Freelance Writer Website: Do You Really Need One?
Do I really need a freelance writer website?
It’s one of the most commonly asked questions by new freelance writers. As with everything, there is also a debate.
Before I jump in, here is my stance: yes, I absolutely believe that you need a freelance writer website. If you are interested in why you need a freelance writer website and how to create your freelance writer website, keep on reading.
As for everything, there are always exceptions to the rule. Yes, there are seasoned and successful freelance writers who never had a website or didn’t have one starting out. I personally know a B2B writer who is making 250-300K a year and still doesn’t have a freelance writer website or even a published portfolio about a decade in. She built her business through connections, networking, and word-of-mouth, and it’s still working for her. That’s awesome. What works for one, may not work for most of us though.
There are so many benefits of a freelance writer website that it would be silly not to have one. Some writers will tell you that having a portfolio on Contently or elsewhere is enough. Sure, it can work. But a freelance writer website has so many added benefits compared to a simple portfolio page, it can help you stand out and get clients better than just a stand-alone portfolio.
But it’s such a pain to set it up. Do you really need a freelance writer website?
Decide for yourself! Read on to learn about the benefits of having a freelance writing website. You will also learn why it’s not a pain, but actually pretty easy to create a freelance writer website.
Why Do You Need a Freelance Writer Website?
Let’s get started with the benefits of a freelance writer website.
Your Freelance Writer Website Serves as a Portfolio
Your freelance writing website showcases your very best work. What about Contently and other similar portfolio platforms? Sure, Contently has its benefits. Here is the problem though. Contently pulls all your work from the web to one place. It also looks a bit chaotic. Your best work is somewhere in the mix. But it’s not even at the top. It’s hidden somewhere among mediocre, less relevant, and older work. Also, Contently doesn’t work if you are a ghostwriter.
The portfolio page on your freelance website can showcase your best and most relevant work. You are in full control of what your portfolio on your freelance writing website looks like. You can create categories as you will. You can add images, blurbs, and explanations if you feel like it.
Your portfolio has to be high-quality and super relevant to your clients. I am sure your blog post about cats is cute, but if you are a B2B writer, your clients won’t care about it. Spotlight your very best freelance writing work to wow your client.
Your Freelance Writer Website Matters to Your Clients
You may not think that you need a freelance writer website. Your clients may think otherwise. When applying for a traditional W2 job, you need to send a resume or CV showcasing your work experience, education, and extracurriculars — even if they are completely irrelevant to the position. Your resume is a representation of you.
When it comes to freelance writing, resumes don’t play a role. (Tip: Never send a resume when connecting with a freelance writing client or applying for a freelance writing gig!) Your website is your resume. It is the representation of you.
Just think about it. When you are looking for a restaurant, hairstylist, or anything else, you will turn to Google. You will click on their website to learn about their business and services. If you see it fit, only then, you will contact them. It’s the same for freelance writing. You need a freelance writer website because it helps your clients to get to know you, your skills, and your services, and decide if you may be the right fit.
Your Freelance Writer Website Is Important Real Estate
This brings me to my next point. Your freelance writing website can help you show up on Google. Yes, a freelance writer website has benefits even if it ranks nowhere near the first pages of Google. Even if you are ranked on the 150th page, you can still send your website to your potential clients when cold-emailing or applying for gigs. Your freelance writer website will allow them to get to know you.
But why waste precious real estate on Google? You can optimize your freelance writing website for SEO. Consider keywords that are relevant to your niche. Consider keywords that your clients may be searching for. If you rank on Google, more clients will be reaching out to you and you need to do less outreach. In short, you need a freelance writer website for visibility.
Bonus benefit: There isn’t a better way to convenience your clients of your SEO skills than a highly optimized freelance writer website. If your own website ranks well, your client can trust that you can help them rank too.
Your Freelance Writer Website Works 24 of the Day
You only have so many hours of the day. You absolutely cannot work 24 hours every day. And you shouldn’t even work even a third of that. But guess who doesn’t need sleep? Your website!
You need a freelance website because it works even when you don’t. It is your full-time assistant. If your website is SEO optimized and you rank high for keywords, you can gain leads even while watching Netflix or sleeping. You never know who is searching for those keywords and who decides to reach out to you once they see your awesome freelance writing website.
This works even if your website is not optimized or is not ranking. Showcase your website url on your Linkedin and other social media. You will be surprised how many people will click on the link and take a look around your website. When clients see your byline and like what they see, chances are they will click on your freelance writing website link or Google your name. You need a freelance writer website, because clients can stumble on it in all kinds of ways at any time of the day.
