405 - Making your Website a 24/7 Sales Engine with Conversion Expert Greg Merrilees

As a web designer, you’ve probably considered looking into additional revenue streams, but have you ever considered sponsorships?If not, you’ll want to hear this conversation I had with sponsorship coach and author of the new book “Sponsor Magnet” Justin Moore.While this is mostly a chance for him to coach me live on my sponsorship strategies, it applies to web designers even with small client-based audiences and followings.There is so much opportunity for sponsorships at all levels with brands, local businesses and even referral partners that you might not be thinking about as a web designer. So, instead of just sitting on gold…let’s dig some up in the form of sponsorships with Justin!Side note: as a web designer, I must say, chef’s kiss to the sponsormagnet.com site! Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/409

👉 Read the newsletter issue that this episode is based on.Other links mentioned:Sign up for my free Web Design Business NewsletterRead the latest 12 newsletter issuesWDPCON 2025 Recap Post Join my community Web Designer Pro® 

Jay Clouse is best known for two things:Being the founder of Creator Science, and being one of the most prominent thought-leaders in the content creator spaceBeing the first 4x guest on the Web Design Business PodcastJay and I connected early in his journey into the world of courses, coaching, podcasting, memberships and content creation and over the last 5 years, I’ve seen him excel in all areas.So much so, that I’m a paying member of his community “The Lab” where I keep tabs on all things socials, content creation, podcasting, memberships and more.But a big shift happened for Jay last year when he and his wife had their first little cuddly Clouse. So for this chat, we focus on that – specifically what he’s learned in growing and maintaining his business with harsher time and bandwidth constraints as a new parent.Enjoy! And if you’re this season as well, just know, the sleep deprivation DOES get better 🙂Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/408

There are a lot of ongoing changes happening with SEO and how user behavior is changing with AI. It’s hard enough to keep up with as a web designer…I can’t imagine as a client!But someone who’s doing a great job keeping their SEO clients in-the-know and updated every step of the way is Lindsay Halsey, co-founder of SEO agency webshine.comShe shares how they’re implementing AI SEO, how it’s changing their current offers, pricing and what they’re not changing.Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/407

Jump into Web Designer Pro® with 25% OFF Courses or Community Tier annual plans! 👉 Claim your Black Friday dealOffer valid now through Cyber Monday, Dec 1 at 11:59pm ET

I’m sharing the replay of my recent Live Q&A session where we dug into all things client retention, communication, and keeping your web design business running smoothly… even when outages hit or the unexpected happens.You’ll hear me break down some of the same strategies I taught at the recent Circle Summit — including how to set boundaries, create repeatable touchpoints, and turn one-time clients into long-term fans.And since we’re heading into Black Friday, I also walk through this year’s Web Designer Pro® deals, including some really solid bonuses to help you level up going into 2025.We cover:personal welcome videos that set the tonelaunch packs that turn go-live into referrals30-day post-launch buffers to reduce scope creepmonthly reports to stay top-of-mindA/B/C client segmentation for holiday outreachthe “website is never finished” mindsetSOS plans for Squarespace and Webflow clientscalm scripts for handling outages + tough conversationsshifting from designer → strategistwhat’s new with Divi 5security basics and support plansBlack Friday offers worth sharing👉 2025 Black Friday Deal – 25% OFF Annual Plans on Pro!Courses Tier:Usually $499/yr → now $374/yrPersonalized website strategy audit (10–15 min Loom video)https://member.webdesignerpro.com/checkout/course-access?coupon_code=BF2025 Community Tier:Usually $999/yr → now $749/yrWebsite strategy audit plus a 30-min 1:1 with mehttps://member.webdesignerpro.com/checkout/community-access?coupon_code=BF2025Offer good through Cyber Monday, Dec 1 at 11:59pm ETValid for Courses + Community tiersAudits + 1:1s delivered December–JanuaryWatch the replay here on YouTube!

What better time to learn about the latest (and time-tested) trends for website conversion than heading into Black Friday, Holiday’s and New Year – and that’s what we’re getting into with Greg Merrilees, who literally wrote the book on website conversion with Next Level Website Design.We’re getting into all the nerdy, nitty-gritty and specific conversion tips and tricks on this one.Remember, everything you learn here and apply to your site works on client sites making you more and more valuable as a conversion-focused web designer! Charge accordingly 🙂Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/405

Happy 5th Birthday Web Designer Pro® 🥳What started on November 4th, 2020, as a small coaching community for 30+ of my top course students has become a leader in the web design business-coaching space and one of Circle's most highly engaged communities.It's a testament to the AMAZING members who show up every week to help, support, and encourage each other, as web designers at all stages, to grow their web businesses together.It's an honor to lead this thing, and I can safely say – 5 years in and we're just getting going!🎉This special edition podcast episode is the replay from our recent live Q&A with Coaching Tier members of Pro, celebrating the milestone. Many of whom are original founding members who’ve been in since day one!Questions range from community building, if I miss designing websites for clients, podcasting, offers/pricing, how to do YouTube to get clients and much more.Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/wdp5

Design and building websites…that’s the fun part.Managing the project, collecting content, onboarding, handling revisions and feedback…typically, not so much.Which is why, if you can automate as much of the repeatable tasks and make a system and process for the “unfun” parts of a web design project, it’ll make your life much easier and more profitable.That’s what we’re diving into this one with automation and systems specialist (and fellow 17hats user) Kristen Lettini.We get into:What automations you’re missing (and why to add them NOW)The GOLD of auto-remindersUsing a CRM like 17hats to automate as much as possibleMy “before and after” automation momentWhy improving systems is THE KEY to sustainability

Being an entrepreneur is challenging. Being a parent-entrepreneur is even more challenging. Being a special needs parent entrepreneur…it’s tough to put into words. But one thing’s for sure, the freedom of schedule and flexible availability, to be able to care for a special needs kiddo as a web designer is UNMATCHED and well worth all the challenges.We’re diving into all of that and more in this special group chat that I had with Marc Hyde, Lisa Dorian and Ed Gomes. All members of Web Designer Pro who have something in common, being a web designer and entrepreneur with one or more special needs children we care for.We get into:Future planning for special care after retirementHow goals and vision changes after having a child with special needsHow to structure your schedule and calls around a complex scheduleHow we stay balanced during hard times (emergencies, surgeries, etc)The invaluable need for a supportive community of others who are in similar situationsAnd don’t worry, you don’t need to have a special needs kiddo to get a lot out of this convo because everything we talk about is applicable to you as an entrepreneur parent.