Are freelance service websites really necessary?
Yes. 100% Yes.
The latest data says Google processes 8.9 billion searches a day and 99,000 searches per second.
Just imagine, if you don’t have a website, you’re missing lots of real clients.
Over 90% of people are online in the US. Without a website, you’re totally invisible to the people who could be your ideal clients.
There are other disadvantages of not having a website, many people don’t trust a business without a website or they think you’re too small.
Im sure you need high-paying and serious clients to continue the business.
Therefore, a website can easily represent your business professionally and it’s like a more serious business.
Today if you don’t have your own site, you’re at a much greater risk of being left behind …
Read How to Get Potential Leads
Your website is not only the place where potential clients can find out more about you and your offerings — it can also significantly influence the client’s decision to hire you or not.
So, we’ll teach you how to start your own freelance website with some simple steps …
And this isn’t talking about the kind of “cookie-cutter” one-page site …
We’ll help you build your multi-page website with a stunning style, your personal “.com” domain, your selection of pictures, colors, and much more …
If you’re doing freelance work and you don’t have a website or aren’t sure about the one you already have, We’ll assist you to create one that you have no doubts about and can get high-paying clients in 2023!
What is a Freelance Service Website?
Freelance service websites are like your identity and how you can show your expertise and talents. This website showcases your work and allows others to know about you. It is a way to express your capabilities, experiences, potentiality, personality, and so on.
Having a freelance website helps your customers to check out your talent, and if they are interested, they will hire you.
If you have a well-designed freelance website, it could be a success in your freelancing career and rapidly gain lots of offers in a very short time.
What Should a Freelance Website Include?
Portfolio, Service Details, and Case Studies
If you’re a freelancer of any sort (photography or graphic design etc.), you need to have your portfolio. Include pictures of your most successful works (no greater than 10) that showcase your talents.
If your offerings are based on case studies, for example, marketing via social media case studies, that’s another thing to add to your portfolio page. Show your audience that you’re a pro and have the ability to produce the results they’re looking for.
Your portfolio should present your most successful writing work that allows potential clients to learn a little bit about the work they’ll get when hiring you.
Awards and Experience
See, it’s a common thing that your experience will reflect you. So isn’t it great to add one that goes over your achievements and experiences, similar to a digital resume or CV? This way, clients are able to quickly grasp the things you’ve done before freelancing or the length of time you’ve been in the business.
Testimonials
Testimonials can also be relevant to your website; they can be included as a separate page or sprinkled over other pages on your website.
You’ll need to add them on your service pages on your about page or your portfolio page and on your homepage at minimum.
Service Details
Whatever service you’re providing, you should have all the services added to your website very clearly. So the clients can easily check the details, offers, and prices and make a quick decision. I was an individual freelancer when I started my journey and you know I made only $6000 in an entire year. And $11,000 in the 2nd year of my freelance career.
After creating my website, the first year I made $30,000 and then 2nd year I made $85,000 and the 3rd year I made $120,0000+.
It’s not only for the website, but you know, I represented my business as a company in front of my clients and the website played most of the role here. You can follow me on Quora to learn how to get more freelancing clients outside of the marketplace.
Call To Action
A “call to action” (CTA) is a clear instruction that encourages visitors to act right away to convert them into paying customers or clients.
Your excellent freelance website should have a Call to action. It can be written in the form of a button or link, which will take your visitors further into your conversion funnel. It informs them which direction to take and what they should do to turn into an actual customer.
A step-by-step guide to starting your own freelance website
As we mentioned, starting a stunning freelance website doesn’t need to be rocket science or time-consuming.
To help you make your work easier, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to explain all you need to know.
Step #1.Register a Domain and Set up a Hosting with Honstinger
Once you’ve picked the template you want to use for your freelance site now, it’s time to give a domain name. The name of your company and a short summary of the services you provide should both be in the perfect domain name.
Domains are the web address at which your website is located. The domain you choose to use is exclusive to your site and should reflect your business’s name or brand.
Also, you should think about the top-level domains — like .com and .blog or dot-whatever to ensure that you are positioned as an expert in search engine results.
Whatever domain you pick, you have to buy it from an online registry. There are plenty of service providers available, but Hostinger offers only the very most unique and exclusive features, top-of-the-line technology, and fast support. You can pick your desired domain from Hostinger.
You will also need to choose an internet hosting service. Hostinger hosting offers customized plans which include space on servers so your website can have an online presence.
Without the server, your site isn’t accessible to users. If you want to have the best chance of getting quality gigs, you must choose a reputable hosting service.
Hostinger gives ambitious WordPress novices everything they need to build a professional freelance site that can get them employed.
