How AI and Vibe Coding Puts Your Website Design Business At Risk

If you've had a quiet month and you're tempted to drop your prices, please don't. There's usually money sitting in places you haven't looked yet. Check out my group - https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ It's a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and "is it just me?" moments. Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie. In this episode, I'm helping you work out a plan to make more money in your web design business right now. Some of it brings in cash quickly, and some of it builds a steadier pipeline, so web design doesn't have to be feast or famine. We get into: Why the website is only one part of what your client is paying for, and why you still stand firm on your prices My payment terms, and why content deadlines stop you building next year's website at last year's prices Why your previous clients are your quickest win, and when to ask them for a testimonial and a referral How hosting and maintenance bring me steady monthly income, and what to offer if you design on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow or Shopify Whether your niche is so tight that people can't find you Why I tell web designers not to work at an hourly rate What to charge for a power hour, and why mine often turn into website builds How I deliver website audits, and my website glow-up If you want more money coming in without cutting your prices, this one's for you. Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at [email protected] Mentioned in this episode: Website Designer's Contract Pack: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/website-designer-contract-pack/ My Website Clinic: https://thisdemandinglife.com/website-clinic/ Mike Cottam, WordPress specialist (white label site care): https://mike-cottam.com/ Jo Lott: https://joannalottcoaching.com/ And here's the link if you want to learn more about Neal and Podknows: https://podknows.co.uk/ Skip to the good bits: 00:00 Feast or famine? It doesn't have to be 04:18 Your quickest win: past clients 05:41 Recurring revenue from maintenance 07:47 Is your niche too tight to be found? 11:31 Price properly, and show your prices 13:08 Power hours, and what to charge 15:17 Website audits and the glow-up

Check out my new offer: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ It's a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and "is it just me?" moments. If you've ever had a client say yes, pay the deposit, and then go quiet for weeks, it's rarely because you did something wrong. It's usually because they weren't quite ready to work with you. Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie. In this episode, I'm talking about how to attract the clients who come to you ready to buy, so you can save yourself all that back and forth. I also tell you the story of the time I was the person who wasn't ready, why I was never Hinge's ideal customer, and why it did not go well. We get into: Why niching means the right clients find you when they're ready, not just shopping around The huge gap between "not quite ready" and "sign me up, here's the money" What happens when a client pays the deposit and then goes quiet Why I was never Hinge's ideal customer, and what that teaches us about clients who aren't ready Why long, specific search phrases beat "web design London", and how I found a holiday cottage with ChatGPT Three questions to ask your past clients about how they found you How FAQs and blogs answer people's questions so you don't have to Why you shouldn't hide your prices, and what to say about hosting, licences and renewals Why case studies reassure the clients who are about to say yes Why getting clear on your messaging takes patience, and why you shouldn't keep changing it If you want clients who are ready to say yes and a lot less back and forth, this one's for you. Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at [email protected] Mentioned in this episode: SEO F-ing What with Nikki Pilkington, episode 38, "Your Portfolio Page Title Is KILLING Your SEO": https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/episode/your-portfoilio-page-title-is-killing-your-seo And here's the link if you want to learn more about Neal and Podknows: https://podknows.co.uk/ Skip to the good bits: 00:00 Why ready-to-buy clients make life easier 02:34 The gap between 'not ready' and 'sign me up' 04:16 My Hinge story: the day I wasn't the ideal customer 07:26 How your ideal clients actually search 11:03 Answer their questions before they ask 12:52 Don't hide your prices (or what's included) 16:24 Case studies that reassure 17:49 Anchor your messaging

If you're busier than ever, marketing harder than ever, and still turning over the same money year after year, it's usually not because you need a new skill. It's because the thing holding your web design business back is you — the price you drop before the client has even spoken, the £38 jobs you're doing at £150 an hour, and the evenings you're working for free. My Sparks group is a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and “is it just me?” moments. Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie. In this episode, I'm getting real about money mindset: why so many website designers get stuck at the same figure, how we quietly become the bottleneck in our own business, and what it actually takes to level up without burning out. We get into: Why “learn a new skill” is rarely the answer when your income has flatlined The one thing to do the moment you've said your price: pause What to say when a client says “that's more than I was expecting” Why payment plans for hosting and maintenance are the recurring revenue most designers miss Why £3,000 coming into the business is not £3,000 you've earned How a £38-an-hour VA frees you up for £150-an-hour work Just because you can do everything in your business doesn't mean you should How working every evening quietly halves your hourly rate Why letting go is how you build a business that runs without you If you want to charge what you're worth, stop undercutting yourself, and finally get out of your own way, this one's for you. Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at [email protected] Skip to the good bits: 00:58 Inspired by the Sparks and Phoenix mentees 01:25 The money boundary 01:51 It's money mindset, not skillset 02:52 Hands up if this sounds like you 03:13 Dropping your price mid-call 04:29 Put the price out there and pause 05:36 What to say when it's more than they expected 06:27 Earning a bit more vs properly levelling up 07:04 Payment plans: the recurring revenue you're missing 07:47 Big jumps: higher prices, more sites, white labelling 08:07 Quick break 08:15 What's really stopping us is us 09:10 You quoted £3,000. That isn't your salary 10:17 Invest money to make money 10:54 The £38 VA vs the £150 hour 12:21 Just because you can doesn't mean you should 13:00 Working every night halves your hourly rate 14:10 Mentors, VAs and getting out of your own way 14:54 Letting go: a business that runs without you 15:24 Get out of your own way 15:41 Work with Holly

