What I’m listening to: You Might Think by The Cars
It’s been an 
interesting December. What started out slowly (very slowly) has picked up. There are a few projects peppered in here and there, and I’m happy for that. Any money greeting me in January is always welcome. The savings account is healthy, but I’d rather not touch it.
Maybe you’re in a similar situation — it’s been a decent year, work is still coming in, and you have money arriving in January. Or maybe you’re trying desperately to cobble together a holiday while looking under rocks for work.
Either way, refer to the 11 strategies we’ve covered this month. One or more of them may help.
Then try today’s strategy, which is a bit more work, but worth the time you put into it.
December 12: Build or Refresh Your Website
And you thought we were going to get through this month without bringing up your website, huh? Not a chance —
[bctt tweet=”If you want to attract clients to your freelance writing business, a website is essential.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
You know me — I don’t make pronouncements easily. But this one I feel strongly about. Without a website, you’re invisible to your potential clients.
Still, even this advice comes with a caveat: If it makes sense to you.
I say it should make sense for everyone, but I’m not you, and I don’t know your business. Also, there’s a infinitesimal chance your website will suck so badly that you’re better off without one. My guess? It’s not going to suck at all. What sucks is that your potential clients can’t find you right now.
The Build
So let’s build a website. Start with an idea of what you need. Here’s what I think should go on your page:
- Home page: this is where you explain briefly what you do and how you can help your customer
- About page: a bio that still speaks to how you can benefit the customer, but with a more personal story attached
- Your services: What do you provide? What can you do for your customers?
- Your samples/portfolio: Where have you been? With whom have you worked?
- Contact page: where your clients can reach you. I like to include a “tell me briefly about your project” box.
I don’t provide a price list. It’s a personal choice. You may if it appeals to you. That will certainly weed out the tire-kickers. Also, you can attach your blog if you have one, or maybe some type of news area or announcement page.
But you can’t design a thing, you say. How can you possibly put all that together with little or no knowledge of how to build a site?
Go simple. Try one of these:
- WordPress.com: I don’t normally encourage people building a site that has limited editorial control, but if you want to start somewhere simple, this would work. Still, I’d suggest you bite the bullet and go with WordPress.org, just so you don’t have the enjoyable headache of moving it later.
- Weebly: Free templates, drag-and-drop capability. Not ideal as they do limit how many pages you can have (I remember six), but it’s a good way to get your feet wet.
- Google websites: I’ve no experience with this, but it’s worth looking into. Make sure they’re not going to limit how you can move that site around or customize it. You should have complete control over your product.
I used to be on Blogger. Blogger was a good, easy way to get a blog up and running, though with limitations. Websites, not so much. Stick with something that’s built for the purpose you’re after.
What else you’ll need:
- A domain name: Go to NameSilo.com and register one (they’re cheapest, and they have great service)
- A host: I like HostGator. They’ve recently updated their dashboard, making it easier yet to get yourself online.
The Refresh
This is for those of you who have had your website a while. You updated it when? A year ago? Two? Three? Wow, longer?
Time to give it a freshening up.
What to update — here’s where I usually start:
- Photos: I include them to personalize my services. If you have them, consider updating them.
- Design: Are you using the same template you’ve used for years? That’s fine, but why not mix up the layout a bit, or change the font/font size? You can add graphics/photos, too. Or move them.
- Template: Or maybe it’s time to retire that template and find a more modern one.
- Writing: Even good writing gets stale. Are you still the person you’re presenting to the world on that website? As you grow professionally, your descriptions should, as well.
- Samples: Do those links still work? Are there better ones you can add? How can you change the design to make them more appealing to visitors?
Now let’s promote it a little. When your site is tested/updated, make sure to tweet out the news:
“I’m finally up and running! A shiny, new website, right here: (link) (hash tags)”
“Refreshed the website and added my updated portfolio. Check out just how much I’ve been doing lately: (link) (hash tags)”
Make sure to mention your new/freshened site on your LinkedIn or Facebook update.
Writers, do you have a website? If not, what’s kept you from building it?
If you have one, how often do you refresh it?
What advice would you give to writers who are building a site?