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17 Things ALL Freelance Writing Websites MUST HAVE

April 27, 2020 By Sean Ogle 16 Comments

Most people who get started with Location Rebel elect to start with some sort of freelance work in their quest towards building a lifestyle business.

Why?

It’s the easiest way to build your income and confidence when first getting started.

Don’t believe me?

Ask Blair.

Or Jessica.

But before you can really start growing this freelance business, do you know what the absolute #1, must-have thing is?

Of course you do because I said it in the title: a website marketing your services.

Starting a website early on in your location rebellion serves two purposes:

  1. It serves as a training ground for your skill-building
  2. It allows you to sell your services

And both are vitally important.

If you don’t have the right skills in place, you won’t be successful in your business over the long term. And if you don’t have a way of marketing yourself then you’re dead in the water as well.

I’ve helped hundreds of people build websites just like this, and today we’re going to look at 17 of the must-have components to this type of site.

By including each of these things in your site you’re going to prove your expertise, build more rapport, and ultimately make it easier to start bringing in a steady income.

How to Start a Website

In order to follow this checklist, there’s one pre-requisite: you need to have a website!

It can be totally bare-bones, and it doesn’t even have to be live, but to follow along you’ll need to have a domain name, a hosting account, and you’ll need to install WordPress.

This is all much easier than you might think, and you can literally be done with it 10 minutes from now.

If you haven’t set up your site yet, go through my step by step tutorial on how to set up a blog.=

Freelance Writing Websites: 17 Point Checklist

Ok, ready to create a beautiful website that is going to help you bring in new clients, and establish yourself as one of the premier players in your freelance industry?

Sweet, let’s do this.

Freelance Website: The Setup

1) A Premium Theme

On the surface, this is very much an optional expense.

However I’ve seen so many people work to create these websites, and 90% of the time, the sites from who use free themes look like crap.

They are tougher to customize for beginners, and can often have the theme company’s branding in various places on the site – which is a dead giveaway that you’re not willing to invest money in your business – so why should a potential client invest in you?

You can get amazing themes for around 50 bucks these days, and in my opinion, it’s money well spent.

Recommendation: I tend to go to Theme Forest first whenever I need a new theme. They have a huge catalog of them, for just about any need you could have.

2) SEO Plugin

What’s better than finding work through friends, word of mouth, or other types of networking?

Getting a client completely out of the blue from Google. This requires no work on your part, and while it might take a while to get your site to the point where this happens, once you rank for a couple of useful key terms, it can be a great source of leads.

Worth keeping in mind, some premium themes have many SEO tools built into the theme, so an external plugin may not be needed.

Recommendation: Yoast SEO. This plugin makes it really easy to see what on-page SEO components are good, and what needs to be addressed.

3) Contact Form

This one is pretty obvious, but it’s going to look more professional if you have a custom contact or quote form on your site – rather than just an email address.

To really get the most of this, don’t just use the generic fields of (Name, Email, Subject, Body). Think through what information you really want to get from a potential client, and create fields for this.

The more detailed (read: longer) your contact form is, generally the higher quality leads you’ll get. If someone is going to take 5-10 minutes to fill out your form and really think about what they need, they’re already more committed to you.

Recommendation: Contact Form 7. Many premium themes have contact forms built-in as well. Personally, I use Ninja Forms, which is a paid service, but gives you more flexibility.

4) Branded Email Address

You’ve got a big boy (or girl) business now, and you want people to know it.

So while you may have a sweet AOL email address from back in the day, it’s best to get an email address for your domain name.

For instance, you can email me here at [email protected]

Recommendation: Zoho. You can have emails for one domain free, and this will be more secure than setting it up through your shared hosting platform.

5) Email Opt-In

No matter what you do online, an email list is the most valuable resource you have for marketing. The success of your email marketing obviously has a lot to do with the content you send to your list, but the first step is building it.

This is an absolute must for bloggers, but when handled properly, can be an effective tool for freelancers as well.

Recommendation: How to Get Email Opt Ins (With the Secret HLS Meth0d). I’ve used this to grow my email lists by thousands.

6) Custom Logo

This is a pretty easy one that seems like it could be really difficult and expensive.

