Course library
3 courses, 35 lessons. All free and open, no account needed.
Build WebsitesPlan, build, test, launch and hand off a real small business website with an AI coding assistant, without shipping the same generic site to everyone.10 lessons · 9.5 hours · BeginnerGet ClientsA practical sales path for web designers: pick a niche, find businesses with real website problems or no website at all, write honest outreach, show a free draft on a video call and close with a clear price.13 lessons · 9.5 hours · BeginnerRun & Grow Your AgencyRun a lean web design agency with clear pricing, safe hosting, honest maintenance scope, written processes and numbers you actually watch.12 lessons · 11 hours · Intermediate
35 lessons
Build Websites
- 1Define the goal before the designWrite down the business goal, the service area, the ideal customer and the one action the site must get visitors to take, then design every page around that action.WorksheetBeginner 35 min
- 2Plan the sitemap and contentList the pages the goal needs, gather real content and assets from the client, sketch mobile layouts first and give every page one clear call to action.WorksheetBeginner 50 min
- 3Build with an AI coding assistantGive the assistant a project instructions file and the brief, ask for one component at a time, review every change and commit working states to git.WalkthroughBeginner 65 min
- 4What AI coding really costs per siteCompare subscription plans with usage metered builders on their current terms, track how much of your limits one site uses, and work out a cost per site before you price.WorksheetBeginner 35 min
- 5Reusable components, not clonesKeep a kit of tested components driven by design tokens and content, then make each site specific to the client through its brief, photos, copy and layout choices.Step by step guideIntermediate 66 min
- 6Forms, editing, legal pages and analyticsRoute form submissions to an inbox the client checks, pick the simplest editing option they will actually use, cover accessibility basics, add legal pages they have approved and load analytics only with consent where required.ChecklistIntermediate 51 min
- 7Test before the client sees itRun a fixed QA pass on phones and desktops covering navigation, metadata, speed, forms and basic security, fix what fails, then send the review link.ChecklistBeginner 51 min
- 8Publish with a domain, DNS and HTTPSDeploy from a git repository, use preview deploys for review, point the domain with the right DNS records, confirm HTTPS, and keep a rollback and backups ready.WalkthroughIntermediate 51 min
- 9From an empty folder to a live demoFollow one complete build for a fictional business: brief, project file, git init, prompts, checks, deploy and a shareable demo link.Product demoIntermediate 126 min
- 10Hand off the site and set support boundariesDeliver access, a short guide and a written support scope, agree how change requests arrive and get priced, and confirm who owns what.ChecklistBeginner 36 min
Get Clients
- 1Choose a niche and an offerPick one type of local business you can reach and understand, then write a one sentence offer that names who it is for, the result it aims at and what is included.WorksheetBeginner 35 min
- 2Outreach channels comparedFacebook messages, warm business contacts, cold calls, referrals and targeted email each trade effort, scale and reply quality differently, so pick one or two you can run every week.Step by step guideBeginner 25 min
- 3Qualify and research prospectsCheck that a business is real, active and able to pay, then write down two or three specific, verifiable website problems before you make any claim.WorksheetBeginner 45 min
- 4Write outreach emails that get repliesWrite a short, plain email that names one real problem you saw, the likely benefit of fixing it and one easy next step, and follow the email rules where you send.Step by step guideBeginner 36 min
- 5Win businesses that have no websiteFind active businesses with no site, learn why they never got one, reach the owner on the channel they already use and sell a small first website with care included.Step by step guideBeginner 46 min
- 6Use a free draft as a conversation starterA small free preliminary draft can earn a meeting, as long as it is scoped, quick and clearly a starting point rather than finished work.Step by step guideIntermediate 50 min
- 7Book the video meetingAnswer fast, offer two specific times for a short video call and keep the draft for the call, so you can present it live instead of emailing it.Role playBeginner 25 min
- 8Run the sales meetingOpen with an agenda, ask discovery questions, share your screen to walk through the draft, ask for reactions and finish with one agreed next step.WalkthroughIntermediate 45 min
- 9Price your websitesPrice from scope, your costs, your capacity and your market, and consider a one time setup fee plus a yearly maintenance agreement, without promising results.Step by step guideIntermediate 36 min
- 10Handle objections and closeTreat objections as questions, answer them plainly, check you are talking to the decision maker and close on a simple written agreement with a clear next step.Role playIntermediate 41 min
- 11Follow up, keep a CRM and ask for referralsKeep every lead in one simple pipeline with a next action and a date, follow up politely a few times, and ask happy clients for introductions.ChecklistBeginner 36 min
- 12Find clients with Swokei (optional)Swokei finds local businesses by city and industry, analyzes their websites when you run the analysis, writes a personalized email from what it found and sends from your mailbox, while you handle replies, meetings and the work.Product demoBeginner 36 min
- 13Client acquisition exerciseRun the full loop once on real businesses: discover, qualify, message, reply, book, present a draft, propose a price and close or follow up.WorksheetIntermediate 126 min
Run & Grow Your Agency
- 1Roles in a lean agencyList every job the agency does, group the jobs into a few roles, give each role one owner and a weekly time budget, and make sure both partners can build and sell.WorksheetBeginner 35 min
- 2Setup fees and recurring careCharge a setup fee that covers the build with a profit, and a separate recurring care fee for a defined scope, then check both against your real hours, costs and capacity.WorksheetIntermediate 45 min
- 3Hosting fundamentals for agenciesThe client owns the domain, DNS points names at services, the host serves the site, email hosting is a separate service, and your contract says who is responsible for each piece.Step by step guideBeginner 36 min
- 4Low cost hosting optionsStatic hosts with a free tier, inexpensive shared hosting and small managed plans can all work, as long as you check current terms, watch usage, and keep each client isolated.WorksheetIntermediate 40 min
- 5Deploy, break and recover a siteDeploy a sample site from a repository, connect a test domain, turn on HTTPS, set up error alerts and backups, then deliberately break it and roll back so recovery is a habit.Product demoIntermediate 95 min
- 6Managing many client sitesGive every client separate projects and accounts, keep credentials in a password manager with shared vaults, back up on a schedule, and track every renewal date in one place.ChecklistIntermediate 50 min
- 7Scoping a maintenance planWrite down exactly what yearly care includes (technical management, agreed updates, security, support), how much of each, how fast you respond, and what costs extra.WorksheetIntermediate 45 min
- 8Explaining recurring care to clientsShow the setup fee and yearly care as simple, honest math over a few years, and frame care as the owner getting to focus on their trade while you handle the site.Role playIntermediate 36 min
- 9Standard operating proceduresWrite short, checkable procedures for intake, demo, proposal, revisions, approvals, launch, support, cancellations and ownership, and improve them every time something goes wrong.WorksheetIntermediate 65 min
- 10Numbers worth watchingTrack a short list: outreach to reply to meeting to close, margin per project, care plan retention, and hours of capacity, and remember that revenue is not profit.WorksheetIntermediate 45 min
- 11Automating admin safelyAutomate reminders, intake forms, renewal notices and uptime alerts, but keep a human approving anything that charges money, promises work, or talks to an upset client.Step by step guideIntermediate 50 min
- 12Capstone: your one page agency planPull everything from this track into one page: who you serve, how you find them, what you sell, how you deliver and maintain it, your numbers, and your next ninety days.WorksheetAdvanced 96 min