About the Web Designer Academy

You have the Skills, We’ll Help You Build the Business.

The Web Designer Academy is a space for women web designers who are done with under-valuing themselves, done with saying yes to everyone's dreams but their own, and done with figuring it out alone.

If you’ve got the skills but you’re tired of underearning, overworking, or feeling stuck, you're in the right place.

You don’t need to learn more, do more or be more—you simply need to solve the right problems.

We show you how to run a web design business that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Ready to refill your cup?

Our Story

a web design business that feels as good as it looks

I didn’t create the Web Designer Academy because I figured everything out perfectly from the start. I created it because I didn’t.

When I started freelancing in 2014, I believed that doing great work and charging “affordable” prices would be enough to get great clients and make a full-time income. Instead, I ended up overworked, underpaid, and wondering what had gone wrong. I thought I had a niche problem. Or a portfolio problem. Or an efficiency problem.

Turns out, I was solving all the wrong problems.

It wasn’t until I shifted my beliefs about my value, my money mindset, my pricing, and what I thought of myself and my clients that everything started to change.

That shift became the foundation of the Web Designer Academy.

What started as a side-hustling freelance web designer’s hard-won lessons has grown into a complete business strategy and full support system for women web designers who are ready to do things differently.

We’ve helped hundreds of women raise their prices, rebuild their boundaries, and step into the role of confident expert — without losing the heart of why they started their design business in the first place.

Hi, I'm Shannon Mattern

OUR CORE VALUES

A LOOK INSIDE THE WEB DESIGNER ACADEMY

Real Students, Real Results

"A tremendous impact on literally my whole life."

“You gotta know you have had a tremendous impact on literally my whole life and I am so grateful. Amazing. And far reaching. You're changing whole families.”

Racheal Graham, Greenhouse Creative

Meet Your Mentors

SHANNON MATTERN

Hi, I'm Shannon Mattern, Founder and CEO of the Web Designer Academy and I've spent over a decade helping thousands of women web designers go from selling “just a website” to charging more than they ever dreamed possible for their intellectual property, strategy, and implementation without overdelivering and overworking.

Your skills and experience are worth so much more than you think, and I'm here to show you how to:

Create more income from your existing skillset.
Deliver high-value work without overextending yourself.
Let clients choose what they value — without second-guessing your prices.

Wherever you are on your web design business journey, we're here to support you.

ERICA NASH

Hi, I'm Erica Nash, Client Success Coordinator at the Web Designer Academy and Founder & Creative Director at Riot Creative Studio.

My role includes curriculum development, onboarding our new students, giving feedback as they implement our strategies, co-hosting Live Strategy Calls and helping Shannon ensure every student is supported inside our Marketing Momentum, Web Designer Academy and Next Level Mastermind programs – as well as brand strategy and creative direction.

But my favorite part of my role is our community. It's the core of everything we do here, because no one builds a thriving business alone. The women in our communities are the most brilliant, kind, generous and authentic women you'll ever meet.

So when you're ready for deeper support, we're here, waiting to welcome you with open arms.

Your next step

Whether we just met or you're ready to shift, there’s something here for you.

You don’t have to wait until everything’s “figured out” to take the next step. Whether you're just starting to think differently about what's possible or you're ready to raise your prices and shift how you work, we’ve got resources, trainings, and mentorship to meet you exactly where you are — and help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and support.

Take the Quiz

REVENUE ROADMAP QUIZ

This 2-minute quiz will match you with exactly what you need to take the next step on your web design business journey .

Listen to the Podcast

Profitable Web Designer

Upgrade your mindset on the go. Get the permission slip you didn’t know you needed to stop under-earning in your earbuds.

Start With a Training

HIGH-CONVERTING PROPOSALS

Learn 5 proposal mistakes even experienced web designers make that cost them thousands.