The full process, start to finish
How to find web design clients
Most web designers don't struggle to sell a website once they're in front of the right business. They struggle to find enough of the right businesses. Here's the whole process, prospecting first, then everything after it.
What makes a good prospect
Not every business without a polished website is worth calling. A good prospect sits in what we call the Goldilocks Zone.
Verified and active
Shows up on Google Maps with recent activity. Not a defunct listing Google hasn't caught up with yet.
At least one review
Proof the business is actually trading, not just a Google Maps pin with no history behind it.
No website, or a lapsed one
No site, a social page only, or a domain that's since gone offline. A real, specific gap you can point to on the call.
Two patterns to avoid: zero-review listings with no proof of current activity, and businesses with a polished, well-ranking website already, you'd be pitching against an incumbent rather than filling an obvious gap.
Doing it manually: Google Maps prospecting
The free version. Worth knowing properly, even if you automate it later.
Search a trade and a town
“Plumbers in Leeds”, for example. Google Maps returns a scrollable list alongside the map.
Open each listing
Check the profile for a website link. No link, or a link to a Facebook or Instagram page instead of a real domain, is your first filter.
Check reviews and rating
At least one review and no red flags rules out inactive or brand-new listings that aren't really trading yet.
Log it and repeat
Name, phone number, address, into a spreadsheet. Then the next listing. Then the next town or trade.
None of this is difficult, it's just slow. Checking twenty listings properly, opening each one and deciding if it qualifies, realistically takes the better part of an hour once you include the ones that turn out to already have a website.
Where Fludi Leads fits in
Fludi Leads runs the exact process above, minus the clicking. Enter a trade and a location, and it queries Google's official Places API, the same data source Maps itself uses, for every matching business, checks each one's website field for you, and returns only the businesses that qualify.
You see the count and the total price before paying anything, and the list, business name, phone number, address, rating, review count, arrives instantly rather than after an hour of manual checking. Pricing is flat: £0.50 per lead, however many you need. Twenty qualifying prospects costs £10.
Find your first prospectsWhat to do once you have the list
A list of qualified prospects is only useful if you actually contact them. A few resources for the next step, depending on how you prefer to work:
- Cold calling is still the fastest way to get a direct answer. 10 cold calling tips covers openers, objection handling, and what to say when you get someone on the phone. If you're calling a business rather than a direct line, getting past the gatekeeper covers the two-script approach for reception, family members, and voicemail.
- Email outreach works well if calling isn't your preference. The free SEO Outreach Email Generator scans a business's website (or flags that there isn't one) and drafts a personalised opener in three tones.
- A ready-made script if you'd rather not write your own opener from scratch: the free cold call script generator has industry-specific scripts for ten trades, with objection responses built in.
Frequently asked questions
Searching Google Maps by trade and location, then filtering for businesses with no website or a lapsed one, is the core method, done manually or automated. Fludi Leads runs that same search and returns only qualifying businesses in seconds, with the count and price shown before you pay.
Look for established, well-reviewed businesses on Google Maps with no website link on their profile, or one that points to a Facebook or Instagram page instead of a real domain. At least one review is a useful minimum bar, it filters out inactive or fake listings.
It costs nothing but time, and it's a reasonable way to test a new niche or town before committing to anything. The trade-off is speed: properly checking twenty listings by hand, opening each profile and verifying the website field, typically takes the better part of an hour.
Fludi Leads charges a flat £0.50 per lead, however many you need, with the exact count and total price shown before you pay. Twenty qualifying prospects costs £10.
Contact them. Cold calling and email are the two main routes, see our cold calling tips for scripts and objection handling, or the free SEO Outreach Email Generator if you'd rather open by email.
Yes. It runs on Google's official Places API, the same data behind Google Maps, so it works anywhere Google Maps has coverage, not just the UK.