If you've started to fall out of love with web design, it's usually not the design that's the problem. It's the invoices, the contract wording, the awkward client emails, and all the other bits that crept in and took over your week. Let's fix that. Check out my new offer: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ It's a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and “is it just me?” moments. Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie. In this episode, I'm talking about how to work out which parts of your web design business you actually love, how to hand over the parts you don't, and why that usually costs a lot less than you think. We get into: Why getting stuck “in the weeds” makes good designers fall out of love with the work How to identify the parts of the business you genuinely enjoy Why not every web designer loves designing, and why that's completely fine How designers and developers work brilliantly hand in hand What to do if you're a techie who struggles with the design side Why outsourcing makes you money rather than costing you money Whether you're selling the website, or selling you as the person who builds it How to bring team members onto a project without the client feeling dropped Why there's a hard ceiling on how many websites you can build in a year The five income streams I run, and the freelance team behind them How to map what you love, what you don't, and what you could delegate If you're busy but no longer enjoying it, this one will help you get the good bits back. Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at [email protected] And here's the link if you want to learn more about Neal and Podknows: https://podknows.co.uk/ Skip to the good bits: 00:00 How to do more of what you love 00:38 When you fall out of love with web design 01:40 Work out which parts you actually love 02:25 Not every designer loves designing 02:53 Why designers and developers need each other 03:44 What to do if design isn't your strength 05:22 Outsourcing is how you make more money 06:28 “But I don't charge enough to outsource” 06:54 Are you selling the website, or selling you? 07:49 Bringing in your team without losing the client 09:40 The ceiling on building websites alone 10:00 Holly's five income streams 10:43 The freelance team behind the business 11:51 Map what you love, delegate the rest 12:29 Where to find Holly

If accessibility has never really come up in your work, it isn’t because you’re careless — it’s because almost nobody teaches it. Not the courses, not the diplomas, and definitely not the platforms we all build on. Check out my group offer: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ It’s a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and “is it just me?” moments.Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie. In this episode of Websites Made Simple, I'm joined by Rachel Mess of The Inclusive Design Company, a website designer and trainer who specialises in accessible websites. Rachel got into accessibility because her sister is visually impaired — and was mortified to realise that in years of web design training, not one course had mentioned it. Together we cover the single biggest accessibility failure on the internet, why the drag-and-drop components you trust might be unreadable to both screen readers and Google, why “let the website breathe” is an accessibility decision, the argument that finally brings a reluctant client round, why “click here” hurts you twice over, and the free tools you should be running on every site before you hand it over. 🔗 Rachel Mess — The Inclusive Design Company: https://inclusivedesigncompany.co.uk 🔗 Sparks group mentoring: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ 🌐 More from Holly: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk ✉️ Email Holly: [email protected] 🎙️ Podcast produced by Podknows Podcasting: https://podknows.co.uk/ Connect with Holly on LinkedIn: Holly Christie. Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn: Rachel Mess Chapters: 00:00 Meet Rachel Meess, accessible web design specialist 01:08 How Rachel got into accessibility 01:50 Why accessibility never came up in her training 02:46 “I can’t charge for a website somebody can’t access” 03:09 Web design is a self-taught industry 03:40 Why the platforms are part of the problem 05:21 Accessibility has to be front of mind as you design 05:39 Colour contrast is the biggest issue on the internet 06:14 Dropdowns, div blocks and what a screen reader hears 07:03 If Google can’t read it, nobody sees your content 07:45 Holly’s pet hate: emojis as bullet points 09:07 When industry experts quietly ignore best practice 10:57 Lived experience is good for business 12:49 Consulting with Diversity Scotland 13:38 DEI, blog images and seeing yourself on a website 14:44 Accessibility is the infrastructure inclusion sits on 17:32 Accessibility in your blog posts 17:58 Let the website breathe 20:46 How to bring a reluctant client round 21:32 Why Shopify sites keep coming up 22:42 The contrast checker every platform should build in 24:06 Why “click here” is a problem 25:30 Stop stuffing keywords into alt tags 26:29 Test with Lighthouse and WAVE 27:36 Graphic designers are not website designers 29:04 Where to find Rachel