Reality is freelance. did you know During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a third of the American workforce contributed $1.2 trillion to the economy through self-employment, an increase of 22% since 2019. Additionally, it is projected that by 2027, the self-employed they will be the majority, with more than 86 million self-employed people in the United States.
So, whether you work exclusively on a freelance basis or take on additional side projects alongside your full-time job, you’re joining a growing population of successful, creative, and no-strings-attached crafters looking for alternatives. flexible. to traditional employment.
In addition, innovation and the growth of technology have made the work environment more fruitful for freelancers: 42% of freelancers found work on social media. In this unpredictable nature of the economy during pandemic times, freelancing is increasingly valuable.
And you freelance writers, bloggers, and web content writers, we see you. We know you’re out there, coloring the world with your beautiful language and light bulb ideas. We need you now more than ever!
But since freelancers must do their own marketing legwork, you must take advantage of all the tools available to build a prolific writing business. One of the biggest weapons in your arsenal? A relevant web presence. Forget checking job ads: establishing an online presence and displaying a strong virtual resume is vital to getting seen and earning $$$.
How to do your best and say the right thing better online? A first class website. For writers, a great freelance writer website is a make or break tool for getting leads on quality writing jobs. And we’ll show you how to do it.
With a website, you can flaunt your talent and personality, create sustainable sales, develop your writing portfolio, and connect with potential and returning customers, building your business and financial success all in one place. place.
Why is it important to have a good website for freelance writers?
So wait. Back. You’re a writer, you know, good pen and paper. So why do you need a website in the first place? With a well-built freelance writing website, you can:
- Exhibit your portfolio online. One of the most significant advantages of creating a freelance writer website is having a living portfolio that is easily accessible online. Potential clients can access your work and, through a wide range of content, get a sense of your style, voice, and writing ability. Plus, they can see your past work and lots of relevant content that will help them trust you with their business.
- Increase brand visibility. Your website is a visible showcase for your writing ability and a crucial tool for establishing brand awareness. With a powerful online presence, visitors don’t have to search to discover information about your offerings. Not only does it make it possible for people to find you online, but your website also helps you build likeability. With great and engaging content, visitors start to care about you and your work and will be entertained by the prospect of working with you. It illustrates your legitimacy as a professional writer and helps position you as an authority in your field. By making your work accessible, you broaden your visibility and provide social proof, which, in turn, increases your chances of landing a rewarding freelance writing job. With the competitive nature of freelancing in times of COVID, you need an edge.
- Strengthen brand legitimacy. Let’s be realistic. Businesses without a website or internet presence tend to raise some red flags in the ecommerce ecosystem, right? Everything is on the web. These days, a dot com is an essential requirement in the business world. If Internet users can’t find their virtual corner of the web, customers looking for a particular product or service will instantly think, “Can we trust that business if it’s not online in an all-digital age?”
It’s obvious that if you want to do business and market a product or service in the world we live in, potential customers need to be able to find it with just a couple of clicks from their browser. So, at a very basic level, having a website helps establish your brand as a legitimate business, rather than just operating as a hobbyist or letting customers trust what they glean from your social media presence. Also, the better you outfit your site with great content and strong visuals, the more it will increase legitimacy and work in your favor. Therefore, to bless your results and gain the trust of internet visitors, it is crucial to demonstrate not only your tech-savvy web skills, but also your ability to establish a professional and valuable web presence.
Still have questions? We understand. Let’s fix the possible repairs.
We know you’re wondering: should I have a freelance writing website if I’m just starting out? The short answer: No. BUT: Having an established site for your freelance writing (your services and showcase portfolio) is the best way to build a marketing funnel and establish a legitimate, cohesive, and authoritative brand. It’s a clear way to do your best and ensure quality writing.
Okay, but wait. It’s 2022, you say. Can’t I just use social media, like a LinkedIn company page, instead of a website to promote my writing business? Sure. But a website, even a simple one, is a good idea. With a well-established freelance writer website, you build authority as a brand and increase your chances of being seen by potential clients. They will be able to contact you easily. Plus, you’ll own all the content on your site, something that’s not always true of social networking sites.
Building a high-performing, slick-looking freelance writer’s website may seem like a chore. overwhelming. . But putting in the effort to set up a website is an investment with guaranteed returns. A place to be admired and get hired.
Related: Want to Build a Website This Year? Here’s Your Game Plan
How to Create a Great Freelance Writer Website in Seven Steps
As we said, create a compelling freelance writer website It doesn’t have to be rocket science or too time intensive. We’ll show you how to set up a website in seven easy steps.
