3 Fast Ways to Earn Money as a Freelance Web Developer

When first learning to code, the goal for many is to start making money online as quickly as possible. While it can be a long journey, there are several ways to begin earning much faster with just some basic HTML, CSS, and a little bit of JavaScript. In this article, we'll explore three key methods to start making money as fast as possible as a freelance web developer.

The Motivation Challenge in Learning to Code

Let's be honest: learning to code isn't easy. It takes a significant amount of time, and it's common for people to get disheartened, lose motivation, and eventually give up. Many who start with great enthusiasm lose interest and never reach their ultimate goal. The easiest way to stay motivated during this process is to start making money while you're still learning.

Overcoming the "Illusion of Understanding"

Many aspiring developers follow tutorials, which can lead to what's known as the "illusion of explanatory depth." This occurs when you read a tutorial, feel like you understand the concepts, but then struggle when it's time to build something from scratch. You might find yourself asking, "What was that CSS property again? Was it align-items or justify-content?" This is the gap between passively consuming information and actively solving a problem. We think we understand because we've followed along, but when faced with creating a landing page, we feel a bit lost.

That feeling of being lost is universal. Your reaction is what matters. You can either decide to go back, fill in the gaps in your knowledge, and actively work to get better, or you can fall into the common trap of thinking, "I don't know anything, I've wasted my time." Pushing through this difficulty is crucial. It's easy to jump from topic to topic without ever gaining the deep knowledge required to earn an income.

For many, a traditional coding job seems distant, and freelancing feels unattainable. This article aims to provide several ways you can start freelancing quickly with just the basics of HTML and CSS.

What You Should Know

Before diving in, it's ideal if you've already dabbled in a bit of coding, including HTML, CSS, and perhaps some JavaScript. A basic understanding of what a domain and a server are, and how to get a website online, is also beneficial. If not, don't worry—these concepts don't take a huge amount of time to learn and can be picked up in a couple of weeks with the right resources.

1. Offer Lighthouse Audits and Optimizations

Lighthouse is a free Chrome extension that you can add to your browser. The process is simple: find a potential client's website and run a Lighthouse report. It will generate a detailed list of potential optimizations.

Lighthouse will highlight a variety of issues you can fix. Often, these websites were built by the owners themselves or by a busy developer who didn't have time to optimize everything. This creates an opportunity for you to step in and help speed up their website.

A common issue is unoptimized images, a quick fix for someone with basic HTML and CSS skills. The workflow involves downloading the image, compressing it, converting it to a modern format like WebP, and re-uploading it. This alone can speed up a site tremendously.

Other frequent optimizations include: * Adding Alt Tags: An alt tag is a text description of an image that improves accessibility, a factor that Google values highly. * Improving Semantic HTML: Ensuring the correct DOM layout by using proper HTML elements (e.g., <nav>, <header>, <footer>, <main>, <section>) can also boost SEO.

By addressing these points, you can help a business rank higher in search results. A quick Lighthouse report provides a clear list of actionable items. When you find issues you can fix, it's the perfect time to approach the client with a proposal.

Note: What feels easy to you can be incredibly valuable to a client. A slow, heavy website leads to a high "bounce rate," where visitors leave before taking any action. You can pitch your services by explaining how you'll reduce their bounce rate, which can lead to a measurable increase in sales. These initial gigs are often small, but they can lead to more significant work if the client is happy with the results.

2. Customize Themes on Website Builders

Another great opportunity lies in customizing themes for popular website builders. When analyzing a potential client's site, in addition to running a Lighthouse report, inspect the <head> tag of their HTML to see what platform it's built on. Many sites aren't fully custom; they use platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Elementor, or Shopify. By becoming comfortable with one of these builders and leveraging your HTML and CSS knowledge, you can offer valuable customizations and optimizations.

Clients will see value in your services because you can identify their platform and suggest specific improvements without even needing an initial consultation. Many business owners use a theme to get their site online quickly but later want to make changes the theme doesn't support, such as: * Changing the color of a button. * Adjusting the layout for mobile devices. * Reordering elements on a page.

With a good knowledge of CSS and HTML, you can offer solutions to these common problems.

Some aspiring developers dismiss website builders as "not real code," but this is a misconception. These platforms all generate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. More importantly, they power real business websites that generate real money. To make money online, you need to work with businesses that are already profitable, and many of them use these exact platforms.

Don't shy away from specializing. Increase your market value by becoming an expert in Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, or Framer. Combining expertise in one of these tools with solid HTML and CSS skills places you far ahead of both non-technical users and developers who ignore these platforms.

Consider a common scenario: a client has a website built on a page builder that isn't mobile-responsive. For a small fee, you can investigate. Often, the fix can be surprisingly simple. For instance, a single CSS media query might be all that's needed to make the layout responsive on mobile devices.

@media (max-width: 600px) {
  .container {
    flex-direction: column;
  }
}

It's not about how long a task takes; it's about the value you provide. Fixing a poor mobile experience transforms a frustrating, zoomed-out page into a professional, interactive one. This simple change provides immense value to the client. Remember, small jobs often lead to bigger, more substantial projects.

3. Handle Analytics and Service Integrations

Words like "analytics" and "integrations" can sound intimidating if you only know HTML and CSS, but they represent a significant opportunity. Think back to the first time you saw a line of code—it probably looked confusing. That's the same feeling a business owner gets when a service like Google Analytics instructs them to:

"Take this code snippet and put it in the <head> of the index.html file on your website."

They see angle brackets and technical jargon, and they panic. Their next step is to find a developer, and that developer can be you.

Numerous service providers require adding a code snippet to a website to function. These include: * Google Analytics: For tracking website traffic. * Marketing Pixels: For ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat. * A/B Testing Tools: Such as Google Optimize. * CRMs: Like Salesforce and HubSpot for customer relationship management.

These tasks are often intimidating for business owners, but you can solve them simply by knowing how to locate the <head> section of an HTML document. It can honestly be that easy.

Your key skill as someone who has learned HTML and CSS is not just technical; it's the ability to problem-solve without panicking. You can read documentation, follow instructions, and work through issues to find a solution. This is a skill that many business owners haven't developed, and it's highly valuable. If you can follow a recipe, you can solve these integration problems by carefully following well-written documentation. Many people will choose to outsource this work to a freelancer.

Your "Easy" Skills Are Valuable

It's worth reiterating: just because a task feels easy to you doesn't mean it isn't valuable to a client. For example, many Shopify themes include a main button and a secondary "ghost button." From a usability standpoint, this isn't always optimal. A client might ask you to change the style of that secondary button, a simple task for you. However, if that small change leads to a 1% increase in sales, it could mean tens of thousands of dollars for their e-commerce store. These seemingly minor adjustments can deliver significant value, so don't be afraid to charge appropriately for your time and expertise.

Conclusion: Your Path to Earning

To wrap it up, here are the three main ways you can start making money quickly with basic HTML and CSS:

1. Lighthouse Reporting & Website Optimization: Analyze sites and fix common performance and accessibility issues.
2. Theme Customization: Modify themes on popular website builders like WordPress and Shopify.
3. Integrations & Analytics: Add tracking snippets and connect third-party services for clients.

By offering these services, you can get your freelance career off the ground much faster than you might think. Earning money, even a small amount, provides the motivation to keep learning and growing as a developer.