Why a Freelancer Website is Crucial in 2021
When I first started freelancing full-time, I knew my website was important. Though it took a while for it to gain some traction, my website is now my top way for sourcing new clients. That’s right—most of my clients come to me through my website. This is why having a freelancer website is critical for freelancers.
Luckily, you don’t need any special skills or tech know-how to make your own freelancer website. Luke Smith, a past guest poster, has some great information about why building a freelancer website is a MUST.
Freelancing has consistently grown in popularity as the tech world has continued to bloom. The ability to communicate and collaborate remotely makes the work infinitely easier. Additionally, the flexible schedule and on-demand work environment make freelancing particularly alluring in a culture where work-life balance is consistently preached.
With so many professionals joining the freelance world, though, it can be easy to fade into the white noise of so many people clamoring for work. One of the best ways to help you stand out as a freelancer from the ever-growing competition is to build a freelancer website.
Why Do Freelancers Need Their Own Website?
The concept of building an entire website just for yourself can often feel like overkill. After all, you just need to land a few clients at a time. Isn’t a solid resume and a few sample links enough?
While you certainly can get work that way, it’s a freelancer website that can truly take your game to the next level. On the surface, a solid freelancer website can:
- Provide a place to show off your work
- Let you both list and display your various skills
- Explain who you are and give your service a bit of a human touch
- Give you a space to showcase your professional ethics and values
- Provide contact information
- Facilitate billing and invoicing
In addition to these obvious items, a freelancer website can also send several other important messages. For instance, if you can send a prospective client to a good website, it can show your:
- Professional nature
- Existing work and further experience
- Detail-oriented perspective
- Earnestness about the freelance lifestyle
- Innovative, entrepreneurial skill-set
- Willingness to deliver quality results to your clients
While you can certainly land gigs without a website, if you want to be taken seriously and find higher-paying clients, having your own site is a no-brainer. It shows that you’re thinking about your work and you’re a respectable professional to boot. An impressive website positions you to engage with clients as a peer rather than someone begging for work.
Simply put, as a freelancer, you run a business, and all businesses have websites. As such, a website can serve as one of the most critical customer-facing aspects of your company.
A Few Tips for a Great Freelancer Website
If you’re going to take the leap and create your own website, you must include the right features such as:
- User experience (UX): If you want to create a site that builds your business or brand, you have to do your best to optimize it by making it easy to navigate, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly.
- Accessibility: Along with your UX, remember to use welcoming language so that everyone visiting your site can easily comprehend your services.
- A contact page: You want to make it as easy as possible for existing, returning, and prospective clients to contact you. (This can also be a link page for your social media!)
- A portfolio: Whatever your freelance gig maybe, if you can create an online portfolio to demonstrate your work, it should have a place on your website.
- A blog: A personal blog can be a great way to let readers learn more about you, your life, your ethics, and anything else you may want to share with them.
- Color scheme: Along with content, usability, and accessibility, it’s also wise to consider your color scheme — monochromatic for subtle comfort, complementary for a splashy, eye-catching design, and so on.
It’s important to take the time to seriously consider what your particular site should contain and how it should look. Don’t just follow formulas. Use the above suggestions and then piece together a website that will be perfect for your industry, clients, and brand.
Upping Your Game with a Freelancer Website
The freelancing life is exciting, invigorating, and rewarding. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Things like flexible schedules and adjustable workloads can be deceptive, and the truth is, the concept of “hustling like a freelancer” exists for a reason.
Along with doing the actual work that you signed up for, you also have to generate leads, nurture client relationships, send invoices, track your taxes — the list goes on and on. A website can be a huge factor in helping you overcome the front-end issues of lead generation and client relationships.
A solid website delivers a strong first impression, quality samples, and easy contact information. It can serve as the perfect catalyst to launch an endless stream of client relationships both now and in the future.
If you’re interested in taking your freelancing efforts to the next level, start with a website. The best part is, a solid website doesn’t take an endless amount of time or a huge amount of money. You can start planning out your website right now and before you know it, you’ll have a solid online platform to serve as the hub of your growing personal brand.
About the author
Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but professional development topics are his favorite. When he isn’t writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.
Want to submit a guest post to the blog? I’m always accepting submissions! Check out my contributor guidelines to see if you’re a good fit.
