuss:

• Where Upasana is at in her web design journey
• How Upasana used Instagram to get her first web design client
• Where Upasana currently stands with that client
• Overcoming fear of making mistakes
• Choosing which web design platform to use for a unique client
• Which web design platform is best for e-commerce
• Keeping your client onboarding process as simple as possible
• The basic fundamentals of SEO for a new website
• Pricing your web design services as a newbie designer
• Dealing with cultural norms and a changing global landscape

Over 3 years ago, I wrote a blog post detailing why I decided to cancel my Netflix account forever. It got some decent traffic initially, and continued to perform well in Google for a surprising amount of keywords.

Then it slowly started to lose steam, bottoming out at an average of about 20 hits per day.

“Fair enough,” I said to myself, “there are a lot more people who love Netflix than hate it.”

But then, a global pandemic arrived on the scene, and something crazy happened...

In this episode we have John Philippe Zapido from Manila, Philippines! We discuss:

• Where John is at with his web design business
• Overcoming fear of failure and rejection
• Patrick's most-recommended entrepreneur book
• Why Patrick chose to use Elementor with his web design business
• Elementor vs Webflow
• Getting ultra-specific when choosing a web design niche
• Onboarding new clients and coming up with strategy
• What to do when your client isn't happy with your work
• Staying laser-focused on your top priorities

In this episode we have Fernando Alvarez Jr from Anaheim, California, USA! We discuss:

• Where Fernando is currently at with his web design journey
• Why Fernando chose Webflow as his website builder
• How to decide what to charge for your services
• What Fernando's first priority should be right now
• Building a new brand from scratch
• Learning SEO and web design simultaneously
• How I started my web design business and what it looks like today
• Hiring the right freelancers to grow your business
• Choosing a pricing model
• How I'm able to build websites so quickly
• Choosing your ideal clients
• Final thoughts and takeaways

1-ON-1 with Patrick is a series of web design coaching sessions for wannabe web designers. 

In this episode, we have Seyide Hundeyin from Nigeria! We discuss:

• Where Seyide is currently at in his web design journey
• Why Seyide doesn’t have his own website, and why it’s a mistake (obviously)
• Attracting high paying clients
• Reaching out to potential clients
• Building recurring revenue
• Whether or not you should use contracts
• How Seyide is spending time working on his web design business
• How I made that cool animation video
• Conclusion and key takeaways

Fun Fact: This is my longest podcast EVER! And there's a reason why.

Maintaining your focus and concentration in an increasingly distracting world feels like it should be an Olympic sport.

Everywhere you look, someone or something is greedily fighting for your attention.

If you're struggling to stay focused on what matters most, like I was, follow this guide and I guarantee your focus will hit all-time new highs.

*Highly recommend you check out the blog post below for this one. Lots of valuable links to help you make progress.*

Stay safe and clean peeps!

The online courses industry is exploding right now.

In 2015, the global e-learning market was already worth $107 billion. Estimates suggest it will balloon to $312 billion by 2025.

However, this comes with a major caveat.

While the overall e-learning industry is projected to grow substantially over the next few years, there is one particular segment of that industry that's actually shrinking.

And it's shrinking fast.

You might be thinking that you’re set for life with that website of yours.
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But,  while I’ll certainly give you credit for recognizing the importance of  having an online presence for your small business, and actually doing  something about it, I’m about to tell you why that’s wrong…
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And why it’s actually time to redesign your website …
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And why 2020 is the perfect time to do it.

While we may be a full two weeks into 2020, I’m still looking back on 2019. What went well, what went wrong, and what I learned.

And that includes my annual review of what books I enjoyed most this year.

Here are my 9 favorite books I discovered in 2019...

In what seemed like a mere blink of an eye, 2019 is just about to end. And it's time to reflect on what the swan song of the 2010's meant to me.

And review how many of my goals I actually accomplished.

AND... hold myself accountable to the ones I failed to.

How was your 2019?

The email, as many online marketers will tell you, is the Holy Grail of online marketing. They make it sound as if all you need to gain a new customer for life is to get their permission to email them constantly.

If you have someone’s email, how could they possibly ignore you, right?

Wrong. Here's why.

Look, we all like to get a good deal. In fact, when we do, the first thing we do is excitedly humble-brag to the person next to us about how we got said deal.

But searching for a good deal on website design is risky.

This hunt for a good web design deal even leads people to type that phrase that sends a nasty shiver down my spine every time…

“cheap web design”

⛄ *Brrrrr* ⛄

Even if you don't have an extreme goal of taking off to a foreign country, or globetrotting for years on end, being a digital nomad can give you some great opportunities to live a more comfortable life.