Yes, to get a high-end graphic designer to create the perfect logo could be hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

But we don’t need that. We just need something basic, that isn’t the text-based logo your theme will give you. Going one step farther to have a custom logo will not only help you come across as more professional, but it will help your brand memorability as well.

Recommendation: Fiverr. You can generally find pretty good looking logos for 20 bucks or less. Want to spend a bit more and get higher quality branding? Try 99 Designs.

7) No Sliders

It seems like the majority of premium themes these days come with big home page sliders. For your freelance business, you don’t want this. You’re not necessarily trying to promote your blog content, and most of what you do won’t be overly photo heavy.

So choose a theme that doesn’t have a big slider, and instead go for a simple headline, email opt-in, and photo of you or something related to the business.

Recommendation: Sumo. They have a suite of tools, like their welcome mat, that can help you get email signups for your freelance site.

8) A Blog

While your site isn’t a blog per se, having a blog component is a really good idea.

The way I’d incorporate a blog onto a freelance site is simply to build my perceived expertise. I’d write once or twice a month about topics within my industry.

What this does is prove that I know what I’m talking about, that I stay on top of trends, and if you’re running a freelance writing business, it has the added bonus of establishing that you’re a good writer.

Recommendation:

  • How to Start a Blog – As mentioned above, this is a great starting point if you haven’t setup your website yet.
  • 56 Reasons to Start a Blog – Having a blog changed my life. Here are 56 reasons how.

Freelance Writing Website: The Content

Now that we’ve got some of that setup stuff out of the way, let’s look at the different content components of your site.

9) Descriptive, Catchy Headlines

You want to pull people into your site. You want them to want to read more and talk to you more.

In essence, you want them to want to hire you.

Ok, that’s a lot of “wants…”

But if you don’t hook them in from the beginning, there’s a good chance you won’t get that shot.

Most people treat headlines as an afterthought – when in reality, you should put just as much time into considering them as any other aspect of your site.

On your Home Page, you want people to know what the site is all about within 3 seconds of landing on it.

On your About Page, you want your personality to come through immediately and get people to want to read more about you.

On your Contact Page, you want them to actually take the action of filling it out and hitting send.

Think about how your headlines can help you achieve this goal.

Recommendation: I’ve always liked this formula Desired Outcome + Time Frame + Objection Handled = The Perfect Headline.

You probably can’t use this whole formula for every page on your site, but it’s a good starting point. And if you get even 1 or 2 of these in your headline, it’s still going to be pretty solid.

Here’s an example of a headline I use for Location Rebel:

Screen Shot 2015-12-01 at 8.10.14 AM

Another post that you’ll find helpful are 15 Types of Blog Post Titles (That Get Clicked)

10) At least Two Photos of Yourself

This is one huge non-negotiable for me.

When I’m reading a website and I can’t picture the person who is talking to me, it makes it extremely difficult to have any kind of personal connection with them.

However, when you have photos of yourself, then it immediately becomes clear who is on the other side of the screen. Bonus points if you can include photos that give some insight into your personal life. Hobbies, family, etc. Anything like that makes you seem more real and approachable.

My Maldivian Office from a couple weeks ago.
My Maldivian Office.

11) About Page with a Story

So along with a photo on your About Page, you should have stories that really show who you are.

If you’re doing freelance writing, why are you doing it?

Are you doing it to support your thirst for adventure while you travel the world?

Are you trying to support your 4-year-old daughter?

Have you had a passion for writing your whole life, and are finally pursuing your dream of doing it for a living?

Any stories like these elevate you from a faceless company to a real person, with real goals and ambitions. A story is a powerful thing, and your about page is the best opportunity you have to build rapport with that reader or potential client.

12) Diverse Samples or Case Studies

If you’re going to actually book work as a freelancer it’s important to have a solid portfolio of samples of your work.

This will vary a bit depending on what type of industry you’re in, but they don’t have to be from actual clients if you don’t have any yet.

If you’re doing freelance writing, narrow down your range of services. Are you doing SEO writing? Copywriting? Technical writing?

Once you have an idea of what exactly you’re offering, create a few samples for each type of service.

If you’re doing copywriting, create a fake sales letter for a product you love to show off your chops. SEO writing? Pick 3-5 of the most random and difficult topics you can think of, and write 500 word articles to show your diversity.

