I know a web design company with about 250 to 300 client websites under their belt that charges:

$10,000 to $20,000 per website,
$2,500 for a second mini-site (nice add-on service),
$700 / year for hosting per website (a very nice premium), PLUS
$500 per month per website to have a website in their network.

The $500 monthly fee alone from 200 client sites is $100,000 per month.

One the face of it, this company is a web design company, and they do design websites. However, the value they offer, which explains why they charge thousands of dollars more than many other web designers, is they offer phenomenal SEO built into their web design model. They leverage their work resulting in extraordinary value which provides them extraordinary profits.

But, this kind of money didn’t happen over night. This web design business built up their model over 10 years. This article tells you about their model.

In order for this business plan to work, you must be patient and be in it for the long run. It’s the long run that can generate hyper profits because you’ll be leveraging your past efforts to the benefit of all your past and future clients.

Hyper Profitable Web Design Business Plan in a Nutshell

By now you must know ranking in the search engines requires quality links to a website. This web design business plan is about building up a business where you can improve your clients’ SEO while building them websites.

It works like this. You focus on building websites in one or two related industries which primarily comprise locally-based businesses. They must be related.

For example, you can choose to build websites for chiropractors or plumbers or restaurants. You’ll be focussing on an industry rather than trying to build websites for all types of businesses in your local area. In fact, the approach I’m discussing works best by building websites for companies located all over the world.

Once you choose your industry, then as you build your clients’ sites, you’ll link them together. You can link all of them together or be more strategic so that each site is not doing any reciprocal linking with another site in your portfolio. I believe avoiding reciprocal linking is best.

Because your portfolio of client websites are related, then it makes sense to link them together. All your clients will help each other in the search engines. Since you’re targeting businesses with a local customer base, they aren’t competing and so no conflict arises.

As you portfolio increases and your client websites gain higher PR, your network will become more powerful AND more valuable. Once your network is actually getting your clients great SEO results, you can start charging monthly premiums to remain in the network. You can also charge far more to build the website in the first place and for hosting. Essentially, you’re leveraging your model to earn hyper profits.

The Blueprint

STEP 1: Choose 1 – 3 RELATED Industries to Serve

Pick one, two or three related industries. You must focus in one to three related industries for this model to work. You can expand later, but when starting out, this model only works when you focus.

There is only 1 criterion when choosing an industry:

You must choose an industry for whom your clients compete in a local area. This will work best when starting out, minimizes the potential for a conflict of interest, and expands your customer base worldwide.

Examples of suitable industries include plumbing, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, restaurants (you can even narrow it down to pizza parlours, for example) and so on. Essentially, choose an industry where your clients are small, locally-based businesses.

An added benefit is you appear to be an expert web designer for specific business websites.

STEP 2: Building Websites Fast

I’m going to assume you know how to build websites and do graphic design. In order to make money quickly, get your hands on some web templates. Whatever type of website you build is up to you. I recommend having some mechanism where it’s easy for your clients to add content. A great platform is building the basic site with HTML templates and then add a WordPress blog. Your clients can add tons of content in the WordPress blog. Of course you can build the entire website with WordPress or Joomla. I list out many great WordPress theme providers here and Joomla template providers here.

If you want a great WordPress “build-from-scratch” theme, check out Builder by iThemes, Headway Theme, or DIY Thesis. If you like using a parent and child theme framework, I recommend the Genesis Framework by StudioPress.

If you go with HTML templates, add a blogging platform so your clients can easily add content.

You get access to approximately 4,500 HTML templates with a HostGator hosting account (I use HostGator – they are a good service).

Get 25% OFF HostGator with Coupon Code: 25OFFHOSTGATORB2WEB

You’ll have loads of HTML templates to choose from. This will speed up your design significantly. Of course, if your client wants a custom site, then build a custom site. The key is building up a portfolio. I also recommend HostGator as the web host for your client websites because you can host your client sites on servers with different IP addresses (explained below).

Is using templates acceptable?

You bet and many web designers do so. When you find a template close or exactly fitting your client’s wishes, then your design time is cut down significantly. If a client specifies a custom site, then you may need to charge more money.

STEP 3: Price Your Services Very Low in the Beginning

I can’t overstate this (unless you already have overwhelming demand). The key is building up a network of websites and in order to get many clients fast, you’ll need to price their websites low.

Many web designers go wrong in pricing too high. The fact is web design is becoming a commodity. There are so many ways to get a quality website. Focus on building your network. It’s the network of sites you build that will deliver hyper-profits. The network is the value-add, not the website (so much).

You will not make much money in the beginning. When I say price low, I’m talking $200 to $300 for a 5 page website. You’ll sell a hosting account through HostGator (or wherever you choose to host your client sites) so you get the affiliate commission. Set up the hosting and maintain access. This way you’ll have access to your entire network. Besides clients don’t want to deal with hosting.

STEP 4: Hosting Your Client Websites

You will want to open a new hosting account for every client. Moreover, you need to request that each account be on a server with a separate IP address. HostGator can do this for you. HostGator is also very cheap (as low as $4.95 per month) which cost you can pass on to your client.

Here’s where you can make a few more dollars. Become an affiliate for whatever hosting company or companies you use.

Why different hosting accounts when you can have an unlimited number of websites on a single account?

