How To Become Freelance Web Developer

Becoming a freelance web developer is a great way to make some money on the side and build up your skills as a coder.

It can also be difficult to break into the scene and find work, but with the right tools and mindset, it’s possible for anyone!

Here are some tips on how to become a freelance web developer:

1. Learn HTML and CSS – these languages are essential for building websites, so make sure you know how to use them well.
2. Build up a portfolio of sites that you’ve built yourself – this will help you get more clients interested in hiring you because they’ll see what kind of work you can do!
3. Get out there and network with other developers – try attending meetups or conferences where you can meet other people who might be able to refer clients your way.
4. Start small and work your way up – don’t expect to land huge projects right away; start out with small projects like websites for local businesses or blogs that need design updates before moving on to bigger jobs like apps or even full-fledged websites!

How To Become Freelance Web Developer

What Is a Freelance Web Developer?

A freelance web developer is employed independently and can work from home, coffee shops, or libraries – essentially, anywhere with an internet connection. They are responsible for delivering the end product after discussing their ideas with a client.

Working as a freelance web developer will allow you to tackle various projects from different employers, both local and global. Since you get to manage your own business, you can determine your rates, work schedule, and even be selective about which clients you want to work with.

Freelance developers typically offer services such as creating software with programming languages, designing websites, managing complex data, and ensuring a website is compatible with different browsers and devices.

Steps to Become a Freelance Web Developer

A web developer must possess both technical ability and design sensibility. The former involves being able to construct a functional website, while the latter is about making a visually pleasing and user-friendly website design.

Let’s take a look at seven tips to help you start freelancing:

1. Decide the Type of Web Development to Focus On

The first step is to determine what kind of services you can offer as a freelance developer. The web development sector is classified into three areas of expertise:

Front-End Development

Front-end web developers are responsible for ensuring that visitors have a great user experience. Essentially, this type of web development means ensuring your client’s website’s look and feel are up to their preferences and expectations. Consider the website’s aesthetic factors, but also its overall user interface’s efficiency.

Combined with programming skills, front-end developers develop UI elements such as buttons and icons, choose colors, pictures, or typography. This means that you are in charge of enriching every visible and clickable aspect of a web design.

To be a front-end web developer, you need to have extensive knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Apart from mastering these three primary programming languages, you must also be familiar with relevant search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

Pro Tip

Take a look at our HTML Cheat Sheet and CSS Cheat Sheet to improve your coding skills!

Back-End Development

Focusing on the back-end of web development means that you will primarily deal with tasks that involve the creation of the site’s core, databases, APIs, and other server-side activities. In other words, backend developers handle the logical side of a website’s infrastructure that powers the front-end.

Among many other core programming languages, back-end web developers must be well-versed in PHP, MySQL, Python, and frameworks associated with your preferred language.

For example, you can choose Laravel, Phalcon, or CodeIgniter among other popular PHP frameworks to build web applications.

In addition to staying on top of technical advancements in the coding and programming field, backend developers should also develop solid soft skills such as good communication and teamwork. It is because effective communication with front-end developers is required to ensure a fully functional site.

Full-Stack Development

Full-stack development essentially combines the knowledge and skills of both front-end and back-end development. You must be equally adept at building a website’s user interface and managing its functions on the server. In other words, a full-stack developer must have the full capacity to handle everything related to web development.

2. Useful Skills for Freelance Web Developers

Aside from programming languages and technical knowledge, it is a good idea to learn other skills that can help you deliver excellent services to clients. Below are several additional skills that can further improve your credibility as a freelance web developer:

Technical Skills

As a freelance web developer, technical skills greatly reflect your competence and make you a more versatile talent. This can give you an advantage over your competitors.

• Responsive design. For web developers, understanding responsive design is a must. It’s crucial to build websites that can be viewed on both computers and mobile devices, no matter the size.
• Testing and debugging. A web developer must ensure a fully functional website and mobile app. Website testing helps check aspects such as user-friendliness, efficiency, and user satisfaction and reveals any errors that require debugging.
• Back-end knowledge. Even if you are solely focused on the front-end, it’s still essential to firmly grasp back-end development. Ensure that you know the fundamentals of servers, databases, and cybersecurity.
• Search engine optimization. When it comes to SEO, a website’s usability is equally as important as its content. Web developers are responsible for making a site mobile-friendly, implementing easy navigation, keeping page load times low, and adding a sitemap. All of these are site ranking factors.
• Micro copywriting. Some clients may hire freelance copywriters to create copy for their websites. However, micro-content is required for web pages, landing pages, or software elements. Having a solid command of grammar and compelling writing will help with the creation of reliable content.

Soft Skills

Soft skills indicate your ability to collaborate with others. As a freelance web developer, you need them to build a good relationship with clients. Soft skills further help you efficiently achieve an understanding of your clients’ needs and expectations.