Doing a website for your freelance SEO? Build and rank a website of your own, and point to that as an example of what you’re capable of.

Many people have also done work for clients they can’t talk about, so put in a little bit of extra time to create samples of your own to show off your capabilities.

13) Testimonials

This is one of the most powerful tools any person selling something has.

Usually, people are reluctant to work with someone who hasn’t proven themselves. But testimonials can prove that you do in fact know what you’re doing and that many people have had success working with you.

Just take Location Rebel Academy for instance. It’s all of these real world, unsolicited testimonials that really sell the course.

Jessica Location Rebel Testimonial

Even if you don’t have true client testimonials, get 3-5 people in your life to say nice things about the work you do, your personality, or other positive traits. Those can go a long way in building your perceived reputation.

14) Rates….Or Not

There are two different schools of thought on this. One is that you should have a page where you publish your rates.

This gives people a ballpark of what they can expect to spend and whether or not they can afford what you’re offering.

Other people swear that you should try and get the conversation started, sell them in advance, and if you know what you’re doing, they’ll pay whatever you ask them to.

For people just starting out, I tend to recommend the former. If you don’t have rates, you’re relying much more on your ability to sell, and by publishing them, it gives a starting point for negotiations.

Recommendation:

  • Publish rates a little bit higher than what you would typically accept. This leaves them room to negotiate a bit (especially if they buy in bulk), helps you still get your target price, and makes them feel like they’re getting a good deal.
  • How to Set Your Freelance Writing Rates – More help on the topic.

15) Social Media Links

Each social media platform has its place. Facebook is fantastic for personal interaction. Twitter is great for getting responses from influencers. LinkedIn is perfect for making new business contacts.

Have links to each of your profiles or pages on your site, as different people like to connect in different ways. So not only is this another excellent way to build rapport with people, it might get people to interact with you that might otherwise not have.

16) Personality

It’s one thing to be professional. It’s another to be corporate and stodgy. So often I see people trying to make corporate looking websites because they think that’s what it means to be “professional.”

The reality is people want to see personality.

When I’m hiring someone to work with, I want to work with someone I like. Sure you’ve gotta have the skills too, but if I know we have something in common and/or personalities mesh well, you’re immediately bumped to the top of the list.

17) A Hook

Finally, we have one of the most important things you can have on your freelance service’s website: a hook.

We talked about the personality aspect of it, but what’s your hook that truly makes you different?

Is it pricing? Will you create unlimited long form sales pages for $999 each?

Do you specialize in a specific industry? Are you the premier content writer for the golf industry?

Is there a brand and personality? Do you live in some crazy place like Zanzibar and want to build a brand around that?

Have a hook that sets you and your offering apart from all of the other generic freelancers out there, and you’ll see your bookings and referrals skyrocket.

What other essential items do you think should be on a freelancer’s website? Anything we missed? Share in the comments!

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Filed Under: Freelance Writing: The Ultimate Beginner's Online Business

Comments

  1. Chris Hufnagel says

    December 1, 2015 at 11:54 am

    Great tips! Unfortunately the most important tip, #16 gets over looked the most. I feel like freelancers try to hide behind the website and pretend to be a large corporation when they will get many more clients by showing personality!

    Great tips, wish I had them when I started freelancing, might have saved me some time!

    Chris

    Reply
    • Garin says

      December 3, 2015 at 8:09 am

      The Tropical MBA guys have been talking a lot about productized services. The work is essentially the same, but the way the offer is presented is different. I’ve got a few productized services side businesses so I’m curious, do you guys think it’s important to show personality and myself in these businesses?

      Reply
  2. Mel Wicks says

    December 1, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    Damn! Just when I thought I’d tweaked my website to near perfection, you come along with some insanely obvious reasons why I’m not even halfway there yet. Thanks, Sean. You’ve given me some fabulous ideas and – once again – really practical tips to take my site to the next level. Brilliant post. Mel

    Reply
  3. Mike Goncalves says

    December 1, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    Great checklist you’ve put together here Sean – thanks man. My girlfriend Kristen is starting to do more freelance work so I’ll be sure to definitely share this with her. Especially like #5 (Email Opt-In) and the resource you provided as well (How to Create a Killer List Building Offer – Even if You Have No Product to Sell). Oh, and the picture of your office in the Maldives too – Sweet! 🙂 Cheers!

