YOU WILL NOT BUILD A WEBSITE FOR A CLIENT UNLESS YOU LEARN THIS
Introduction
Landing your first web development client will take a lot of patience, persistence, and effort. In many cases, it will leave you questioning if web development is really for you. But once you get that first client, the process becomes a lot clearer.
My Initial Findings
If you Google “how to get web development clients,” you’ll find a lot of advice—ranging from freelancing platforms to social media strategies and more.
When I started, the steps I found online looked great. They included:
Build a website to ensure you understand everything you’ve learned.
Build a website for a business for free.
Build a portfolio to showcase your work, so referrals from those projects will bring in clients.
Building a Website for Free
This particular step needs caution. People often say never to work for free. From my experience, this advice is true—but only to an extent.
As a beginner, building one or two websites for free can be useful. But here’s the truth from my own journey: working for free didn’t bring me referrals, it gave me projects to showcase.
For example, I built a website for my friend’s shawarma spot, hoping it would bring referrals. Instead, I started attracting “window shoppers”—people who only asked questions but never committed to a project.
Later, I saw a friend land a client from Nairaland. Inspired, I posted my skills there too, and began getting more serious inquiries. Still, most of these people didn’t hire me right away. Why? Because clients want to see proof of your work. They ask about projects you’ve done, your tech stack, and often request your portfolio site.
That’s when I realized the true value of the free website: it wasn’t about referrals; it was about having something concrete to present to potential clients and employers.
How to Charge Properly
This is one of the biggest questions for beginners. My honest advice: don’t focus on money at the start.
When I was starting out, people told me stories about how much developers earn, and I wanted to “cash out” quickly. That mindset cost me a serious client.
Look at Oraimo. They started with affordable, quality products, slowly built their brand, and only later raised prices. You can apply the same principle.
For beginners, I recommend charging around ₦60,000–₦100,000 for websites. My first project was ₦70,000. But remember—pricing depends on the client. Don’t go and charge ₦70,000 for a foreign company project. You’ll only shortchange yourself.
My Advice for Beginners
Getting your first client is not easy. I’ll be real with you: there was a point I almost quit web development because I couldn’t find a single client.
But here’s what I learned:
Keep improving your skills.
Stay patient and persistent.
Don’t compare yourself negatively to others. If someone else is landing many clients, celebrate them. When your time comes, they’ll celebrate you too.
Conclusion
If you’re struggling to land that first client, know this: it’s part of the journey. Stay consistent, stay positive, and keep going.
"Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit." — Conrad Hilton
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