• Analytical skills. A website’s functionality depends on how web developers structure its code. Having an analytical mind will help identify and fix any potential issues.
• Interpersonal skills. Since freelancers typically work alone, having strong people skills will help execute your client demands and convey your ideas clearly. Being a good listener and communicator will prevent misunderstandings from occurring.
• Excellent work ethic. A strong work ethic is one of the most sought-after qualities that clients look for in freelancers. To maintain a good reputation and the loyalty of clients, display a strong sense of reliability, discipline, and professionalism.

Business skills

Lastly, having solid business skills also adds value to your service. Just like running any business, you need to implement strategies to earn a consistent stream of income. Market your services effectively, build a solid personal brand, set the right prices, expand your network, and learn negotiation skills.

3. Gain Work Experience to Build Your Name

Before you embark on your freelance web development journey, you need to gain experience. Experience will help hone your coding skills and fill up your portfolio, leading to more clients. Moreover, it will also give you an idea of what kind of web development projects suit your skills best and how to tackle difficulties.

Taking on volunteer work is the simplest way to gain experience. For instance, you can make a simple website for local businesses or a personal website for your friends. Even though it’s all pro-bono, this way you’ll build your portfolio, spread the word about your talents, and ultimately convince future clients to hire you.

For more extensive experience, here are some other project ideas that you can work on:

• Create a new website with a CMS. Creating a website using a content management system (CMS) can be a simple project for beginners or anyone wanting to showcase their design skills. CMS platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal allow you to virtually design any website without having to write any code. Furthermore, this freelance web development project idea can be done for a minimal cost.
• Redesign or improve an existing website. Since outdated or unattractive website designs can negatively impact a customer’s experience, it means that there’s always room for improvement. Search for clients that may benefit from a website makeover. As an example for your redesign project, find a business that needs its website to become responsive on all devices.
• Create a landing page. A landing page is the first thing visitors see after clicking on a web advertisement or search result. As a freelance web developer, creating an effective landing page can help enhance your client’s business’s credibility, improve user experience, and ultimately drive more sales.
• Build a website for small businesses. All types of enterprises require platforms to demonstrate their products or services on. However, many small business owners lack the resources and expertise to build a quality website. This is where you come in. As a freelance web developer, you can help a client by creating a fantastic and easy-to-navigate website design.
• Take on projects requiring different programming languages. To thrive as a successful freelance web developer, you should master a wide range of coding skills and programming languages. Once you have extensive web development expertise, you will likely come by more work opportunities. In addition, this will allow you to work on diverse projects, which will ultimately increase your experience and boost your income.
• Contribute to open-source projects. Collaborate with fellow freelancers to work on open-source projects. Doing so can be excellent to sharpen your coding skills and network with other freelancers. Use GitHub to find relevant open-source projects that interest you.

In addition, CodePen is another platform for web developers to collaborate and share ideas. It features an online code editor for all developers to hone their skills. The platform encourages learning to code and focuses on front-end languages.

4. Set Up Your Freelancing Business

Being a freelancer means that you work independently. Thus, you’ll need a business plan to succeed.

An ideal business plan should cover all key aspects of operations and guide you in the right direction to meet your professional goals. It is essential to determine the mission of your business and set a vision to help you reach your target income, estimate any expenses, and choose projects.

Moreover, it is helpful to have a different bank account that is strictly for your freelance business. This will help facilitate the calculation of taxes, revenue, and expenses.

5. Take Care of the Legal Obligations

Depending on where you reside, there may be certain legal requirements or regulations surrounding freelance workers. Since freelancers are not considered regular employees or business owners, you may need to register your activities with the government.

Ask local law firms what you need to do if you are unsure whether registration is necessary. Alternatively, you can hire an accountant to guide you through all the local laws and specific guidelines on freelance work. They can help calculate your annual taxes and manage expenses and deductions.

Furthermore, remember to consider how you’ll protect your freelance business. It will be a lot simpler if you work with clients using a third-party platform that manages projects and payments for you.

If you prefer to work directly with your clients, ensure that you have an official agreement in place that describes how much money they owe you for the work done.

Insurance is another important legal obligation you’ll have to take care of as a freelance web developer. If you get sued by a client, having insurance may protect you against potential financial losses.

Check out the different types of freelance insurance available. Typically, liability insurance protects freelancers against claims made by clients regarding poor performance or breaches of contract.

6. Build a Portfolio Website

A portfolio website is a great platform to showcase your past work and build your personal brand. It is a personal project that allows you the creative freedom to experiment.

If you design your portfolio thoughtfully and creatively, visitors will be able to see a reflection of your web development skills. Furthermore, a combination of stunning visuals and engaging content will help convince potential clients to use your services.

