Do you want to learn how to create an epic freelance writer website to take your business to the next level?
Of all the different strategies and tactics I’ve used to grow my freelance writing business, building a professional writer website has been the best investment (by far). This is where you will send potential clients to learn more about you and your writing services.
Without a freelance writing website, three things normally happen:
- People think you’re a newbie who can’t deliver
- Clients tend to think you aren’t that serious about writing
- You make it easy for clients to say no when you reach out on job boards and other content marketing jobs
As you can imagine, this usually results in ending up as a “Broke and struggling writer.” Without a website, clients won’t get to know, like, and trust you vs. another writer who has an online portfolio.
But my goal with Inspire Your Success is to eliminate the term “broke writer” and instead, help you become a wealthy writer.
As a freelance writer, you want to build a website so that you can control your brand online. I created mine back in November of 2017 in about four hours and it put my business on a whole new trajectory.
If you’re already nervous and overwhelmed thinking about this process, take a deep breath. I promise it will be easier and much less stressful than you think.
In this post, I’ll teach you exactly what I did to easily build my website to attract high-paying clients. Plus, I’ll also share other freelance writer websites from people who are crushing it online.
I’m confident that once you read this post and implement these strategies, your success will be inevitable.
What Your Writer Website Needs
Of all the freelance writer websites I looked at, they all had a few things in common. Here’s a quick overview of what they do to create a professional writer website.
1. Custom Domain
To land potential clients, your writing website needs to have a few things to give a good first impression. Before getting into the nitty-gritty details, I highly suggest purchasing your name for your URL.
For example, my writing website is michaelleonard.net.
If you can purchase a .com address, even better. If not, I would go with .net as most people are familiar with it. To purchase your domain and hosting, I recommend using Bluehost and WordPress theme. They make it easy to set up with one-click install and chat support.
2. Layout
Home Page
One of the first things that every freelance writer website needs is a clean layout and epic home page. You will notice in the examples below that every writer has their niche clearly stated on the home page. This will instantly tell potential clients who you are and what you can offer them.
For example, on my home page it says:
“Hey – thanks for being here. My name is Michael Leonard and I want to help YOU share your vision with the world. I’m a professional writer who specializes in writing epic blog content about entrepreneurship and personal development.
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you have a big vision but you can’t spread your message alone. When it comes to writing content that people can’t read fast enough, I’m your writer. I’m passionate about creating content makes people go from reading a post to taking massive action and changing their lives or business.”
Design
Aside from a clear message about your services, make sure you have an easy to read design. Don’t use a bunch of random colors or weird fonts. Keep it simple, easy to read, and informational for your clients. If there are a bunch of popups, slow load time or distractions, clients probably won’t stick around long enough to contact you.
Keywords
Another important thing to add on your freelancing site is keywords that identify your type of writing. For example, if you type into Google “golf writer for hire,” my website pops up.
Whatever type of writer you identify with, make sure it’s strategically placed on your site so Google. This way it can eventually help you rank your site for the right keywords. Even the term “Freelance writer for hire” will help if you haven’t picked a niche yet.
3. Personality
The next thing I recommend to all of my students and new writers is to add personality to your website. Remember, the goal is to get to people to know, like, and trust you. One of the best ways to do that is to be yourself with your website. You can do that a few different ways:
Writing Tone
First off, I always suggest writing in your voice and not trying to appeal to everyone. If you try to please everyone, chances are you will impress no one. Instead, make sure to write in your style throughout the entire website. Whether that’s inspirational, funny, witty or whatever else, always be you!
Pictures or Video
The second way to inject personality into your website is by adding a lot of high-quality photos of yourself. I do this in several different ways on my website.
For example, the photo on the home page is a professional picture at an entrepreneur event. While other photos are of me and my dog, me and my family, and playing golf. While the golf picture might sound random, I actually specialize in golf writing so clients actually love it.
Depending on your niche and comfortability on camera, I also recommend adding a short video message as well. You can easily link a Youtube video up to help build more rapport before as well. If you hate video or don’t feel comfortable (as a lot of writers are introverts), don’t feel like you have too!
About Page
The third way to add more personality to your portfolio is to make an epic “About Me” page. But here’s the kicker, your “About Me” page isn’t about you.
