How-To Guide · November 1, 2026
How to Get Your First Web Design Client (With No Portfolio)
How to land your first web design client with no portfolio: build demo sites for real local businesses, use your warm network, pitch a specific problem, and price a small starter project.
TL;DR
- To get your first web design client with no portfolio, build 2 or 3 demo sites for real local businesses, then show each owner the version you made for them along with one specific problem on their current site.
- Start with people you already know: friends, family, and local owners you're a customer of. A warm intro beats a cold pitch.
- Lead with the problem ("your site doesn't work on a phone"), not "I build websites."
- Don't work fully free. Offer a small, clearly scoped first project at a fair starter price, and ask for a testimonial in return.
- Do the first job really well and ask for referrals. Your second client usually comes from your first.
Every Reddit thread on this asks the same thing: how do you get hired when nobody has hired you yet? The answer is that local business owners care less about your portfolio than about whether you understand their business. You can show that before anyone pays you.
How to get your first web design client, step by step
1. Make your own proof with demo sites
Build 2 or 3 sites for real local businesses that have no website or a weak one. Use their real name, services, and photos, make it mobile-first, and put a clear call or booking button at the top. These become your portfolio, and each one can also be a pitch. Locasly's AI website generator can draft a mockup for a prospect in minutes. For the full process, see how to make a website mockup to pitch a local business.
2. Pick businesses that clearly need you
The easiest first clients have good Google reviews but no website, a broken one, or a site that falls apart on a phone. A busy business with a bad site already has customers and is losing some of them. In Locasly you can filter Google Maps results by No Website or Website Down and see each site's 0 to 100 score, so you're not checking businesses one by one.
3. Start with your warm network
Before cold outreach, tell everyone you know that you build websites for local businesses: family, friends, former coworkers, your barber, the restaurant you go to. Reddit commenters keep repeating this one, because a friend's referral skips the "who else have you done this for?" question.
4. Pitch the problem, not the service
"I build websites" gets ignored. "I noticed your site doesn't load on a phone, so I made a quick version that does" gets a look. Walk in during a slow hour, call, or email with one specific problem and the demo on your phone. If you call, our guide to cold calling local businesses has scripts.
5. Price the first job low, but not free
Fully free work tends to attract owners who never pay for anything. A better middle ground is a small, clearly scoped starter project, such as a one-page site at a discounted price, with a testimonial as part of the deal. Put the scope in writing so "just one more change" doesn't take over your month.
6. Overdeliver, then ask for referrals and a review
Launch on time, show them how to update their hours, and check in after a couple of weeks. Then ask for a short testimonial and whether they know one or two other owners who need a site. Local owners talk to each other.
What Reddit users reported
- One r/web_design user said their first client paid $1,200 ($400 upfront and $800 at launch), that they've made around $3,500 in total helping that client since, and that the client referred them to a $2,000 project (thread).
- Another commenter in the same thread said most first clients come through referrals and that their first client paid around $400 (thread).
- An r/smallbusiness user said they got their first five clients from friendly LinkedIn messages to small business owners, not scripted cold pitches (thread).
These are individual reports, not typical results.
FAQ
How do I get web design clients with no experience?
Build demo sites for real or made-up local businesses so you have something to show, then start with people you know. Owners judge the work in front of them, not your résumé.
Should I build a website for free to get my first client?
A free demo to pitch with is fine. A fully free finished project is risky. A small paid starter project plus a testimonial usually works better for both sides.
How much should I charge my first web design client?
Reddit users report first projects from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000. Charge a starter price for a clearly limited scope and raise it once you have a couple of live sites. See how much to charge for a small business website.
What do I say when an owner asks who else I've worked with?
Be honest that you're starting out, then show the demo you built for their business. Seeing their own site already improved is usually more convincing than someone else's case study.
Steps at a glance
- Make demo sites
Build 2 or 3 demo sites for real local businesses with no website or a weak one.
- Pick businesses that need you
Target well-reviewed businesses with no site, a broken site, or a bad mobile site.
- Start with your warm network
Tell friends, family, and local owners you know that you build websites.
- Pitch the problem
Lead with one specific problem on their site and show the demo you made.
- Price the first job low but not free
Offer a small, clearly scoped starter project and ask for a testimonial.
- Overdeliver and ask for referrals
Launch on time, follow up, then ask for a testimonial and referrals.