On your portfolio website, include projects that you have worked on. Along with testimonials, this will establish a trustworthy first impression. In addition, be sure to talk about your education, skill set, and experience as a way to let people see your personality.

Since the whole point of your portfolio is attracting new clients, ensure that you are reachable. Put your availability schedules, email address, social media profiles, and contact form in visible spots on your website.

Here’s what you’ll need to build a web developer portfolio website:

• Website-building platform. A website builder, a CMS, or a portfolio maker offers a simple solution to create a portfolio website from scratch. If you are looking for a platform that allows greater customization and content management flexibility, we recommend a CMS like WordPress.
• Domain name. Your domain name is what people type into the address bar on their browsers. When picking a domain name for your portfolio website, strive for uniqueness and professionalism. Furthermore, be sure to check its availability using a domain name checker.

Domain Name Checker

Instantly check domain name availability.

• Web hosting. You’ll need a web hosting account to store your portfolio website and make it available to the public. Since a web developer’s portfolio website typically contains many media files, choose a plan that provides sufficient storage.

Here at Hostinger, we offer multiple hosting solutions. Our Premium and Business shared hosting plans include free domain registration, email accounts, and SSL certificates. Starting at $1.99/month, it’s an ideal fit for hosting your freelance web developer portfolio website.

Once you pick a platform, set up a domain name and web hosting, it’s time to build your portfolio. Keep your website design simple and adhere to best practices when creating it. Remember to include elements that convey your personality, desired projects, and capabilities as a freelance web developer.

To inspire you, let’s take a look at the following expert web developer portfolio websites.

Adham Dannaway

Adham’s homepage features an eye-catching graphic that demonstrates his coding and design skills. This portfolio exemplifies elegant design and meticulous attention to detail. Moreover, there’s also a section where he presents case studies of his past projects. It is a fascinating way to guide visitors through the journey of his web design career.

From The Mountain

Ray van den Berg is the man behind From The Mountain. He develops web and mobile apps. His homepage displays what he does with an illustration of a freelance developer sitting in front of a laptop. The website’s navigation is simple and allows users to contact him or view his services without having to scroll down.

Ruben Kuipers

When you visit Ruben’s website, you immediately know what he looks like and what he does. This gives a sense of familiarity and trust to any prospective clients. Furthermore, it is a great example of a one-page portfolio web design that is free of clutter.

Matthew Williams

With a black background, Matthew’s homepage looks attractive and clean. On the landing page, you will see his brief self-introduction as a web developer. As you scroll down, the page loads different sections that contain information such as his skills, blogs, portfolio, and contact information.

Brittany Chiang

Brittany is another professional web developer that uses a one-page portfolio website. She employs a dark color scheme and simplicity in her website design. The sticky header helps users navigate her site easily.

Gift Egwuenu

Gift’s portfolio web design uses only a few animations and colors, which makes it look simple yet elegant. Furthermore, the ability to toggle between light and dark themes makes her portfolio website stand out. Click on the tiny moon icon at the upper right corner of her site to do so.

7. Market Your Services

After completing the previous steps, it’s time to market your services. Marketing can be challenging as you will need to put yourself out there by actively networking with other people and business owners.

Hence, along with creating a functional and stunning portfolio website, it is essential to promote your services in an effective way.

Being a freelance web developer provides you with a plethora of marketing channels. Instead of trying to market everywhere at once, try to focus on one marketing channel before implementing other marketing methods.

Below are some of the most popular mediums to market your services.

• Referrals. Attracting more customers through word-of-mouth or referral marketing is still an excellent approach to market your business. You’ll establish authority when you receive new projects from people that know you through existing clients or acquaintances in the industry. Be professional when asking your clients for referrals.
• Content marketing. Creating niche-specific content is an excellent method to establish your expertise and generate leads. Write blog posts or publish video content as part of your content marketing strategy. Ultimately, adopting the right practices can result in more lucrative contracts.
• Website. Your website should employ the best SEO techniques to perform better on search engine results pages. A higher rank increases the likelihood of more users clicking, driving more organic traffic to your website and boosting your online visibility.
• Social media. Attract more clients by spreading the word about your services on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. In addition, you can create a YouTube channel to share anything related to your job as a freelance web developer.
• Offline events. Attending events such as conventions, seminars, or webinars where you can meet potential clients is an effective way of getting noticed. It allows you to introduce yourself to other professional web developers, which can open doors to opportunities. Furthermore, it can also expand your knowledge and skills.
• Community or forums. An online community or forum can be another medium to market your services with. Get involved in a platform where you can engage in discussions with other freelance professionals. Go on LinkedIn, Quora, or Reddit to answer questions related to web development topics. Doing so will provide you with networking opportunities with both fellow freelancers and prospective clients.

Stack Overflow is another excellent forum for web developers to share their knowledge and learn from others. Developers of varying skill levels will ask and answer any questions you have regarding web development.