Why Building a Website is Crucial for Freelancers

Do you need your own website as a freelancer? YES! You absolutely need a website. Having a dedicated freelance website is one of the most crucial things you can do to grow your freelance business.

The gig economy has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. In 2019 it was reported that 40% of companies plan to increase their gig workforce and only four out of five freelancers seriously wanted to go back to the traditional workforce.

With the business landscape changing so swiftly and an ever-increasing flood of remote workers pouring into the gig-driven world, it can be difficult to be heard through all of the white noise. If you’re a freelancer and you’re looking to establish long-term success in the burgeoning gig economy, one of the most important things you can do is build a website.

Why Having a Website Matters

If you’re just getting started, it’s important to realize that a website isn’t the only thing that is going to get your operation off the ground. It’s not a magic bullet that will solve all of your freelancing woes. In fact, many gig workers have found great success without a website.

However, once you get that freelance momentum going, it can be incredibly helpful to create a website for your freelance business for a variety of reasons.

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Giving Off That Aura

First and foremost, a website helps you stand out. While anyone — literally anyone — can apply to an online position, the time, dedication, and effort that it takes to upkeep a freelance website immediately indicate a sincere level of credibility, authority, and professionalism.

If a potential client is able to simply click on a link and instantly see a polished website that answers all of their questions, provides samples of your work, and gives them your contact information, they’re more likely to have that all-important positive first impression.

Creating a Base of Operations

Along with the professional aura that a website brings, it also serves as your online base. In an increasingly remote work world, having an independent, established presence in the cloud can be instrumental in allowing you to rise to the top of the talent pool. You can use a thoroughly fleshed out website to house your portfolio, post your resume, and list off your hard and soft skills.

Building Your Brand

In addition to housing your information, your site can help you establish a professional identity. Freelancers are often torn between different clients with varying expectations, and seeing as a freelancer business works with a slew of fluctuating voices, styles, and operating procedures, a personal website can become one of the only places where they can create their own brand. Your brand, in many ways, is what defines you as an independent business. When your brand is strong, it establishes your identity.

With that said, a good website allows you to cultivate a personal brand that explains who you are, what you believe in, and what skills you possess. You can also use your site as a staging ground if and when you decide to establish a foothold on social media — another important step in growing your brand.

Making Yourself Easy to Find

Finally, once you reach a certain level of success, having a website can allow you to be found and referenced easily. If an existing client wants to refer you to a potentially new client, they can simply pass along a link to your site. If your reputation grows to a certain point, you can even find work simply due to the fact that someone who is looking for a quality freelancer can find your site online without even needing to post a job advert.

What Should Your Freelance Website Contain?

Of course, the follow-up question that must be asked is what exactly your freelance business site should contain. While each site can and should have its own sense of uniqueness, there are a few things that all sites should include:

• A commitment to simplicity: If your site is overwhelming, confusing, or difficult to navigate, you’re going to lose clients before they ever set eyes on the valuable information your site holds.
• A clear menu: If a client visits your site, they’re not interested in perusing your freelance efforts for an hour or two. They want something specific. Make sure you have a clear menu to help them find what they’re looking for.
• Your contact information: If a client decides you’re the one they want to hire, you want your contact information to be ready to hand. Whether you include it in a footer on every page or in an easy to reach menu option, make sure you can easily be found.
• An about section: Use your about section to list off your values, work ethic, ability to deliver what a client wants, and any other crucial soft skills you may possess.
• Your portfolio: Your portfolio will vary depending on your freelance work. Whatever the shape and size, though, if you can house it on your website, you absolutely should. In addition, include information regarding what each project is and what the client was asking for.

Along with the essentials, you can also use your website to house a company blog. This doesn’t just serve as an opportunity to beef up your portfolio, either. If successful, it can even be a way to further market yourself and monetize your freelance efforts.

Creating a Killer Freelance Website

From establishing a professional aura to creating a base of operations, building your personal brand, and making yourself more discoverable, there are many, many reasons that a successful, long-term freelancer should have a website.

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While you can still find work, and even success, without a freelance website, the opportunities and benefits of a quality website are simply too good to pass up without a good reason. Add onto that the fact that there are numerous affordable, easy-to-use website builders available at this point, and creating a site for your freelance business career becomes a no-brainer.