Your Freelance Writer Websites Is a Great Place to Publish Your Work
If you are a new freelance writer, you may be worried about your slim portfolio and the lack of past clients. Worry no more. Your freelance writing website may be a great outlet to publish some work. This may not be a reason for absolutely needing a freelance writer website, but it’s certainly a benefit for many writers.
There are so many options for new freelance writers to create a portfolio without paid work. You can publish on Medium, Linkedin, the Elephant Journal, Thrive Global, and other websites that allow ‘blogging’. You may do some guest posting. You can take on some pro-bono or volunteer work. You can also create mock-ups and link them as PDFs.
Another option is showcasing some work on your own blog. You may also write a blog with content writing, copywriting, and marketing tips for your niche and potential clients. This is a great way to show expertise and be helpful right away. Though I don’t think everyone needs a blog on their freelance writing website (I don’t have one), it can be an added benefit, especially for newbies.
How to Create a Freelance Writer Website
So you agree: you need a freelance writer website for a number of reasons. But is it difficult? Is it expensive? The answer is no. Creating a freelance writer website is simple and affordable.
There are many platforms where you can make a freelance writing website without coding, design skills, or any experience.
I personally use Squarespace and love it. Wix and Weebly are some other great options. They are affordable at around $8 to $15 a month. Considering that as a freelance writer you won’t have much overhead (a decade in, I still only pay for my website), this is not much. They have fantastic done-for-you templates that you can personalize with your own images and text.
Your website doesn’t have to be perfect. So many newbies get lost in the details. They spend weeks or months before publishing their website and are still disappointed. Don’t overthink it. Stop obsessing. Just keep it clean and simple. You can always change it, update it, and improve it.
The most important section is your portfolio. Trust me, your clients won’t care if your headshot is not perfect or you don’t have all the fancy bling-bling as long as your portfolio is high-quality and relevant and your services are what they need.
What to Include on Your Freelance Writer Website?
Here is what you need when creating a freelance writer website.
Home Page
Make it clear that you are a writer and what your niche or area of expertise is. This page is generally the summary of your niche and your services. You may combine this with your About Me page if you want to keep things simple.
About Me Page
Keep this one simple. This is not about your life story or hobbies. This is also not about how much you loved writing ever since you were 5 years old or how you quit your dead-end corporate job to do this. You care about these things. Your client doesn’t. Your client only cares about what you can do for them.
Make your niche and offerings crystal clear. If you have any educational or professional background within your niche, then share that. You may add a few personal details, but don’t overdo it. Here is a short example, “I am a real estate writer offering long-form content and newsletters in the real estate field. I hold a BA in Marketing and real estate license and previously worked as a real estate agent in Washington. Combining my passion for writing and real estate, I decided to pivot to real estate writing in early 2019. When not writing about real estate, I love hiking, painting, and reading. I live in Seattle with my husband and dog.”
Services Page
Include all of your services on this page. You may combine this with your About Me page if you want to keep this simple and are not yet offering many services or packages.
You may also include your price on your Services Page, but you don’t have to. I personally never list my rates, but some writers do. I decided not to include my pricing because it allows me to give custom rates for each client and increase my rates at any point for new clients. If you decide to include your prices, I recommend saying “starting at X dollars” instead of adding a fixed rate. This will allow you the opportunity to increase your rates at a later point.
Portfolio Page
Here, you can showcase your portfolio by linking your work either to the titles, images, or clippings. Make sure that your portfolio is high-quality and super relevant to your clients. Showcase your very best work in your niche. You want your clients to go “wow, THIS is what I NEED”.
Testimonials Page
You may create a separate page for this. You can also just include it on your Portfolio, About Me, or Services page. If you don’t yet have testimonials, you can just skip this section until you have one.
Contact Me Page
Your Contact Me page is incredibly important. Make it absolutely crystal clear for clients how to contact you. Double-check that you have supplied an email address. True story: I once had a typo on my email address….and a client pointed it out to me. It was not only embarrassing but it probably prevented some prospects from reaching out to me.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely believe that as a freelance writer, you need a freelance writer website. It has so many benefits from showcasing your portfolio to showing up on Google. Creating a freelance writer website is simple and affordable. There is no reason not to create a freelance writer website. Don’t overthink it. Ready, set, go, make your own freelance writer website this week.
Are you interested in creating a sustainable freelance writing business without the hustle? Check out my freelance writing course with a step-by-step process of exactly what you need.
What are your stands on needing a freelance writer website? Do you think freelance writers need a freelance writer website? Do you have one? What are your biggest tips for creating a freelance writer website for newbies?