What if you didn't have to live in a big bad city just to find suitable employment? Fighting with frustrating daily commutes, rising crime, and crying yourself to sleep thinking about how much you're spending on your closet-in-the-sky they call a condo?

When you’re negotiating with a web design lead, hoping to make them a web design client, you’re hunting for that Commitment Yes.

A lot of web designers think they need a web design contract to get that Commitment Yes.

First, let's talk about what a Commitment Yes means.

Then answer the question: Do web design contracts help or hurt your business?

The good news is that people are landing on your website.

The bad news? These same people are leaving your website almost immediately.

Why? How can that be?

Did the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars you poured into your website mean nothing? Was it all a waste? Should you just give up on web design and go back to school to learn how to repair AI-powered toasters?

Easy there, tiger. Let’s walk through this one together...

Yes, we're talking about building a web design portfolio again. Because, frankly, it's super hard to do. And many of you still have questions about it.

After I give you these 4 ideas for growing your web design portfolio, I’m going to leave the rest in your capable hands. 😉

After years of running my own web design agency, I’ve seen a lot of people make some crucial web design mistakes. (and refuse to learn from them)

I want to keep you from making those same mistakes.

By removing these 16 things from your website, you can instantly fix these mistakes and improve it today.

It wasn't until I completely removed these bad habits from my life that my lofty dreams began to materialize into reality.

I'm willing to bet that you're hooked on at least 3 or 4 of these bad habits right now. Some of you may even be trapped with all 6 of them.

And I personally guarantee that if you commit to removing all of these bad habits from your life, starting today, your life will quite literally be transformed.

My fellow web designers out there know all too well that clients love to ask every question under the sun before choosing you to build their website.

So let me ask you something...

Why aren't you doing the same thing?

I’m not even joking when I say that, out of all of the questions I receive about running a web design business, about 70% center around the “web design process”.

I’m going to give you the web design process that I personally follow with each of my clients. It is by no means the definitive process for all web designers, and I’m sure there are many out there who would disagree with me.

But it works for me. And it helped me scale RapidWebLaunch into a successful web design agency.

New York City, winter 2015. New York had just had their warmest Christmas in history, with temperatures rising all the way up to 72F. 

There I was, chilling in a swanky blues bar in Manhattan, sipping on a delicious bourbon. I was about to get a Famous reminder on what real happiness is. And, more importantly, what it ISN'T.

I recently found myself in the waiting room of a physiotherapist, hoping to find a solution to some troublesome neck woes. In the center of this waiting room, hanging on the wall directly in front of me, they had a large TV playing a set of 10 or so commercials on repeat.

One of them in particular caught my eye...

For those of you who have been following along with me over the past few years, you'll know that I've been singing Weebly's praises for quite some time. Weebly empowered me to get my goal of building my own web design business out of my dreams and onto the keyboard. I will always be grateful for that.

But time and unforeseen circumstances can change a lot. Especially in business. In the blink of an eye, something can go from empowering your business to hindering it.

This is what happened with my relationship with Weebly...

While most web designers have the luxury of living a commute-free lifestyle, and working from home in their PJ's and Captain America slippers, many still enjoy listening to podcasts while doing other mundane activities like working out, cleaning or doing the dishes.

Web designers like me!

The following are the 5 web design podcasts I listen to in such situations, and what I feel to be the best podcasts for web designers. (other than this one OBVIOUSLY)

User experience (or UX), in the broader sense of the term, is pretty self-explanatory. It is the experience a visitor/user/customer has when using your product/service/tool.

When it comes to web design, we will be discussing the experience a user has when navigating your website.

SPOILER ALERT: It literally means life or death for your website.

I hate doing sales. Always have too. It was my least  favorite part about working on the family business with my dad and, if  I’m being honest, it’s the least favorite aspect of running my own web  design business today.

But sales is essential. So if you want to build a successful web design business, you need to learn to love it. What helps me to learn to love things that I instinctively hate?

Get really good at it...

Work/life balance is a common term used by startups and big corporations alike.

Employers use it to show potential hires that they are the progressive, modern, forward-thinking type of business you’d want to be a part of. You know, the ones that are totally cool with you ditching the 9-5 grind.

Potential candidates use it to show they’re not interested in working for the overbearing, punch-in/punch-out, old-fashioned companies of yesteryear. Especially those dang millennials, who demand freedom and individual accountability.

The problem is, the definition of a good work/life balance varies widely depending on who you talk to...