1. Brand Your Business
Time to pick a name, business owner! If you’re branding yourself and marketing your skills, you can use your own name, but ask yourself some of the following general questions before defining a nickname: Would you ever sell your business? Even if you’re not entirely sure of your long-term business plan, you probably have an idea if you ever intend to pass the torch on your writing business or include the services or products of others along with your business. If you’ve entertained the idea of selling your brand one day or partnering up, don’t brand yourself with your own name. Obviously, that is exclusive to you and will not carry over. Also, if your name is difficult to spell, pronounce, or remember, consider the possible confusion in using your name that could cost your business.
But again, your personal name can help make your brand unique, as potential customers can set you apart from other common name writing companies. So consider your options before jumping into a random brand or trade name. You never know how you will grow, adapt, and change in your freelance writing business. So you’ll want to choose carefully to set yourself up for long-term success.
2. Choose a content management system
Now that you have your brand’s fancy new name tag, you need a content management system (CMS) to make it easy to create and publish your content. content on the web. . The best part? You don’t have to know how to program a single line of code to use one! Take WordPress, for example, one of the most popular content management systems on the web (powering over 43% of the Internet!)
Related: What is WordPress? Everything you need to know about the platform
With the WordPress platform, you can create and manage your web content without the pressure of a steep learning curve: you can set up a website with little or no technical knowledge.
3. Register a domain and set up hosting
Okay, you’ve decided you want to use WordPress, and you’re full of great content ideas. Good to go, right? Well, first, you need to find your site on the web so that visitors can see your content and interact with it. All those great ideas will be of no use if your website is not available online. That means you need two very critical components: a domain name and a hosting provider. A domain is the unique web address where your website can be found. This is what visitors will type into their browser to navigate to your site (eg www.dreamhost.com). Your domain is unique to your website and must match your brand or business name. You should also consider your choice of top-level domain, i.e. .com or .blog or dot-whatever, to position yourself as an authority in search engine rankings. Regardless of the domain name you choose, you purchase it through a registrar. Next, you need a hosting provider. Hosting companies sell one-of-a-kind plans to you that include space on a server so your website has a place to live online. Without a server, your website will not be available to visit. For the best chance of getting quality gigs, you need a quality hosting provider.
There are many providers out there, but only DreamHost can offer you the best of the best: unique features, high-performance technology, and responsive support. Plus, we make things easy: domain registration and hosting services under one roof and one-click WordPress installations. With shared hosting, simply check the “Pre-install WordPress” box during registration and boom! We install it for you.
Shared hosting provides ambitious WordPress beginners with everything they need to build a great freelance writing website that gets them hired. Even better? Our shared hosting plans start at just $1.99 per month.
4. Choose a WordPress theme
It’s time to equip your website with a WordPress theme. The theme you select not only dictates the overall look and feel of your site (although it does), it also determines what kind of functionality your site will have. The right theme will allow you to control and customize your website to your exact specifications and niche. Browse the WordPress theme directory or search for WordPress theme developers to find and install your perfect theme.
5. Decide What Content Your Site Needs
So what does your freelance writer website need? What are the must-have content and features that are relevant to your niche? It’s time to make a plan. While you have the freedom to customize your website according to your brand and personality, there are some essential pages your site must have in order to set it up for the best possible business success:
- Page Home – An attractive, easy-to-navigate home page that can direct visitors and potential customers to important parts of your website.
- Online Portfolio : Your website should be a strong and structured way to demonstrate your skills as a professional writer. A vital feature, not an asset, of your website is a specially dedicated and easy-to-find portfolio section where you can showcase relevant published work and demonstrate your writing capabilities.
- Services : Website visitors need to know about the product or services that your company offers. Give potential clients a clear, detailed description of the specific writing services you specialize in.
- About: Don’t be a robot behind a computer screen . Show off your writing skills, let potential clients and visitors get to know you, and help them get familiar with your unique voice with an engaging and humanizing Get to Know Me section. Showcase your accomplishments and passion for what you do, but also share what makes you unique.
- Contact: How can potential customers contact you? Make your contact information easy to find and use.
Now that you’ve set up your essential pages, you can go further to take your freelance writer website to the next level. While you should avoid non-essentials, you may want to consider adding the following optional (but useful) pages:
- Customers – Mention your current customers on your website it’s a great way to demonstrate social proof and establish your authority in the field. Think of it as a virtual word of mouth recommendation.
- Testimonials: The power of a good review cannot be underestimated, especially in an online environment. Confidently displaying the positive feedback you’ve received from clients in your field about your writing services can be great fodder for snagging new clients and more writing jobs. It’s okay to honk your own horn.
