How to find businesses that need websites,
reach out the right way, build their site with AI,
go live, and turn one client into many.
Focus on local service businesses. They have money, they need customers, and they're too busy working to build a website themselves. These are your best leads.
Barber shops, hair salons, nail salons, restaurants, food trucks, contractors (plumbers, electricians, painters), photographers, personal trainers, mechanics, and chiropractors. Every one of these businesses depends on local customers finding them — and without a website, they're invisible to anyone who searches Google.
Open Google Maps and search "[business type] near me" or in any city. Look at each result. If there's no website link in the listing — that business is a warm lead. They're already on the map, already have customers, and already know they need more. Build a list of 20–30 names and phone numbers before you make a single call.
For every lead you add to your list, copy their business name, address, hours, phone number, services, and 2–3 of their best Google reviews right now. Paste it into your notes. This is everything you'll need to build their site in Phase 2 — having it ready means you can go from finding them to calling them in under an hour.
Search hashtags on Instagram and TikTok like #atlantabarber, #dallasfoodtruck, #miamiphotographer. If their bio links to a Linktree, another social page, or nothing at all instead of a real domain — add them to your call list. These businesses have an audience but no home base. You're about to solve that.
This is what makes this method different from everyone else. You don't call to pitch — you call to deliver. By the time you dial, their site is already built. Use the prompt below, paste in their real info from Google Maps, and you'll have a professional demo ready in under 30 minutes.
Take the info you copied in Phase 1 — their business name, services, hours, address, and Google reviews — and open the prompt below. Swap out anything in brackets with their real info, paste the whole thing into Lovable, and hit send. Lovable builds the site. You review it, make any quick tweaks, and now you have a live demo built around their actual business. Then you call. When they pick up you open with: "Hey, I already built a website for your business — want me to send you the link right now?" That one line changes the entire dynamic. You're not asking for their time or money. You're handing them something they didn't know they had.
Copy their info → paste prompt into Lovable → review the site → call them with the link ready. Never walk into a call empty handed again.
Once they're interested and the deposit is in, do a quick 10-minute intake call to fill in anything the demo was missing. You need: their logo, any additional photos, exact pricing they want shown, and confirmation that all the info on the demo is correct. Keep it short — you already have 80% of what you need from the demo you built.
Text them: "Thanks — can you send over your logo and any photos you want on the site? Even phone photos work great." Keeps momentum high and gets you assets fast.
Weak prompt: "Make a website for a barbershop." Strong prompt: "Build a modern, dark-themed website for this business — [paste their name, city, services, hours, and any other info you copied from Google Maps]. Include: a full-screen hero section with a bold CTA button, a services section with prices, a photo gallery, a reviews section using their real Google reviews, and a contact section with their address and hours. The primary call to action throughout the site should be booking an appointment."
Style + Business Name + Location + Sections Needed + Colors/Vibe + Primary CTA — give Lovable all six and the first output will be 80% of the way there.
After the first build, go through the site top to bottom. Send targeted prompts: "Make the hero section full screen with the background image taking up the full height." "Change the navigation font to something bolder." "Add a section for customer reviews between Services and Contact." Small, specific prompts beat trying to fix everything in one message every time.
Before you show anyone anything: read every word on the site. Check every button. Open it on your phone. Is the mobile layout clean? Is there any filler text still showing — anything that looks like it wasn't replaced with real info? Is all the real information — address, phone, hours — correct? Never show a client a site that still has placeholder content in it. That one mistake will cost you the deal and the referral.
A DM gets seen whenever they check Instagram — maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. An email lands in a spam folder or gets buried. A phone call happens right now. The business owner picks up, you have their full attention, and you can respond to their exact concerns in real time. No method closes faster. Make calling your default. Use DMs and email only as a follow-up after a missed call.
Every successful sales call has the same four-part structure. You're not winging it — you're running a system.