Step #2. Choose a freelance website template
First, you should consider the layout you want for your website before starting to design it. Consider these questions: What elements do you wish to be distinctive? What are the first and last things people can see when they visit your website? How do you imagine the flow of users between pages?
Start with a blank page or choose one of the many free templates that are available for all kinds of freelance projects. These templates are fully customizable, which means you can customize the templates to match your branding. If you’re looking for ideas, then take a look at some portfolio sites to see how experts have started their work.
Step #3.Customize Your Freelance Site With a Theme
The next step is exciting because now you can begin your creative phase by picking the theme you like best!
The basic idea is that a theme will dictate the way your website looks. This includes how the blog pages appear and the about page or even your homepage.
There is a vast selection of themes like Astra and Generate Press. They are ideal for freelance websites. If you are planning on using Elementor, Astra is extremely compatible with it. You can also use Wavo, Bridge, and Aveo to start your own freelance website that is available in ThemeForest.
A thing to keep in your mind is that there are premium and non-priced themes. In most cases, freelancers are able to use the functions of a free theme, but if you require a more custom and distinctive design, go for paid themes. Read 10 Best WordPress Themes for Portfolio Sites
Be aware that regardless of the theme, you pick an appearance customization tool that lets you browse through and change the entire website to reflect your personal brand. You can alter colors, fonts as well as the logo.
It’s important to make use of these options to customize your site, or your site will appear like a cookie-cutter website! It’s going to have no personality, and visitors will be able to see this upon visiting your website.
Whatever fonts and colors you decide to use on your theme must be the same fonts and colors that you employ to promote yourself through social media as well.
Naturally, it’s your own brand, and you can make it as you’d like. However, it’s essential to develop a solid identity that connects with the ideal customers and also displays your personality.
Step #4.Define your brand voice
Your brand’s voice sounds as vital as how it looks. There’s a huge distinction between a brand that is a bit robotic or uninformed and one that is personable, likable, and trendy. The voice of your brand is the voice of your company.
To establish your brand’s tone as an independent freelancer, it’s possible to begin by drawing inspiration from the aspects of your voice and personality.
For instance, if you’re typically a person of warmth with a touch of quirky humor, turn it up to eleven, and incorporate it into the way you build your freelance voice. A consistent voice can help with branding recognition as well as your customers’ inherent trust in your company.
Make sure your voice matches the tone of services you offer and also matches those of the targeted clients. Like if you’re a photographer who has a niche of freelance in children’s portrait photography, be sure that your tone and your humor are appropriate for the typical family that you’d like to sign up as clients.
Step #5.Create Pages
Home Page
When you’re developing an online presence, you’ll need it to be user-friendly, simple to use, and speedy.
Your homepage is the first page that visitors are likely to see when visiting your website, making it the most crucial page. It should function as the primary page for all information about your website and include direct links to other pages of your site.
Create an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching, and appealing homepage so that it can easily attract clients.
About Page
“About page” is more crucial than your homepage. It’s the place where you can display your personality and let potential clients be aware of who and what it is you’re about.
An effective way to grab the attention of those who visit your website is to inform them of how many customers you’ve received so far, discuss any awards or distinctions you’ve won, along with any courses or training you’ve attended.
Contact Page
This is where you place any details that can help potential clients contact you as fast as they can. Include your contact information and email address along with telephone numbers or social media sites that might be useful for people who want to reach you.
Services Page
It is also a crucial part. The services Page is where you describe the services you provide and the way you provide these services.
Create a brief title for your webpage. Then, move on to the content of the page, and provide a detailed description of the services you offer and how they help customers who use your services.
Step #6.Content For Your Site
A few of the most successful freelance websites have a blog section which can be extremely useful for using SEO. If you decide to do this, make sure you create articles on topics that are related to your field of expertise.
For example, if you’re a social media coordinator, create a blog post on the top social media scheduling companies by comparing them. This will help establish the expertise that you can provide for customers who may wish to collaborate with you.
Take the time to create these pages exactly as you would like them to be but keep in mind that you are able to revisit them and make changes in the future.
Tips For Making a Freelance Website Stand Out
You learned how to start your own freelance website. Let’s make it more gorgeous so that your freelance website becomes more eye-catching.
Make sure to have a consistent brand or color scheme.
The color scheme and the brand should be visible on every page. This shows your understanding of how to operate within the brand. It will make your website more attractive to prospective customers.
Use color psychology to your advantage!
What would you like your customer to feel while browsing your website? For example, yellow typically is associated with happiness, while blue typically radiates tranquility. Take this into consideration to make your site stand out.
Have great photos on your site.
