Considering the abundance of freelance platforms online, many independent contractors no longer see the need for a website.
They would prefer to work on gigs instead.
After all, developing and maintaining a personal website is basically unpaid work.
Although building a site sounds tedious, having one also yields several advantages.
Dont dismiss the idea altogether.
Websites Make Your Freelance Business Look Professional
A personal website sets you apart from the competition.
Not everyone can launch a site from scratch.
For a more professional-looking website, avoid launching templates as is.
Millions of webmasters use builders like WordPress or GoDaddy, and most of their layouts tend to look alike.
Blindly adopting preset designs will make you look generic.
Only draw inspiration from templates.
Ultimately, strive to create unique web pages with original images, persuasive copies, and personalized layouts.
Adding just a few new page elements already has a massive impact.
Theyll likely look up the service they need and scroll through the top-ranking hits on SERPs.
Try searching for the freelance service that you offer.
You wont show up unless you have a website.
A personal site doesnt guarantee visibility.
Your Website Conveys Your Voice and Branding
Having a professional website establishes your freelancing business.
Prospects will learn a lot about you just by visiting your website.
Invest in your creatives.
Even seemingly insignificant page elements affect your overall impact.
With that said, you dont have to create an original, never-been-used structure.
Think about the image you wish to portray.
Personal Websites Look Better Than Resumes
Stop sending Google Drive links of samples to your clients.
With the accessibility of image editors and site builders, theres no reason to use dull portfolios anymore.
Doing so makes you look unprofessional and could cause you to fall behind your competitors.
Starting a website requires a lot of work.
Youll only waste your time and energy contacting random strangers that likely wont fit your ideal buyer persona.
Cold calling is an outdated sales tactic.
Instead of purchasing cold leads, generate a list of interested prospects through data collection forms on your site.
Offer a free e-book or consultation in exchange for your site visitors contact information.
They reached out to you themselves.
Converting warm leads who know what you do takes less effort than getting cold leads to read your email.
Putting together even a simple five-page business website takes effort, after all.
To maximize the learning opportunity, go beyond site builders.
There are several ways to monetize websites.
Some methods could even pay thousands depending on the traffic your web pages generate daily.
For instance, lets say yousign up for Google AdSense.
The program compensates you for allowing its partner companies and marketers to run ads on your website.
You cant choose the ads yourself.
Google automatically selects which brands to display based on the average demographic information of your site visitors.
Most bloggers say youll get $2 to $5 per 1,000 views.
However, clicks, impressions, and page views pay differently.
For traffic generation, start with social media promotions.
Explore paid ad campaigns after you grab enough blogs and landing pages for prospects to navigate.
Your site will open up business opportunities.
However, youll be responsible for turning them into paid projects.
