First of all I would like to say that this is not going to be the kind of article where I say to look for clients in freelance website or upwork or something like that... I know you must have done that and should have failed in the process due to stiff competition(those who are doing good there... good for you:D)
But I want to address those people who are new to web development or any other field that requires interacting with the clients to offer the product or service that you are offering.
Because of the stiff competition in these websites, the new web developers don't get their clients where they have little to no experience.
I would like to give some of them some tips and guide to how to get your first client and how to grow at initial stages.
First I would suggest you to make a sample website(portfolio website) and get it up and running, the site should be the best site that you should have made!!
The client will first look at your website and then will make a decision about whether to have your services or not.
The next thing is to contact or get the clients... this is the hardest part and requires a great deal of patience and dedication(and a little bit of smartwork ;D)
You can get clients from the business directory of your region and drive them to your website for conversion.
For example- If you are from Canada you can search the business directory of Canada and search the business that doesn't have a website so that you can approach them and pitch them the idea of digital presence and how you can build a website for them at a price less than the market price.
Obviously you are not gonna give them your service more than half the market price... you should have the price set at a reasonable price so that it's not hard on you and the client also doesn't think that you are giving them a poor quality of service.
One more tip is to be never to be afraid to take action... what I mean by that is that don't want you to take forever to hone your skills and be perfect and then reach a client, you should first reach a client and should have an experience so that you can learn how to handle clients(Cuz at the end that's what will matter, sure skills are great but there is no use if you cant use them!!)
Thanks for reading!