When I started my career as a freelance writer, I didn’t have a personal website. And when I finally did create one, it was only because I had to apply for jobs. As time went on, however, my site became an important marketing tool — an opportunity to show potential clients who I am and what kind of work I do. While some writers find that creating their website is intimidating or time-consuming, here are some tips for making the process easier:
The first step in creating an excellent personal website is choosing a reliable and affordable host. An ideal hosting platform will:
- Have 24/7 support from real people who are knowledgeable about WordPress. Most hosts will offer phone, chat, and email support and live chat on their websites or forums. You want to be able to get help when you need it and not have to wait for someone else to take care of things for you or be stuck trying to figure out how something works yourself.
Be reliable and fast. You want your website to be up when people visit it, not down because of server issues. A good host will also have plenty of bandwidth so that your site doesn’t slow down under heavy traffic or if you add a lot of content.
2. Select an Appealing Design (That's Mobile Friendly)
If you’re looking to build your website, you’ll want to ensure that it’s mobile-friendly. This means that users will have an easy time navigating as they view your site on a mobile device.
. You also don’t want visitors getting sent back to the home page when they try accessing a page that doesn’t exist anymore.
It’s possible that this could happen if you use a free website builder like Wix or Squarespace without adding custom mobile templates for each section of your site (like our guide on making a personal website with Wix).
Luckily, there are some easy ways around these issues:
- Use an app like this from Google that will help test whether your site is correctly optimized for mobile devices based on its speed and how it responds when resized appropriately (e.g., when smaller screens are used).
3. Show Potential Clients Who You Are
The next step is to show off who you are. You can use your blog to highlight your personality, interests, work experience, or education.
If you’ve built a portfolio of projects or do something creative for fun (and have documentation), this is also a great place to feature that work.
Finally, include contact information so clients can get in touch!
If you’re looking for more information on creating an effective website, check out this blog post.
4. Share Content that Piques Their Interest
You don’t have to share everything. You only need to share the most relevant, exciting, valuable content that fits your brand and helps you stand out.
Here are some ideas for what you might want to include on your website:
- Your resume (or a link to it)
- A list of accomplishments or awards gained during your career
- You write articles or blog posts
- A portfolio of any design work that might be relevant
5. Link to Sites with Related Content
If you’re a blogger, this is a no-brainer: link to blogs with similar content and write about the same topics. If you’re not a blogger, think of other websites relevant to your field of work or interest and link to them. For example, if I were starting my blog about marketing tips for small businesses in New York City, I would want it on my site so that people could find me easily when they searched Google for “marketing strategies for small businesses” (or something like that).
6. Make a personal website that shows off your style
Having a personal website is like having your web page on the internet. It’s a great way to share your work and showcase your personality, but it can be tough to create something that works for you if you’re unsure how to get started. Here are some tips for making a personal website that stands out:
- Show off your style with some custom design. You can use images of yourself and make sure the site looks professional or playful; the choice is yours!
- Make it easy for people to navigate. Use links between pages so visitors can easily find new content since there will likely be many things they want to check out over time as they get familiar with this platform (and as time goes by). Please make sure there are links within each page so that people who want additional information have immediate access to it; this will better enable them—should they need more assistance later on: They can bookmark the page itself to help them find their way around when they return.
Creating your website will help you connect with potential clients and land new gigs.
Creating your website will give you a way to showcase your work and share your personality. It’s also an excellent way to show prospective clients you’re professional. And best of all, it’s easy to set up!
Here are five steps to start creating your website:
- Decide on a platform. You’ll need to decide whether you want to use WordPress or Squarespace, as both platforms offer free plans (though upgrading is necessary if you want advanced features).
- Once you’ve chosen the right venue, head over and sign up for an account.
- Choose the type of site design that matches how much effort/money you want to put into building it.
- Start adding content.
- Create social media accounts so people can follow what’s happening on this new project.
Conclusion
Creating a personal website can be an exciting and challenging task, but it will continue to pay off as your career progresses. If you start with the right tools and focus on creating the best possible experience for potential clients, you’ll soon find yourself booking more gigs than ever!