While it might sound contradictory, it’s actually about how you can help clients create stellar content. As much as you want to brag about your experience, skills, and accolades, make it all about them.
The more you can show how your writing can help them grow their brand or business, the more likely they are to contact you.
Make sure to incorporate stuff about you as well so readers feel like they know you before even reaching out.
4. Writing Portfolio
The next thing you need for your freelance writer website is your portfolio. This is the place to show off your writing services and position yourself as an authority in your niche.
You need to prove to clients how you can help them grow their business with your writing. A good looking website and pretty pictures aren’t enough. With your portfolio, you can showcase your skills in a few different ways:
Expertise and Experience
If you have experience as a writer, make it known to your readers. If you’ve been running your freelance writing business for years, let people know. And if you have experience outside of writing, for example, experience in a B2B industry, call that out as well.
Writing Samples
Your portfolio page is the place to show off your previous work. Whether it’s a few blog posts, custom samples, or previously published work, display that here.
You can link to the posts if they’re already published or you can upload them to your WordPress site as a PDF as well. If you’ve had other writing jobs, display them for more social proof on your page.
The more types of samples and different publications, the more it looks like you’re a professional writer who can help get results. Include enough pieces so that strangers seeing your website for the first time can get to know you quickly.
Publications
If you’ve been featured in big publications, this is the place to link to those articles and show off your expertise. If they’ve had a lot of shares or went viral, make sure to show this off as well.
This is the place to “humblebrag” so you reassure clients that you can do the job!
For example, on my writer website, I display this custom image to show off where I’ve been featured. By adding big sites like Fearless Motivation, Lifehacker, and Goalcast I am positioning myself as an expert in this niche.
I suggest creating an image like this one and displaying it on your portfolio page.
5. Testimonials and Social Proof
The fourth thing your website needs is social proof. I see so many freelance writers skip this step and it really hurts their chances of landing high-paying gigs.
You want to show off your testimonials and happy client reviews throughout your entire website. On my writer’s website, I love having testimonials on nearly every page.
Before adding testimonials, always get approval from the source before posting. Once they approve and write you a snippet of your work together, make sure to add their name, title, and image if possible. If clients can give you a video review, even better! If not, a photo with the above details will help.
6. Social Media
Whether you love or hate social media, it’s vital to control your brand online by being proactive with your accounts. We live in a social world. To help clients get to know, like, and trust you, make sure to share your social accounts. If you don’t have any professional accounts yet, I highly recommend creating them.
I regularly attract clients from social media and LinkedIn and don’t want you to miss out on opportunities. But before you spend endless amounts of time creating content for Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, etc… stick to one or two platforms.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was trying to be omnipresent as a blogger and writer. This killed my productivity and eventually led to burn out.
Focus on spending one hour each week creating or repurposing content that will help you grow your brand. Learn more about maximizing social media for writers.
7. Contact Information
The final item that every freelance writer website needs is your contact information. It’s a good idea to create a separate contact page with a contact form and any other information you’d like to include.
Plus, you can also add your email address on that page and the footer or header of your website. Make it super easy for people to contact you so you can start making money as a writer.
Freelance Writing Video
While it can feel overwhelming at first, I promise it’s easier than you might think. And if you’re someone who isn’t a “techie” you can easily outsource this simple writing website for $100-$200 on Upwork.
Watch the video below for a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial to help you create an epic freelance writer website that attracts clients.
And don’t forget part two of the freelance writer website tutorial by watching the video below. I’ll share with you the biggest mistakes I see new writers make and how you can avoid them as a beginner writer.
5 Writer Website Examples
Now that you know what you need on your writer website, you might be thinking, “What are the best freelance writer websites?”
Don’t worry, I got you covered. Now I want to show you some real profiles and examples. This will help you get some inspiration and take action on creating yours today.
Of all the freelance writer websites I researched, these were some of my favorites.
1. Michael Leonard
For the first writer website example, I want to share my mine because I practice what I preach (unlike other writing coaches out there). I’m not telling you to spend your precious time and money creating a website if I don’t do it myself.
As I mentioned before, I think this is one of the single best actions I’ve done to improve my writing business. While mine has improved since I started, it’s still simple and easy to create.
