Whether you work as a freelancer or for an agency, providing web design services to clients opens up opportunities to offer a wide range of additional services. By expanding your offerings, you can maximize your earnings with fewer clients. Being a one-stop solution for various services can also benefit your clients, sparing them the hassle of finding and hiring multiple professionals.
Of course, there are several factors you need to consider when it comes to expanding and diversifying your services. It’s crucial to strike a balance and focus on a select number of offerings rather than attempting to provide every conceivable service related to websites. Specializing in a few key areas allows you to maintain expertise while capitalizing on the potential for increased profitability.
In this article, we will take a look at the best options to be offered by designers.
Hosting
One valuable service you can provide is hosting. You don’t necessarily need to own and manage your own servers. Instead, you can explore the option of opening a reseller hosting account. This enables you to offer hosting services to your clients without the burden of handling logistics yourself. The beauty of hosting is that it generates consistent monthly income, which grows as you add more clients to your portfolio.
Before offering hosting, it’s essential to consider the amount of time required for customer support. Evaluate the specific details of the reseller hosting plans you are considering to determine if you would be responsible for managing all clients. If the time investment outweighs the benefits, it may be wise to forgo this service. The decision will also depend on the pricing structure you can establish for the hosting service.
Analytics
Analytics is another area where you can add value to your web design and development clients. Nearly all clients will request access to data and analytics to measure the effectiveness of their websites. While tools like Google Analytics (GA) are powerful and free, they can be overwhelming and confusing for some clients. This presents an opportunity for you to offer analytics assistance.
When you create a website for a client, you probably already include the Google Analytics code. Taking it a step further, you can provide analytics consulting services. This can range from a brief consultation where you guide the client through the Google Analytics dashboard and explain key concepts they should remember, to offering weekly or monthly reports with actionable insights based on the data.
Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Research
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) naturally complements web design, as clients benefit from having a successful website that attracts organic traffic. While web design inherently incorporates some SEO principles, offering comprehensive digital marketing and SEO services can take it to the next level. This can involve off-page SEO, link building, on-page optimization, and content creation specifically tailored to rank for targeted keywords.
Keyword analysis is a crucial component of SEO and presents an opportunity to specialize further. Many clients either lack the knowledge or time to perform effective keyword research. By providing keyword research services, you can assist clients in determining the most effective keywords to use in their website content. Focusing on low-competition keywords can give smaller sites a competitive edge, increasing their chances of ranking on Google’s first page.
Social Media Management
Social media has become an essential part of businesses’ online presence, but many struggle to manage their profiles effectively. This is where you can step in and offer social media administration services.
Small businesses and entrepreneurs often lack the time or personnel to handle their social media accounts efficiently. By taking care of their social media profiles, you free up their time for more crucial tasks.
Your expertise in design can be invaluable in this aspect as well. You can design branded profile images that help your clients’ social media presence stand out. Additionally, you can create eye-catching graphics and images for their profiles, enhancing their overall aesthetic appeal.
Conclusion
By diversifying your services with hosting, analytics assistance, SEO, keyword analysis, and social media management, you can significantly boost your company’s profitability. The key is to leverage your web design expertise and carefully select the services that align with your skills and interests. With a strategic approach, you can provide added value to your clients while growing your business. Remember, offering additional services shouldn’t overwhelm you but rather enhance your offerings and improve your overall profitability.