How to sell websites to small businesses

Building the site is the easy part. Most freelancers stall earlier: finding owners who actually need a website, and getting one of them to listen for two minutes. This guide covers the whole loop, from the first search to the monthly invoice.

1. Start with businesses that have no website

A business with no website is the easiest pitch there is. You don’t have to argue that their current site is bad, because there isn’t one. You only have to show them what a customer sees when they look them up.

You can find them by hand. Open Google Maps, search a trade and a town (“plumbers in Tucson”), and click through the listings one at a time. The ones with no Website button are your list. It works, but it’s slow: twenty listings take ten minutes or more, and you still have to write everything down.

The second-best leads are businesses whose site is broken. The owner already paid for a website once, so they don’t need convincing that one matters. Look for sites that Chrome marks “Not secure”, that don’t fit a phone screen, that take forever to load, or whose domain has expired and now shows an ad page.

Some trades are better hunting grounds than others. Plumbers, roofers and landscapers are often run by owners who are busy doing the work. Dental practices usually do have a site, and it’s often one that’s overdue for a rebuild. There are notes on what to expect niche by niche.

2. Check their site in 30 seconds before you call

Only pitch problems the owner can confirm on their own phone while you’re talking. If you tell a roofer their SEO is weak, they’ll nod and hang up. If you tell them the link on their Google listing goes to a parked domain, they’ll check, and then they’ll ask what it costs to fix.

Open the site on your phone and note:

• Whether it loads in a few seconds on mobile data, or leaves you staring at a blank screen.
• Whether the address bar shows a padlock or says “Not secure”.
• Whether the page fits the screen, or you have to pinch and zoom.
• The copyright year in the footer. “© 2017” tells you nobody has touched it in years.
• Whether tapping the phone number actually starts a call.

Pick the single worst problem. That’s your opening line.

3. Pitch one problem they can check

Most Google listings have a phone number, and for businesses without a site a call is usually the only way to reach the owner. Keep it short and specific, and end with a small ask:

“Hi, is this Maria? I was looking for a plumber in North Park and noticed your Google listing doesn’t have a website link. The two above you do. I build simple sites for trades businesses. Could I put together a free mock-up so you can see what yours would look like?”

A mock-up with their name, their photos and their reviews does more than any portfolio. The owner sees their own business looking like a real company, and it’s much easier to say yes to something they can already see.

If you email instead, the same rules apply: one specific problem, one small ask. Say who you are, include a real mailing address, and stop emailing anyone who asks you to. Those are three of the CAN-SPAM Act’s rules for commercial email in the US; the FTC’s compliance guide covers the rest in a few minutes. For calls, dial by hand and skip automated texts unless the business has opted in.

4. Price it simply

The usual setup is two charges: a one-time build and a monthly fee for hosting and small edits.

The monthly fee is the part that keeps growing. Twenty clients at $50 a month is $1,000 before you sell a single new site. Offer one package instead of three tiers, because a local business owner decides faster with one number.

The earnings calculator runs the numbers for different prices and client counts.

5. Follow up, three times

Most owners won’t answer the first time. They’re on a roof or under a sink. A simple rhythm works: first contact on day one, a short follow-up on day three, and a last note on day seven. Make each message shorter than the one before, and after the third, move on.

Keep every lead in a list with a stage (saved, contacted, proposal, closed) so nobody gets called twice or forgotten. A spreadsheet is fine at first.

6. Deliver fast, then keep the client

Aim to have the site live within a week of the yes. Then update the website field on their Google Business Profile so the listing points at it. For a business that had no site, adding that link is what actually fixes the problem you pitched.

Check in once a month with anything that changed: new photos, new hours, a seasonal offer. Owners talk to other owners. Once a client is happy, ask who else they know who needs a site.

Where Firefly fits

Firefly handles the first two steps. Search a niche and a city and it lists the businesses with no website or a broken one, checks each site for the problems above, and puts the easiest pitches first, with a phone number next to each. Saved leads go into a pipeline with those four stages, and paid plans draft the three follow-up emails from what the audit found.

Browse niches to start with: plumbers, electricians, roofers, hvac contractors, landscapers, or see all of them.