Your only goal at the start of a call is to not get hung up on. Be confident, friendly, and immediately relevant. Don't apologize for calling. Don't say "I hope I'm not bothering you." Lead with their name and your reason for calling in one breath. People hang up on vague callers — they stay on the line with people who sound like they have something useful to say.
Don't pitch your service yet. Ask a question that makes their problem visible to them. When they say "no, we don't really have a website" or "it's pretty old," they've just sold themselves on needing one. Your job is to surface the problem — the solution sells itself once the problem feels real.
One sentence that connects what they're missing to what they could have. Not features — outcomes. "More calls from Google" beats "a 5-page responsive site." "Customers booking while you sleep" beats "an online booking integration." Speak in their results, not your deliverables.
Don't let the call end with "I'll think about it" without setting a next step. Either get a yes to a paid project, a yes to a free preview, or a specific date to follow up. Vague endings lose deals. "Can I send you a quick preview of what I'd build for you by Friday?" gives them something concrete to say yes to.
Use this verbatim until it feels natural. Then make it yours.
Every objection on the phone has a calm, confident answer. Practice these until they're automatic.
"I don't have time for this right now."
"That's exactly why I do everything — you just answer a few questions over the phone and I handle the rest. You don't touch anything until it's done. Takes maybe 10 minutes of your time total."
"How much does it cost?"
"I have options starting at $300. To give you an exact number, I just need to know what pages you'd need — can I ask you 2 quick questions?" Then qualify them before you quote. Once you understand their scope, give a clear number.
"We already have a website."
"Oh nice — can I ask, when was it last updated? A lot of sites that are 2–3 years old actually hurt more than help because Google ranks mobile-friendly, fast sites. I can take a quick look and tell you honestly whether it's costing you customers or not."
"I can't afford it right now."
"I completely get that — most of my clients feel the same before we start. My sites start at $300 and the average client makes that back within 30 days from new bookings. But if timing's the issue, I can do a 50% deposit now and the rest on launch. Want me to send you a quick preview first so you can see what you'd be getting?"
"Send me an email / text me info."
"Absolutely — what's the best email? And real quick before I let you go — what would make a website worth it for you? Like what would a good one actually do for your business?" This keeps the conversation going and makes your follow-up email far more personal and relevant.
"Let me think about it."
"Of course — is there anything specific you'd want to think through? I'd rather answer any questions now than have you sitting on something that might not even be an issue." Then listen. Usually "let me think about it" means there's a specific concern they haven't voiced yet.
Most deals close on the follow-up, not the first call. The system is simple: call first, then back it up with a text, then a DM.
Call during business hours (10am–6pm their timezone). If no answer, leave a voicemail: "Hey [Name], this is [Your Name] — I'm a web designer and I noticed [Business] doesn't have a website yet. I had an idea for you, happy to chat for 5 minutes. Call me back at [number]." Concise, curious, confident.
"Hey [Name] — just left a voicemail. I build websites for [their business type] and had an idea for yours specifically. Worth a quick chat? — [Your Name]" Texts get read. This keeps you top of mind without being aggressive.
Find their Instagram or Facebook and send a short DM referencing the call/text. "Tried reaching you yesterday — I build websites and had an idea for [Business Name]. Happy to show you a quick preview if you're curious." This multi-channel approach without being pushy shows persistence and professionalism.
One more call attempt. If no answer and no response to any contact, move on. Don't chase past this — your time is worth more than a prospect who won't engage. Mark them as "revisit in 30 days" and focus on fresh leads.
Never guess at pricing on a call. Know your tiers cold so you can quote instantly and confidently. Hesitating on price signals inexperience.
Solo services — barbers, photographers, personal trainers, nail techs.
Covers most small businesses. Quote this by default on calls.
Restaurants with online ordering, shops, coaches with booking systems.
Offer this at launch. Most clients say yes. Becomes passive income.
