Top 7 courses to become a professional web designer
Want to start your own web design business but aren’t sure where to start? You’ll need to learn web design skills, coding and how to market & run an online business.
Here are a few courses I took when I started my web design business and highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about the art and craft of website design & development.
So if you’re keen to deepen your knowledge about creating strategic, beautiful websites for your own business or to become a Web Designer yourself this blog post is for you!
Born from the outstanding YouTube channel of Web Designer Ran Segall, Flux Academy has a few robust, high-quality programs that dive into the strategies, techniques and practices required to become a professional designer. Ran is a big fan of the WebFlow platform, so there is a heavy emphasis on that but the trainings on website design, user experience and branding apply easily to all platforms.
This was one of the first courses I ever took for my business and was a fantastic foundation that gave me clear systems and framework for my client work.
Paige Brunton is one of my absolute favorite leaders in the Squarespace world and the combination of her Squarespace course Square Secrets and her web designer course Square Secrets Business were fantastic foundations for starting my business. Both courses pair simple, clear teaching with actionable “homework” and examples that make implementing really easy.
A highlight from these courses is Paige’s interviews with experts in her Square Secrets Business who dive into the different marketing methods they’ve used to find clients and grow their businesses. Seeing a range of approaches, all taught by established business owners, really opened my eyes to all of the different options out there for finding and connecting with clients on the internet.
Taught by one of my first and favorite mentors Danbee Shin, Fast Track is just as it says - a fast track system to booking AND working with your first few web design clients. Danbee shares her whole system for running her own web design business along with super handy templates and examples that make setting up your systems and processes a breeze!
While this is technically not a web design course, brand design is so integral to our work I think it deserves to be included. Bonnie Bakhtiari is a heart-first designer and an absolute joy to learn from. With examples, templates and trainings designed to not only show you how to walk clients through the brand design process but also help you define your own brand in the process. I hadn’t realized when I joined this course how impactful that last part would be for my business! So be warned, you’ll likely come out of this with a whole new perspective on branding - including your own 😉
Quick note: Bonnie has a few payment plan options I wanted to make sure you were able to access -
Shannon Mattern did a good job calling this program an Academy because, boy, do you go through a transformation during the 12 months under her caring gaze. Not only is there an absolutely fantastic foundation of trainings that guide you through everything you need to grow and build a successful web design business, from packages & pricing to mindset and tricky client situations but there’s so much hands-on support, feedback and accountability you can’t help but make progress in this environment. And that’s not even mentioning the tight-knit community of fellow Web Designers!
This is truly a life & business-changing program that can do as much for you on day 1 of your business as day 100 (or 1000), and I can’t say enough about the ecosystem here. If you’re looking to uplevel your business and grow, you won’t want to miss out on this one!
Curious to push the limits of what you can design in Squarespace? This is THE course for you! Rache from Squarestylist has poured an absolute ton of information, resources and training into this mammoth of a course that goes so much deeper than just learning to code for Squarespace (but if you want to learn that, this is also the place to do it!).
The icing on this outstanding cake, is the training on creating custom coded templates to sell as part of your own business. This was a game changer for my business and I can’t recommend this course highly enough for anyone serious about becoming a Squarespace web designer.
Last, but certainly not least, is this fantastic course from Kate Scott all about launching your Squarespace template shop. Kate’s successfully transitioned from client work to templates in her own business and she shares step-by-step exactly what to consider & create to launch your own Squarespace template. More than just design tips, Kate goes deep into the practical considerations of running a template business and how to set up your template offer for success, not just for you but for your template client as well.
All of these courses are FANTASTIC resources that can help you start, grow or scale your Web Design business. The key is identifying exactly what it is YOU want to learn and implement and then diving into a course with full force while implementing along the way.
Not sure which course is the right fit for you? Reach out on Facebook, I’m always happy to chat and share my honest advice on which course would be the best fit for you and your goals 🥰
