Hi everyone

I’ve been working as a freelance web designer/developer since 2022. I have been layed off twice and between these times I started doing my own side hustle. Most of the times I just worked from home as a freelancer and once a time I worked from overseas. And I’ve tried different approaches to find potential clients as a developer myself, especially those without websites. Some clients did have websites, but they were outdated, self-made, or unsatisfactory so they did ask for a new one. Here are the methods I’ve used, which might be useful for starting freelance developers or web designers as well:

Engage with your community 
Talk to neighbors, friends, and local shops to find businesses without websites. A friendly, personal approach works best for small businesses.

Attend business events & chambers of commerce 
Networking at local events builds strong, long-term client relationships and keeps you in touch with community needs.

Check directories 
Online Yellow Pages, local newspapers, and city listings still provide business contacts which is ideal for offering web design services.

Leverage social media 
Many businesses rely on Facebook or Instagram instead of websites. Search local groups or pages and reach out to those without a dedicated site.

Use Google Maps 
Search local services on Google Maps and check for websites. Businesses missing one are potential clients, though manual searching can be slow.

Lead generation platforms like Webleadr 
Webleadr is a platform that automates lead generation, showing which businesses lack websites or rely on social media/booking platforms. Basically it helps you to find and contact web design leads and businesses without websites with minimal effort in just a few clicks.

So there you have it, these are all the methods I’ve used so far. If you want to land high-value clients, I’d recommend using both Webleadr which saves tremendous amount of your time or attending networking events because those people would seek out partners who can save their time in their business in one way or another anyway (for example real estate photography company who wants a CRM developed to save time and costs)