If you’ve been offering your services online, you are likely considering getting a website for your freelance business.
Not only by having a website makes you look more professional and credible but it also allows you to have full control over things like the look of your website and how you want your visitors to interact with it.
Plus there’s just so much potential for what you can do with your website.
However, like most good things in life, it does require some investment in time, effort and some money.
And those reasons are probably what’s holding you back.
As your fellow freelancer and someone who’s been there, if you ask me,
Is it worth it?
My answer would be, absolutely yes!
I enjoyed the process of building my website: from writing the web content and designing the layouts of each page.
Now I have a blog section where I update regularly, and that’s the part what I enjoy most. I get to share my writings and favourite topics to talk about in blog posts, such as this.
Not many people enjoy the first stage of building a website. If you’re willing to splurge a little bit, you can always hire a web designer and a web content writer to help you in the initial stage of building your website.
Having a website of your own as a freelancer comes with tons of benefits, many advantages that outweigh the initial investment.
To make it easy for you to take on that next leap in your freelancing journey, I’ll be sharing 8 powerful reasons why you should have a website as a freelancer.
You might want to go grab yourself a cup of coffee for this one.
#1 You have full control over your website
Consider the social media channels and freelancing platforms you use to promote your services.
How many times were changes made on those platforms that made you have to keep learning and adapting your strategies?
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that goes,
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
If you’re offering your services on platforms like UpWork on Fiverr, then you’re probably aware that these platforms are always changing their system and user policies.
Recently, Fiverr closed down its buyer request section. Upwork also adopted this connect system that seems to stir quite an outrage from many of their users on LinkedIn.
Anything can happen on these platforms that could severely impact your earning potential. What if Instagram disappears tomorrow? Or your Fiverr account gets suspended?
What happens to your reputation and client base you tirelessly worked so hard to build?
While you may still want to keep your existing accounts, it’s always good to have a safety net to fall back on. That’s why having your website can serve as a powerful backup for unforeseeable circumstances on those platforms.
When you have your website, you own it. It’s yours, as long as you decide to keep it. You don’t have to worry about changes in algorithms or user policies.
Unlike social media and freelancing platforms, you have full control over the content, display, navigation and overall feel of your business website.
#2 You can showcase your work and skills more effectively
When you have a website, you will have the ability to showcase your work much more effectively.
There are no constraining limits to the number of links, text or media to display as opposed to platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Fiverr.
Here are some examples of how some freelancers can display their work:
- Freelance writers can effectively showcase their writing skills in their blog posts.
- Website designers can showcase actual live websites they’ve designed for their clients.
- Graphic designers can display their designs by categories such as logos, book cover design and more.
There are tons of ways you can display your work on your website. You can also collect testimonials from your clients and display them on your homepage ans a dedicated testimonial page.
You can gradually grow your website and your reputation as you get more clients and projects.
#3 It helps you stand out from the crowd
Having a website shows how serious you are in your freelance business and helps you stand out from the crowd.
Imagine handing out a business card and as a link, you’re leading them to an Instagram page or one of the freelance platforms you use.
Doesn’t look very impressive, does it?
Handing out a link to an actual website with your business name will create a more impactful impression.
Also, if you are applying for a job, having your official website link on your CV will give you an edge against many of the other applicants.
Owning a website as a freelancer will appeal more to potential clients and recruiters.
And if you have an outstanding website, they would fight to hire you!
#4 Attract clients from search engines
By not having a website, you’re limiting yourself from a huge source of potential clients.
Instead of finding clients and spending time pitching to them, let them come to you.
How?
Well, rank your website on powerful search engines like Google.
You can gain SEO knowledge and apply the techniques to rank your website on the first page of search results.
I must tell you though that this method does take time.
Alternatively, spend a little money on SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and you can rank on the first page when potential clients type in specific keywords.
For example, if you’re a graphic designer based in Abu Dhabi you can pay Google to rank you when a potential client searches for “Abu Dhabi graphic designer”.
How cool is that?
By not having a website, you’re missing out on easier ways of obtaining clients.
#5 Create multiple revenue streams, on top of freelancing
On top of being paid for your services, your website has the potential to create multiple income streams.
I know a blogger who makes $10,000 per month as a passive income.
Imagine your website generating money while you’re sleeping.
There are multiple ways to monetize your website. Here are some of the ways you can do it:
- Join affiliate marketing networks. You can recommend products or services from your affiliate network to your visitors and earn a commission when they click the links of those products or make a purchase.
- Open an e-commerce store. You can open an online store on your website and sell things like digital products, courses, branded merch or other company products.
- Sell ad space. If your website is generating enough traffic, you can sell some of your website space. This means other businesses will use that space to display their ads and you’ll get some revenue from it.
Having a website opens a huge potential to earn much more money than what you’re probably making right now.
By having that kind of financial freedom, you’ll eventually be able to reduce your workload and have a healthier work-life balance.
#6 You can gain new skills in the process of building and maintaining your website
You’ll always be learning something new as you build and maintain your website. All these new skills and knowledge will help you advance your career as a freelancer.
Here are some valuable skills you will learn:
- Copywriting and content writing
- Website development and maintenance
- Google Analytics
- Search engine optimization
- Digital Marketing
If you have some budget, you can also outsource some of the tasks you really need help with.
By expanding your knowledge and skill set, your value as a freelancer increases, making you more appealing to potential clients.
#7 Save time by cutting back on calls, meetings and messages
You can showcase your skills, services, pricing, and industry experience all in one place on your website.
Having a website allows prospects to see if you’re the right person they’re looking for before deciding to contact you, thus eliminates time spent on calling, meetings and back-and-forth messages.
#8 You can charge way more
As you upskill and build your reputation on your website, you can justify the higher pricing for your services.
This is especially after you’ve built your reputation and have a lot of past projects and client testimonials to showcase.
When you start attracting more potential clients to your website, you’ll gain the freedom to choose who you decide to work with.
Thus making your career as a freelancer much more enjoyable and wholesome.
That concludes 8 powerful reasons why you should have a website as a freelancer.
I truly hope you found this list useful and will help you make an informed decision.