The 4 Top Reasons for a Freelancer's Personal Website
Online, March 2, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Many freelancers disregard the idea of building their own website for various reasons. Lack of time, knowledge or doubts about how much benefit the page could have are some of these reasons. Neglecting the idea of a personal website, however, robs you of one of the most powerful online marketing tools. A personal website can be a great way to promote your work. Still, many freelancers doubt its impact. Here are the 4 top reasons behind why you need a personal website as a freelancer:
1) It's as good as free
Freelancers have a lot to juggle at once, especially when it comes down to their finances. Fortunately for you, effective online marketing can cost you next to nothing as long as you put your mind and efforts in it. Tools like Cargo Collective and Wordpress have gained in popularity over the last few years and offer anyone a chance to make their personal page for free. The costs for a domain name are negligibly low, starting at as low as $0.99 a year. Web hosting starts at $3.99 per month on GoDaddy, which is one of the most popular online registrars. Here's a way to think about these costs - even if your personal website brings in only one new customer, you've already covered your yearly costs. And a freelancer's website hast the potential for so much more.
2) It lets your clients find you
Not every job or contract gets posted online or advertised for. Sometimes potential clients will be proactive and look for experts online. Having your own website will therefore increase your chances to be found instead of having to look for new contacts. And guess what - if you don't have your name up there when a potential employer looks for a freelancer, someone else will. This brings us to our next point:
3) Your competition is doing it
As in any other business, freelancers have to look at what their competitors are doing. You simply can't afford to fall behind. If there are 100 freelancers doing web design in your region and half of them don't have a personal website, guess which half you want to belong to when a potential client does a keyword search.
4) It presents your work without limitations
Finally, a website is only limited by your own imagination. Although having a social media presence can be quite helpful, a site is your main hub. It's not Twitter or Facebook, you don't have to worry about having a limit of 140 signs or being too annoying with updates. A website can have a lot of content that is relevant to your clients. Including samples of your work, testimonials, or places where you have previously worked are just a few things that come to mind. A website can represent you and your business in the fullest and most personalized way possible.
Spending a bit of time and effort on your own site is definitely worth it as a freelancer. There are, however, many ways to make your website more attractive, informative and generally better. If this article inspired you to start working on your online presence, don't forget to tune in next week for our tips on how to make an amazing website to advertise and support the business of you.