Use stock photography, but if you can, make your own pictures. Nothing is more frustrating than having a photo that’s blurry or seeing a photograph that has been used in a lot of other places.
Your images should reflect the excellent service you provide, showing that you’re trustworthy to prospective customers as well as their money.
Find original images, get photographers, or even take your own professional photos.
Include LOTS of calls to action.
What do you wish your visitors to do? If you wish your visitors to buy something or ask questions about your services, put the information by placing buttons (calls to action) on your website.
Make sure your CTA is clearly visible, easy to understand, and clear.
Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Freelance Website
The skill set is common when you first start your website. Certain things require time to master. It will get better over time. But guess what? We want you to be successful in the shortest time possible. So, we’re providing you with tips about what you should avoid when you’re starting your freelance website.
1. Bad Visuals
Before knowing about visuals, let’s discuss a bit about the science behind them. A significant portion of our brains is dedicated to processing visual information. 80% of people can remember the images they have seen. Content creators that use visually appealing content increase their traffic by 12 times more quickly than those who don’t.
A lack of visuals as a component of your freelance website is a big no-no. Poor visuals also could ruin your chances of establishing an effective site. Credibility judgments for a business are based on 75% of the website’s design, so you must be aware of the impression you make by using your images.
So don’t you think you shouldn’t make this same mistake as most people do?
2. Too Much Information
Would you like to read where the author provides too much irrelevant information? No, no one will like that, right? The quality of your brand is among the most important factors in determining the success of your company. You must be an individual to your potential customers and other visitors rather than a robotic author behind a computer screen.
Your website is not an online recorder.
Don’t reveal too much personal information or anything that isn’t relevant to your profession. Instead, concentrate on your content and be deliberate regarding what you decide to communicate, about growing your business and gaining clients with your eyes.
3. Sloppy Formatting
Your job isn’t just as a freelancer; you’re going to establish a brand. So, customers are likely to expect a certain amount of professionalism from your site, and they must be aware of that from the moment they visit your website. Alongside an easy navigation system, a clear visual design, and a smooth contact form, your site must be refined, smooth, and elegant.
As a freelancer or an entrepreneur with a free spirit, it is essential to convey those suit-and-tie-style vibes onto your site to gain the trust of prospective clients. There is no sloppy formatting or mistakes in your copy.
If you want to make sure that people believe in you and their money, you must be professional. A well-organized layout will not only help to create an impressive debut (remember the eye-opening facts on visuals? ) It also will make people believe that you are an authentic company.
4.No Target Audience
You’ve got a new freelance website, and you are ready to draw in visitors and hopefully create the possibility of a new business. But who exactly are you trying to connect with through your site? What kind of audience are you trying to reach? In simple terms, who is your intended audience?
Your success is determined by the way you focus your efforts to build your business. When you are casting too broad an area, you can’t efficiently focus on the top-quality clients you’re looking for. Therefore, before you begin searching to attract traffic, determine your ideal client.
5. Infrequent Updates
If you don’t nurture after starting your freelance website, your performance will go down.
Truly speaking, making money as a freelancer on your website isn’t an easy task.
Update your blog’s content, test plugins, ask for feedback from users, and make use of website analytics regularly to tweak the way it functions to ensure maximum UX. Be aware that you might not succeed the first time around — constantly seek ways to improve every aspect of your site.
Final shot!!!
Well, we’ve included the simple steps about how to start your own freelance website.
Think briefly about the impact your professional, freelance website could mean on you and your work …
The confidence will provide you…
And the clients it can bring …
It’s clear that making your own website doesn’t need much hassle, especially when you take the time to follow the steps we discussed in this article.
Now, what do you think? Can’t you start a fully functional, professional-looking, and credibility-establishing freelance website?
Read more freelancing-related articles here
FAQ
Does every freelancer need a website?
Yes! Every freelancer needs a website. Particularly since the freelance market is expanding quickly, a professional website will demonstrate to potential customers that you’re committed to the business and yours.
Customers are used to doing their research online before deciding on freelance artists, designers, or writers to work with. There are a lot of freelance websites to hire. It’s essential to be noticed if you wish to grow your online business.
Through your own website, you can showcase your work, set your own prices and make use of your clever design features — like the color scheme and font pairings to build a professional brand.
Will a freelance website save me time?
Yes, definitely! You’ll have less time looking on websites for freelance jobs having your own website. If you’re just beginning your journey or working as a freelance consultant, pitching on websites for freelance jobs and sending emails to companies isn’t always a good idea.
Your innovative web-based builder allows you to showcase your portfolio, highlight your services, and even share your knowledge–all on one page! Utilize our SEO auto feature to make it easier for clients to discover your website on Google so that they can hire your services.
