How to Start Making Money Building Websites (2026)

Trying to make the most of start making money building? You are in the right place. Below we break it down in plain English, with practical tips you can actually use.

Key Takeaways

• Share This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, advisory, or brokerage services.
• We may earn compensation from some links on this page.
• The process of building a website is much different today than it was just a few years ago.

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This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, advisory, or brokerage services. We may earn compensation from some links on this page. Learn more.

The process of building a website is much different today than it was just a few years ago. Thanks to platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and others, creating custom websites no longer requires advanced coding skills. 

Perhaps you’ve created a website or blog for yourself using one of these platforms and you’ve wondered if it’s a service you could offer to businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations. The answer is yes; it’s possible and realistic to make money building websites without being a professional developer or coder.

Even though anyone can create their own website, numerous business owners have no idea where to start and would rather hire someone to handle the work for them. That’s where you come in.

Building websites is something you can do as a side hustle or a full-time career, and in either case it’s one of the best ways to make money from home.

Here’s how to get started.

Table of Contents

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• What You Need Before You Start
• Top Five Web Design Niches for Beginners
  • #1. Lead Generation Sites
    • Platforms for Creating Landing Pages
    • Lead Pages are Ideal for Targeting Local Businesses
  • #2. Turnkey Sites Based on Squarespace and Wix
    • Pricing Your Sites
  • #3. Customized WordPress Sites
    • Elegant Themes
    • Thrive Theme Builder
    • Elementor
    • YellowPencil
    • ThemeForest
  • #4. E-Commerce Sites for Shopify
  • #5. Ad Hoc Design Work
• Tips For New Website Designers
  • Tip #1: Choose a Niche
  • Tip #2: Productize Your Services 
  • Tip #3: Determine How Much Ongoing Support Is Included
• Where to Find Resources
  • Improve Your Design Skills 
  • Find Clients
  • Get Templates
  • Get Photos, Videos and Other Assets
• Final Thoughts

What You Need Before You Start

If you’re interested in making money by building websites for clients, here are the basics that you’ll need:

• Solid HTML and CSS skills. While you can build websites without coding, it’s helpful to understand the basics of HTML and CSS so you can make customizations as needed. You don’t need advanced skills, but you should be comfortable with the basics so you can do things like customize colors, adjust margins and padding and change font sizes.
• A portfolio. In order to sell your services, you’ll need a portfolio website to display your best work. It doesn’t need to be anything complicated; your portfolio site should showcase a few work samples, provide details about the services you offer and make it simple for potential clients to get in touch with you.
• Familiarity with one or more website building platforms. There are numerous different platforms and page builder programs/plugins you can use (we’ll cover several throughout this article). It’s best to find one, get to know it well, and use it for all of your client projects. As you gain more experience, you may want to expand beyond a single platform, but you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. Knowing a platform well will allow you to create sites quickly and to do an amazing job for your clients.
• The ability to create and modify basic graphics. Graphics and images are a big part of web design, so you’ll need to be able to create high-quality graphics to use on client sites. You don’t have to be a world-class designer, but you should be comfortable creating or modifying images in Canva, Photoshop or another similar program.
• A way to find clients. To make money, you’ll need to be able to land clients. We’ll cover some specific ideas later in this article, and you can also read our article on how to start freelancing to get more ideas related to generating leads and converting those leads into paying clients.

Contrary to what you might be thinking, here’s what you don’t need:

• Expert-level coding skills. You don’t need to be able to create custom websites from scratch. The platform you’re using will take care of the majority of the coding, and you’ll only need to tweak or customize the code occasionally. 
• Proficiency with Adobe Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver used to be an industry standard, but modern platforms like Wix and Squarespace replace the need for this software.
• Extensive graphic design skills. Most of your client projects will involve working from a template or using a drag-and-drop builder. You’ll need basic graphic design skills to create a good-looking site, but you don’t need to be a professional graphic designer.

Website building platforms and templates have progressed to the point that they’re the most practical option for numerous

Final Thoughts

Before you check out, double-check start making money building against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.

Originally published at thewaystowealth.com.