Always collect 50% upfront before you start building. Collect the remaining 50% before you hand over the live site or transfer the domain. Use Cash App, Venmo, or Stripe. Never do the full project on a promise — it wastes your time and trains clients to not respect your work. If they won't put down a deposit, they weren't serious.
"I get started once we have the deposit in — it's usually quick, I can send you a payment link right now while we're on the call." Collecting on the call removes the chance for second-guessing overnight.
Go to Namecheap and search for the business name. Target .com first — always. If taken, try .co or add the city: KingCutsATL.com. Keep it short, no hyphens, easy to spell over the phone. Buy it in your account, include the $10–15 cost in your project price or itemize it separately. Do not let clients buy their own domain — it creates a coordination nightmare.
In your Lovable project, go to Settings → Custom Domain. Lovable will show you a set of DNS records — just a few lines of code you need to copy. Don't worry about what they mean, just copy them exactly as shown.
In Namecheap, find your domain → Manage → Advanced DNS. Add the records Lovable gave you. Double-check every character — a single typo means nothing works. Save changes.
DNS changes can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours to activate worldwide. Usually much faster. Use whatsmydns.net to check if the domain is pointing correctly yet. Don't tell the client the site is live until you've confirmed it yourself.
When the site loads, check for the padlock icon in the browser — that means HTTPS is active. Lovable handles SSL automatically. If the padlock isn't showing after 2–3 hours, disconnect and reconnect the domain in Lovable settings to trigger a fresh certificate.
Call the client — don't text, don't email. Call them and tell them their site is live. Then screen record a quick walkthrough on your phone and send it as a follow-up text. Hearing your excitement on the call and then seeing the video is a powerful combination. This moment is what generates referrals — treat it like a celebration, not a handoff. Then collect your remaining balance on the same call.
"Hey [Name] — your site is live! Go check it out at [URL]. I just sent you a quick video walkthrough too. You happy with how it came out? ... Perfect. And I wanted to mention our maintenance plan — for $50 a month I handle all the updates and keep everything running. Want to add that on?"
Open Lovable and describe exactly what's wrong: "The hero text is overlapping the image on mobile" or "The navigation menu isn't opening on mobile." Lovable handles responsive fixes well with specific instructions. Always preview in mobile view before every client showing — this catches 90% of issues before they become problems.
If you used Tally or Typeform, verify the embed code is still in place. If Lovable built the form natively, connect it to Formspree — it's a free service that makes sure form submissions actually land in an email inbox. Just go to formspree.io, create a free account, and in Lovable prompt: "Connect the contact form to Formspree so submissions go to [client email]." Test it yourself before telling the client it's fixed.
Sometimes it takes up to 48 hours for the domain to fully activate worldwide — though it's usually much faster. Use whatsmydns.net to check if the domain is pointing correctly yet. If everything looks right and it's been over 24 hours, try deleting and re-adding the DNS records in Namecheap. A single typo in those records is the most common reason it doesn't work.
Large files are the usual cause. Compress any client photos using Squoosh.app and re-upload — stay under 1MB per image. PNG and JPG both work. If images were linked from an external URL (a Google Drive link, for example), those break easily — always upload images directly into the project rather than linking them.
SSL certificates activate automatically through Lovable but occasionally take a few hours. If it's been more than 6 hours since the domain connected and you're still seeing a security warning, go into Lovable settings, disconnect the custom domain, wait 5 minutes, and reconnect it. This triggers a fresh certificate request.
Establish this on the launch call: small changes like updated hours, new pricing, or a replaced photo are covered. Larger changes — a new page, a redesign, adding booking — are $75–$150 depending on scope. Set this expectation professionally: "I include one round of revisions at launch. Any additional updates after that I charge a small fee for — it keeps things fair and makes sure you always get quick turnaround."
Run through every item before you make the launch call. No exceptions.
The system is here. The scripts are here. The pricing is here. The only thing standing between you and your first client is the call you haven't made yet. Everything else you'll figure out along the way — because you'll have no choice once you say yes to someone.