- Blog: In addition to your portfolio, you can showcase your writing skills and unique voice with a content-rich blog. The extra effort and value you provide your visitors with relevant blog content can be an investment with great returns.
- Summary: Allow visitors and potential customers to see a list with bullet points of your skills and achievements with an easy-to-view CV.
- Frequently Asked Questions – If you want to answer potentially common questions about your work or services or provide more specific details to potential clients about what you offer, consider adding an FAQ section.
- Downloads/Freebies: Making free, downloadable items available to your site visitors demonstrates that you go above and beyond to deliver value, demonstrating the high-quality nature of your freelance business .
Finally, consider price: If you want to be explicit on your site about the cost of your services, be transparent, honest, and confident in the value of your work. Or, if you have bespoke service options, you can keep costs to a minimum and invite interested visitors to contact you for a quote.
6 . Create the content
It’s time to start creating! You know the adage: content is king. Live for it. You need to fill your website with rich content to drive traffic and prove yourself as a business. Fill out the content on your must-have pages first, and then continue to provide valuable content on a regular basis. As important as creating content is to create it intelligently, that is, to use it so that potential customers find it. How to do that? Use of keywords. Consider: what are the relevant topics and search terms related to your field? Being smart about how you use common search phrases and terms in your content will allow you to rank for good rankings and better search engine optimization. So do your research and incorporate common search terms into your content. Use tools like Google’s comprehensive (and free!) Keyword Planner to create high-traffic website content with smart keyword research and create a solid content marketing strategy. Also, consider the tone of your content. Does it appropriately and uniquely represent your brand? Does it show your experience and/or personality? One of the most marketable tools in your writing repertoire is your voice – use it wisely. Show what potential customers get out of your unique skills by being mindful and intentional about your tone.
7. Launch
Celebrate! Toast yourself, do a little dance, pat yourself on the back. You did it! Your website is up and running! You should be proud. We know that having something alive, breathing on the web can be stressful. Don’t worry that your website is not perfect. The important thing is that it is there.
Remember, you can always refine and adjust over time. More importantly, people can start to find you, and you have something you can improve on.
Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up Your Writer Website
When you start out with your website, there’s an inevitable learning curve to be faced. Some things just take time to learn. You will improve with time. But guess that? We want you to be successful, as soon as possible. So here’s some insider knowledge: a list of what not to do when setting up your freelance writer website. Avoid these big hoopla, and you’ll be one step ahead of attracting quality writing jobs.
1. Bad Images
Let’s talk some science. A large part of our brain is dedicated to processing visual content. 80% of people remember what they see (compared to 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read). ‘t. Not having images as part of your freelance writer website is a BIG no-no. But even more so, having bad images can derail your chance of building a successful freelance writing business. Judgments about a company’s credibility are 75% based on the design of the company’s website, so take seriously the first impression you’re making with your images. Your images should reflect the quality work you offer, showing that you are trustworthy for potential clients and their money. To benefit from the engaging and traffic-generating powers of great images, select quality images, a strong visual structure, and remember: white space is good space.
2. CTA Problems
When visitors come to your website, you want them to do something. But if you don’t ask them to do anything, they’ll click and you won’t get any business. not ideal. Even if you have great writing skills and great website design, having confusing, conflicting, or non-existent CTAs (70% of small business websites lack a CTA) will hurt your chances of growing your business.
So think: what do you need visitors to do to get writing jobs for your business? Whether you’re signing up for an email list, filling out a contact form, or viewing your portfolio of work, make sure your CTA is visible, clear, and focused.
3. Sloppy Formatting
You’re not just a freelancer, you’re a brand.As such, your potential customers expect a level of professionalism from you, so they need to see that the moment they click through to your site. Paired with clear navigation, a focused visual structure, and a frictionless contact funnel, your website should be sharp, sleek, and polished.
Even as a freelancer, a free-spirited entrepreneur, you need to channel those suit-and-tie vibes into your website to earn the trust of potential customers. No sloppy formatting, no copy full of errors or too casual design. Worry about the details. If you want people to trust you with their money, you have to be professional. Thoughtful formatting not only helps your site design make a great first impression (remember those eye-opening stats on images?), it also helps people see you as a trustworthy business.
Related: How to Create a Brand Style Guide for Your Website
4. TMI (too much information)
Don’t get us wrong; it’s great to be personable and relatable. A critical part of your brand’s success is your likeability. You want to be a person to visitors and potential customers, not just a writing robot behind a screen.
But your website is not your online journal.
Refrain from sharing too much personal information or content that is irrelevant to your field. Instead, focus on your content and be strategic about what you choose to share, all with the goal of building your business and winning customers in mind.