2. Kayla Hollatz
Kayla Hollatz has an impressive writing website and one that I talked about in the Youtube video down below. I pretty much love everything that Kayla does with her freelance writer website. She makes it known that she is an SEO copywriter who will get results!
She is crushing it as she:
- Has a clean website layout
- Speaks to her target market
- Has nice pictures and confident writing tone
- Links to each social platform in her easy navigation header
- Shows off her previous work and makes it easy for people to learn how to work with her
Plus, she proves it by sharing the customer results and tangible data below:
Of all the freelancers’ sites I looked at, Kayla is definitely one of my favorites. If you don’t want to take my advice, make sure to follow Kayla’s copywriting website to get some fresh new ideas.
3. Carter Killman
Carter Killman is another example of a freelance writer with a clean and easy to follow website.
I love his home page. He lets prospects know exactly who he is and type of writing he does with his message, “Hey there! I’m Carter, and I’m here to help you reach financial stability.”
His website also includes an about me page, blog, portfolio, and work with me. Plus, I like that he has a search feature so readers can easily navigate the site.
4.Matt Burns
Matt Burns has one of the best travel writer websites out there. I love his headline, “Travel content that doesn’t suck!”
This catchy headline instantly grabs your attention and wants to make you read more. He also shares a bit about himself, his travel journey, and people can work with him.
I like how he has it broken down into a four-part system for clients. Plus, he has his Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook links so you can follow his travel journey as well.
5. Luke Jones
Luck Jones is a fitness writer who has a super clean website to give you some inspiration. I love how he talks about his experience writing and fitness. Plus, he shares his features, published content, and services on his header.
He also makes it easy for readers to access his content and learn more about working together. Plus, he has a slider widget with testimonials on the home page for more social proof.
FAQs
Do freelance writers need a website?
In my opinion, the answer is 100% yes! Clients will check you out online so it’s important to have a website that shows off who you are. That way they can learn about you, see where you’ve been featured, and read your work.
It’s amazing how many writers skip this step! But then they wonder why they don’t make a full-time living and instead earn a few hundred dollars per month.
Think of your writing website as a resume. It’s your role to show off your projects and give people an opportunity to see your valuable skills first-hand. This will help your freelance writer business scale!
How do I make a freelance writer website?
If you’ve never designed a website or are intimidated by this process, I want to reassure you that it’s much easier than you imagine. When it comes to creating websites, you can do it yourself or hire it out for a very low price.
If you’re doing it on your own, all you really need a WordPress account, a theme, and the Elementor plugin. This free plugin lets you drag and drop without learning any code. It helps so much and wish someone would have suggested it sooner!
And if you hate technology or you find yourself delaying your writing career because of it, spend a few hundred bucks and outsource the job. You can easily find a person qualified on Upwork to get it set up the same day.
Should you include rates?
Personally, I don’t show off pricing on my freelance site. I think if you have your pricing upfront, it’s easy for clients to say no if you’re higher than another writer. Instead, I list out the services I offer, general packages, and ask people to email me to learn more.
Related: Freelance Writing Rates 101
What are the most common mistakes you see?
Watch this video to learn the most common mistakes that hold writers back. This Youtube video can help you save a ton of time and lost money so make sure to click the video below.
Also, another common mistake I see with so many writers is that they don’t share their profiles! Remember, you have a valuable service to offer so make sure your network knows can easily find your profile. Share a link to your writing website on every social platform, your email signature, and on your business cards.
Final Thoughts
Now it’s time for you to stop reading this article and take action on creating your freelance writer website. If you want to freelance and make consistent money each month, having a place to send clients is so important to your business. Without it, you probably won’t be able to attract businesses to work with you as they can’t see all of your published work and learn more about you.
Once you have a home base online, then you can send cold pitches to prospects with confidence. If you’re like me, it will lead to more confidence which means more monthly income, and higher pay as you raise your rates.
I hope this helps your freelance writing business grow to new heights and start making way more money as a writer.
Do you have any questions?
Let me know in the comments down below.
- Cold Pitching Tutorial For Freelance Writers – 5 EASY Steps to Land Clients! - March 25, 2021
- Upwork Proposal Tips For Copywriters - March 11, 2021
- Upwork Profile Tips - February 2, 2021
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Thanks I appreciate it!