Q: What does my website need for maximum efficacy… and how can I incorporate that on a budget?
A: (Rebecca Matter) Great question! At the very minimum, your website needs a page that tells your prospective clients what you can do for them and then offers a way to contact you. Most writers start out with a homepage, an About Me page, a Services page, and a Contact page.
The first three pages need to showcase your writing style and should give your reader insight into the type of copy and style of writing you offer.
While you can share as much of your personal story as you like, I don’t recommend getting too personal. Keep it simple and share only what’s relevant to the type of writing you do. For instance, if you’d like to write for the gardening industry, tell them you spent eight years working in a plant nursery.
It’s fine to personalize your About Me page, like sharing the fact that you adore Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (I know I do!), but don’t offer any polarizing information like political views or even preferred sports teams.
Putting up a website on a budget is easier than ever thanks to ever-declining fees for domain names and annual hosting. Those are the two things you have to purchase, but they’re well worth it. Beyond that, there are scores of attractive WordPress templates available for free, so I don’t recommend buying personalized templates or hiring a designer if it’s beyond your budget.
Both of those options can be beneficial down the road, but if you’re just getting started, the best thing you can do is write good copy for a handful of pages and get that website built!
You might also be interested in our article on how to plan out your freelance website content in under an hour.
