A lot of people have decided to be freelancers since last year because of the pandemic. Some of them were forced because their employers shut their businesses down. Others realized that they have to move to the suburbs and away from the city, so they are left with no choice but to turn to freelance. It’s a profitable employment status if you know how to sell your services. Freelancers are able to travel the world. They are not tied to their jobs. You can also earn more since you can accept more clients and projects.
However, most freelancers do not have a website. They don’t think they need one because they’re content with job boards and social media. Why should you need to hire a website development company if you’re already reaching out to employers via social media, for example?
Competition and Trust
Competition and trust are the primary reasons. Clients have to trust the people they are going to hire. They need a way to verify your skills, and a website is one way to do that. Imagine being asked about your skills and then telling that person that you don’t have a website where they can peruse your previous work. All you have is a portfolio of your past work. It sounds antiquated and outdated. Who still uses an actual portfolio as opposed to a digital one?
The next issue is competition. Freelancing is a competitive world, whether you’re in the content writing or digital marketing industry. You will be competing with Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Generation Z. Even high schoolers are selling their skills over the internet. They’re good, too, since they’re very tech-savvy. They know a lot about social media, so they use these skills to manage business profiles.
Limitless and Networking
The opportunities that having a website gives you are limitless. You can reach any market. You can expand to any sector. Simply put, you are not dependent on your potential clients having a good memory to remember your name and number. You don’t have to rely on your business card to do the job of persuading a client to contact you. Rather, they can find you on Google, check your website, and decide if you are the right fit for what they need.
Networking potentials are endless, too. Without a website, you have to be present on job boards and networking events to reach your potential market. A website lessens the pressure of networking. Anyone can find you. Employers from halfway around the world can reach you. It also lessens the need to explain repeatedly what you can do. All information about you is on the website.
Feedback
Over the years, you have received a lot of amazing feedback from your clients. You’ve completed projects that have become successful. How are you going to show these to potential clients? How are you going to let them know that people like them have enjoyed your work? The website is the best way to do that. You can showcase testimonials on your website. These will help build and boost your reputation as a freelancer.
Remember that since you’re a freelancer, you don’t technically receive job recommendations from previous clients. All you have are good feedback from email exchanges. On your website, you need to highlight these, provided you asked permission from your past clients.
Earn More
The website isn’t only going to sell your services as a freelancer, but it will also earn more on its own. You can earn from affiliated links, advertising networks, paid content, and products. If you turn your website into a blog, you can monetize it and earn from every view it gets. You can create reviews of products and insights into different topics, then sell those to prospective clients. Some clients do not have the capacity to pay a full-time content writer. They can only pay by article.
Unique
Show clients that you are unique by being a step ahead of your competitors. While there are online directories for freelancers, these can only do so much for you. A website is still your best bet. It is the most practical way of ensuring that potential clients will see what you can offer. More than that, the website can also showcase your personality and help you become an industry leader in your field.
Regardless of what type of work you do as a freelancer, it’s important to have a website. While it takes time, effort, and money to build one, it is a worthy investment down the road. It will help you connect with clients and open doors of opportunities.
