Every web design agency wants a list of “perfect-match” web design leads because consistently finding high quality leads is one of the most difficult problems an agency business faces.
Most lead generation strategies like social media, SEO, and email marketing can take years of investment before generating a single lead. That’s why they’re not right for everyone.
Buying a vetted, high-quality list of leads to supplement an agency pipeline can be one of the wisest moves you make this year. But there are also some pitfalls to be aware of. Below we’ll walk through the best options for finding high-quality web design leads for your agency.
4 Non-Negotiable Criteria for Good Web Design Leads
The quality of web design “leads” for sale online can vary wildly depending on their source. Some websites that claim to sell “qualified” leads are actually randomly generated lists of fake or dead email addresses. Contacting these “leads” can damage your email deliverability permanently as a result.
So what’s the solution? Are all leads worthless? Do good web design leads for sale online even exist?
The answer is yes. Finding good web design leads for sale online is possible but it takes understanding what a good lead is and how it gets sourced. To help, here’s my criteria for a good qualified lead:
1. Realistic Budget
The first criteria for a good web design lead is a realistic high-paying budget. For most, a good web design / development budget is going to be somewhere in the $20,000–$50,000+ range. The exact number can depend on the complexity of the project, of course, but if a client hasn’t stated a budget above this threshold – they may not be worth pursuing.
2. Actively Looking to Hire an Agency
Unlike a lead list that was scraped off a domain registrar, a good web design lead not only wants a new website – they’re actively looking to pay an agency to do it right now. In other words, they already know they have a problem, and recognize they need to hire an agency to solve it. This is key. It’s a waste of time to try and pitch someone who isn’t looking for the solution you sell. That’s why every lead inside Agency Leads PRO has an active Request For Proposal (RFP). This ensures that every organization you reach out to wants to hear from you which makes the sales process 10× easier.
3. Strong Company Reputation
Scammy-looking companies are never good leads. If a company doesn’t look reputable or trust-worthy, they most likely aren’t worth pursuing. The chances are very high that they will either not convert or make a bad client. In fact, I’d stay away from entire industries (like adult media or even tech startups) because they tend to generate companies with bad reputations.
4. Realistic Scope of Work
One final criteria I recommend is a realistic work scope outlined for the project. In combination with budget, a realistic scope of work usually equals realistic expectations throughout the project. If a client wants an Ebay clone built in 3 days for $500, this is an obvious warning flag – and even substantial budgets can become impractical if the scope of work isn’t appropriate.
These 4 criteria are the bare minimum prerequisites web design agencies should use to filter leads. You might choose to be even more strict or specific (for example, qualifying by industry) about the leads you pursue.
Where to Find Good Web Design Leads
With the criteria above in place, here are some high-quality websites you may be interested in buying leads from:
1. Agency Leads PRO
Since I’m writing this guide to you I thought I’d mention what I believe is the absolute best option first.
I’ve taken the criteria above and created a done-for-you lead finding service that curates the 500+ best web design and development leads each year.
Where our leads come from: Our leads are sourced directly from decision-makers at companies who have either 1) reached out to us directly or 2) create a public RFP in search of an agency. In short, it means every lead we send is a WARM lead. They KNOW they need help and actively looking to hire that help right now.
How we qualify them: On top of sourcing leads who are already in the buying process, we hand-qualify each opportunity to make sure they’re great opportunities worth $20,000–$50,000+ in project work. That way you don’t have to spend hours combing through RFPs like on most sites. We do it for you.
How the bidding process works: We’ve gotten tons of testimonials from agencies and freelancers all over the world who’ve landed clients from the program in as little as a few weeks. Typically the process is as simple as sending in your proposal via email. You can reach out to several high quality organizations within hours on day one.
How much it costs: Agency Leads PRO costs $197 per month, which comes out to less than $5 per lead. Every subscription comes with a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee so you can literally land a client then decide if it’s right for you.
I honestly believe that Agency LeadsPRO is the best option for 99% web design agencies looking for new leads. However, if for whatever reason it’s not for you, here are some other good options you might check out.
2. BuiltWith
For freelancers or agencies that only work with a very specific technology set, one option might be BuiltWith. They won’t be warm leads or actively in search of an agency, but BuiltWith analyzes millions of websites and sends you a list of leads that use the type of framework or platform you request. So if you only work with Shopify-Plus websites, they can help you find a list of these companies. Keep in mind you’ll be reaching out to unsuspecting companies so you’ll have to take a spray-and-pray approach to see success.
3. RFPMART
RFPMART is one of the better subscription RFP marketplace that offer a high volume of RFPs. While the volume of leads is good, it can take some time to sort through and pick out the opportunities you actually want to contact. Most likely, you or someone on your team will have to spend about 30-60 minutes a day combing through RFPs to see if they’re a fit for your agency. Depending on the cost of your time, it may be better to use Agency Leads PRO instead.
4. RFPdb
Update: RFPdb was recently acquired by MyGovWatch. As a result, it looks like some parts of the site are no longer working. Previously, RFPdb was another good RFP site where agencies could buy RFPs or get access to them by sharing RFPs on the platform. The main downside was it was very limited in volume, you’d only see a handful of web design leads per week.
5. FindRFP
Update: While I do have a FindRFP subscription, some of the functionality on the site has broken down in recent weeks. Like a lot of the options listed above, FindRFP is a general-purpose RFP site. This means you’ll find web design and development leads mixed in with RFPs for things like construction and janitorial services. This can indicate a sparse volume of leads for web design agencies.
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Get Started Finding Web Design Leads
A steady supply of high-quality web design leads you buy can be the perfect supplement to your agency’s inbound lead generation.
Start pitching and winning contracts immediately. Save time filtering through hundreds of RFPs each week and just get perfect-match ready-to-go web design and development leads using Agency Leads PRO today.
Reliable lead generation isn't just difficult. It’s downright nearly impossible to find great leads each month that are both a fit for your agency and looking to hire a team like yours. That's why Folyo exists. We send the 500+ best web design / development RFPs each year. You get instant access to a pool of great hot leads, on autopilot for less than a cup of coffee. Learn more and try Agency Leads PRO today.
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