Because your links among the network are likely more effective when on different IP addresses.

You might consider getting a dedicated server with multiple IP addresses and/or use a variety of hosting companies. Another hosting company I recommend is Bluehost (I also have a Bluehost account).

STEP 5: Build a Portfolio of Spec Websites If You Have No Clients

If you don’t have clients, build some websites anyway. Use generic keyworded domains such as Chicagoplumber.com. Target larger cities (because you’ll have a better chance of selling that website). Build beautiful websites and add content. Launch them and use them as portfolio sites. You may even be able to sell them on spec. If not, you have a portfolio and are adding websites to your network.

STEP 6: Get Clients

Hustle and get clients. Price your websites so low that people and businesses can’t refuse. Offer some free sites to begin (charge for hosting so at least you’re not out of pocket). The key is building up your network. You might have to do this on the side of a “bread and butter” job until your network is large.

STEP 7: Building Your Link Network

Be sure that a condition of you services is that you have access to all your clients’ sites and that they participate in the linking network. Explain the benefit to them. Besides your clients will likely welcome you to take care of the hosting for them.

About linking. I would create a resources page on each clients’ website and link among the sites in a non-reciprocal fashion. Be sure to add different descriptions and different anchor text among the links. Another approach is writing unique articles which link out to the sites in your network. This is much more work, but you have fewer links on any given URL.

By non-reciprocal links, I mean not having all the sites linking to each other. Instead, plan the linking so that no two sites are linking to each other. Here’s an example (sites represented by a letter):

A -> B, C

B -> D, E

C -> F, G

D -> A, C

Also, ensure any two sites you link together, that they have different server IP addresses.

STEP 8: Get Your Clients to Add Content and Build Backlinks

Constantly remind your clients to add QUALITY content. The stronger and bigger the sites in your network, the more effective the links among your sites in the network will be.

Get hooked up with a great article writer or writers and offer low article writing pricing options to your clients.

Also educate your clients about the importance of backlinking. They’ll need a variety of backlinks. One easy way is to publish articles on article directories. This will vary the links to your client websites. Of course, you can do this for them as an SEO service. One simple way to build great links for you and your clients is doing blog commenting. I set out 8 Ways to Find DoFollow Blogs for Commenting here. I also use this dofollow blog location service for my sites (it’s proved quite successful as my review shows). I set out many other linkbuilding techniques in this linkbuilding series.

STEP 9: Hyper-Profits

Once your network is 50 or 100 sites strong, then start charging new clients a premium. You’ll have to decide when to do this. It could be before you have 50 clients. It all depends on how your other clients are doing with the aid of your network.

Get screenshots of clients achieving high rankings in your network on Google and Bing. Be sure to blank out the names of the website (and get your client’s written permission to do this). What you’re really selling now is SEO – which is automatic when a new client’s site is built by you.

Explain your network and its benefits to prospective clients. Charge thousands for the website, then charge a premium hosting cost, and an additional monthly fee simply to have the website in the network. The stronger your network and the better SEO results your existing client base gets, the more you can charge. You may have to increase prices incrementally in order to have enough work. Constantly build up your network and the value of your services will continue to increase.

Do not increase your prices to your original clients too much (or at all). You must maintain a base network of quality sites in order for you to charge premium profits. If you suddenly send out invoices for $500 per month your first clients, they may leave your network. Those first sites will hopefully be large, have high PageRank, and rank well in the search engines. Those early sites are the foundation of your business.

Be Patient

As you can see, this process will take a long time. It will also taking planning and turning down work. In my view you are better off turning down work from businesses outside of your industry and spend that time building portfolio spec sites.

Looking Ahead

Once you build a hyper-profitable web design business, there’s no end to the add-on services you can offer clients. I’m talking about Google Places optimization, social bookmarking, article writing, video production, back linking, etc. You can outsource all of these activities and charge a premium. Just be sure to use quality service providers.

Warning

I would avoid explaining your model on your website. Instead, explain it via email or on the telephone with prospective clients. You don’t want to disclose your secrets. On the face of it remain just a “web designer” when you’re really offering SEO and web design business.

The fact is marketing on the Internet is critically important. More and more businesses are coming to realize this. If you can deliver hyper-results, then you can build a hyper-profitable web design. I hope this web design business plan gives you some ideas for getting started.

Note, you can vary the concept. It’s the idea of leveraging your existing work to the extraordinary value you deliver to all your clients.

Disclaimer: results may vary. This article is intended to be informative only and does not guarantee results.

My other web design business articles:

Top WordPress Theme Reviews
Genesis Theme Review	ElegantThemes Review
Builder Theme Review	Catalyst Theme Review
Artisteer Review	Premise Review (Landing Pages)
StudioPress Review	Optimize Press Review (Landing Pages)
Profits Theme Review (Landing Pages)	Generate Theme Review (Blogging Theme)
Headway Themes Review
Top Online Website Builder Reviews
Homestead Review	Yola Review
Webs Review	Weebly Review
Wix Review (Flash) Wix HTML 5 Review	Jigsy Review
Site Build It Review
Web Hosting Service Reviews
HostGator Review	Bluehost Review
HostGator Coupons

Hyper-Profitable Web Design Business Plan – 9 Steps