5. No Target Audience
You’ve got a brand new freelance writer website and you’re ready to drive traffic and, ideally, new business. But who are you trying to reach through your website? What kind of people are you looking to attract? In simple terms: who is your target audience?
Your success largely depends on how you focus your efforts on building a business. If you cast too wide a net, you won’t be able to effectively target the high-quality customers you want. So before you start looking to generate traffic, identify your goal.
6. Weak Copy
You’re a writer. Expert writing is your talent, your money-making tool, and your passion. That being said, every aspect of your website should reflect your skills as a writer. Lackluster, weak copy won’t win you customers, build trust, or attract visitors. In fact, you will send leads to your competitors.
Take extra care, even meticulous care, to make sure your copy is strong, attractive, and polished. Whether you’re writing blog posts, articles, or landing page copy, don’t just improvise: write and rewrite, find a second set of eyes for outside observation, and edit, edit, edit. The strength of your copy will make or break your business.
7. Infrequent Updates
Reality check: Building a money-making freelance writing website isn’t a one-time affair. Just like software needs regular updates, so does your website. Regular updates not only help you in terms of SEO but also keep things relevant and professional. Update blog content, test plugins, ask for feedback, and use site analytics frequently to tune your performance for the best user experience. Know that you won’t always get it right the first time; continually seek to improve all aspects of your website.
Related: The Complete Guide to Cleaning Up Your WordPress Website
Helpful Website Starting Resources for Writers
Don’t worry, we’re not going to throw you to the wolves of the web without a few more top-notch tools for your burgeoning freelance writing website. Here, we offer you a curated roundup, a well-stocked toolbox of useful virtual resources aimed at helping you achieve your goals.
Web Hosting
We know we’ve mentioned this before, but a good web host can make all the difference to the success of your freelance writing business. It’s true. A reliable hosting provider can not only help make content creation easy, but can also make managing your website a breeze, allowing you to focus on the more crucial aspects of running your writing business.
With DreamHost’s shared hosting plans, we offer you those benefits and more, including 24/7 support, high-performance technology, and affordable options. Choosing a hosting provider is one of the first choices you’ll make on your journey – make it a smart choice with DreamHost.
Logo
As we’ve said, your freelance writing business is just that: a business. And most companies are easily identified by a unique marker: their logo. Think of any famous company – Nike, Apple, McDonald’s – you can quickly think of their logo just by seeing the name, right? Or would you be able to easily distinguish it if you only saw the telltale image of the logo? Having your own logo is an integral part of establishing and building your brand. It is essential for consistency, visibility and growth.But do not worry; creating one that your visitors love is not difficult.
Brand Colors
In addition to your logo, you should establish a color palette that is unique of your brand. This will help make your website and materials feel cohesive and professional and can even help you grow your business by highlighting relevant sections or CTAs with specific colors. Choosing your brand colors is as easy as 1-2-3, but remember to be intentional with your personal branding choices.
Stock Images
We’ve already emphasized how important images are in helping drive traffic and attract visitors. So where do you get professional looking images and other visual elements? Try Pexels or Unsplash for high-resolution, royalty-free photos, or find a photographer to take some for you. If you’re ambitious, follow a DIY home photography guide to snap your own for cheap. And remember, copyright rules rule, so keep things legal. Give credit where credit is due and don’t steal.
Photo Editing
You don’t have to be an Adobe Photoshop master to give your images that extra push. Crop, adjust and enhance your photos to improve composition and make your website images a powerful tool to earn your business. Try some simple photo editing tricks in the software of your choice.
Icons
Like other types of images, the icons or symbols on your site Websites can make it easy for visitors to find exactly what they’re looking for, whether it’s your social media pages, portfolio or contact form, without ever having to navigate menus or copy. They are a universal language! Get cool icons at sites like The Noun Project, Creative Market, or for free at Flat Icon.
Design
Your freelance writer’s website should have your own unique feeling. After all, you are your unique brand. Your design incorporates not only your design, but also the style of your copy, images, and navigation. A well-designed website is carefully thought out for maximum functionality and aesthetics, and we’ve got the guide to help you make it look stylish.
If you don’t have an eye for design, DreamHost can help. We have partnered with the experts at RipeConcepts, a leading web design company, to offer professional web design services to our users.
The last word
Now, we’ll reveal the results of our crystal ball reading: We see a brilliant (and prolific) freelance writing career ahead! Landing quality writing jobs can take a bit of legwork in building a website, but with a well-built site, you’re well on your way to new clients and a growing portfolio.
Because your success is our success, DreamHost offers you the perfect hosting packages to start your journey and help you get back on your feet. Check out our comprehensive shared hosting plans to start taking your career to the next level with a freelance writing website.
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