Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Personal Website
Meta Description: Every freelancer should have their own website so that they can showcase their skills and unique selling point to their potential customers. Due to the pandemic, and remote work becoming a norm, many people are doing freelance hustles. This means the market has become quite saturated. So, as a full-time freelancer, how do you plan to not fall into this sea of mediocrity?
Well, the simple answer to this question is to have a personal website and build your personal brand. Having an organized website with your name, you would sound more professional and credible. It will not only help you become an authoritative figure but will allow you to stand out and build your own loyal customer base.
If you’re wondering how to create a personal website, first you must understand why it is an absolute need for freelancers. Here are a few reasons that will explain to you why every freelancer should have a personal website!
Read also: how to create a personal website – a detailed guide.
Why Do Freelancers Need a Website?
Builds Your Personal Brand
A website is not merely your presence on the internet. It is your branding that tells people who you are and what you do. You can share your story, your beliefs, what you want to achieve, and who you are in person through your website. With this, you will be able to show the human side of yours to your potential customers. It would tell them that there is a genuine person behind and they would be able to better connect with you. Because of this branding, you can grab the attention of more clients.
Let’s face it. The overall perception about freelancing is still doubtful because of the scams. But if you have a personal site, you would sound credible. Imagine a brand selling stuff online by posting pictures on Facebook and another one having a neat and organized eCommerce website. Obviously, you would go with the latter, as it sounds more authentic and genuine.
The same goes for selling your services as a freelancer. You gain credibility as well as authority over your niche when you have a personal website. It presents your areas of expertise and showcases your testimonials, so the readers see you as a trustworthy source. Moreover, if you do blogging and share your knowledge about the subject, you can become an authoritative figure in the niche.
Showcases Your Unique Selling Proposition
Since social and freelancing platforms are becoming more and more crowded, it is quite difficult to market the services you provide. So, a personal website also gives you the chance to stand out in a sea of mediocrity. Through your website, you can showcase and emphasize your unique selling proposition. It will gain you a competitive edge over others. There are various ways you can show off your USP. Here’s how to do that:
- Firstly, find out your USP. It can be anything that you can do best. For instance, if you’re a writer, having a humorous tone can be your USP.
- You can also show them the tools you can work with.
- Your quick response to queries and delivering orders in minimal time can also be USP.
- Add testimonials to validate your USP.
- Display your knowledge through blogging or sending newsletters to the clients.
- Present your sample work on your site, so that people know how you will deliver what you promise.
Present Your Work to the World
If you are using freelance or social platforms for getting work, you might not have a proper channel for displaying your work. For this, a personal website would work best. You can easily create your portfolio on your website for presenting your samples to the world. It will provide you with multiple benefits. Firstly, by seeing your work, your potential clients will themselves reach you rather than you approaching them. Secondly, they would already know what they should expect from you. And most importantly, publishing your work with your name would protect it from being stolen or someone else claiming its copyrights.
Helps You Win High Paying Gigs
Having a website with your portfolio and social proofs means more diverse customers can reach you. This will give you a competitive edge as you will get clients who would be willing to pay you more than the freelance platforms set rates. Moreover, because of direct communication and no third-party involvement, you would not have to pay a share to anyone.
It will also help you in increasing the customer retention rate as you will build a loyal client base. Due to this, you would no longer experience any dry spells with no work. Therefore, a personal website not only wins you high-paying gigs but will make sure you never experience dry spells.
Add an Earnings Stream
In addition to that, your website can also become another earning stream for you. Now, there are various ways you can monetize your website. One way to do that is to build your blog with a substantial following. Then you would be able to run ads on it and can also share affiliate content to earn a commission. Another way to earn through your site is to create digital products and sell them to your followers.
This could include an informative ebook, a whitepaper, an online course, a template, or any other useful item for your subscribers. Moreover, you can also earn while building the authority of your website. This would require you to write guest posts for others in the same niche as yours. Therefore, your personal website can be a great earning stream for you.
Final Thoughts – Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Personal Website
Having a personal website is a necessity for every freelancer. Here we highlighted some of the reasons why freelancers need a website. Firstly, you would be able to build your brand image through the website. Secondly, you would gain authority and credibility.
Also, you can showcase your USP to potential customers and share your portfolio with them. Moreover, a personal website can give you the opportunity to land high-paying gigs and retain customers. Lastly, you can also monetize your website to make it another workable earning stream.