    Reply
  4. Carolyn Baker says

    December 1, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    I am in the process of building a website. Presently, I only have a shell of one. I thought I could not handle WordPress (I tried) so I subscribed to Weebly. I do find it a bit stodgy. Do you think I should drop Weebly and try WordPress again? I am an educational consultant focused on helping students and families choose the right college for them, get in, and pay for it. (Lots of experience and expertise) I have another idea for a personal coaching service. Is WordPress the way? I can’t take a WordPress class right now if it is still complex. HELP!

    Reply
    • Garin says

      December 3, 2015 at 8:20 am

      Here’s my $.02 on Weebly vs. WordPress: no matter what platform you choose, there’s a learning curve that you’ll just have to suck it up and get through. I’ve tried Weebly, Wix, Squarespace and this is true for all of the them. So why not learn the platform that you’ll never outgrow? A quarter of all websites on the internet are on WordPress including many of the biggest brands in the world.

      And one often overlooked point: it sounds like you’re like me- a bit of entrepreneurial ADD and you have several ideas you want to try. If you go with Weebly or Squarespace or one of those you’ll have to pay for each new site you build. Whereas if you go with WordPress, once you pay for your hosting it doesn’t cost anything to add new sites, other than the domain itself. My domain list in my hosting account is a boneyard of business ideas- a little embarrassing but it’s been a fantastic education, and nearly free. It literally would have cost me tens of thousands of dollars had I used Squarespace.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Carolyn Baker says

        December 3, 2015 at 9:59 am

        Thank you for this. I know intuitively you are right. I just did not want to struggle through WordPress. Do you know of any tutorials for non techies that I might try? I am willing to give it my best energy this time. Every one I talk to tells me how easy WordPress is. It is not easy for me. Who is your hosting company? I want to get this right this time. Thanks again for your sound advice.

        Reply
      • Garin says

        December 3, 2015 at 10:05 am

        I use Bluehost for hosting. They have excellent support chat so you can ask them lots of questions. I bet Ogle has an affiliate link so you can sign up through him and kick back a few bucks to the blog. As for tutorials I really don’t have a good answer for that. I used to have a business for this exact thing called WebsiteBuildParties.com, but I’m not doing it anymore. Maybe if another reader of this blog sees this comment and wants a business they can buy it from me or work for me or steal the idea and you can be their first client!

        Reply
  5. Rob says

    December 1, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Great post Sean…

    Do you have any examples of how to display your portfolio on a freelance website?

    Reply
  6. Khalid Masood says

    December 4, 2015 at 3:48 am

    Good Post, As an pro, I agree with most of the points mentioned by Sean..

    Reply
  7. Cru says

    December 8, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    “Recommendation: Fiverr. You can generally find pretty good looking logos for 20 bucks or less.”

    How is any designer supposed to get their business going when you’re actively destroying the market by advocating for bad design!?

    Reply
    • Sean says

      December 9, 2015 at 12:17 pm

      How is any new business owner with limited funding supposed to get their business going when they can’t afford high quality design?

      It goes both ways.

      And most of those people who start with something basic? They’ll end up hiring better designers as they can afford to do so.

      Reply
  8. Mercury says

    December 9, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    I just want to add that free themes can be okay as long as you put a little work in and customize them. But I agree, a “default” free theme just looks terrible. I’ve even gone as far as emailing webmasters who were guilty of doing this, but I have yet to get a response – I suppose they don’t appreciate my criticism, haha.

    Reply
  9. Cru says

    December 9, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    That new business owner with limited funding wouldn’t provide their services at a laughable rate. You are advocating behavior only a fraction less unethical than spec work and driving down wages. It does NOT go both ways!

    Reply
  10. Julie says

    December 30, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Excellent points – thanks Sean! Even some of the more obvious points are excellent reminders. It’s easy to get sidetracked in one area and forget about something basic – like having multiple photos of myself. Time to go make some updates!

    Reply
  11. Sheri says

    June 24, 2016 at 3:19 am

    Thanks Sean! quite helpful content, and points made are valid .

    Reply

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About Location Rebel

Sean Dolomites Sidebar

Location Rebel is not your typical marketing site. Here the lifestyle is just as important as the business.

We’re going to teach you how to build a lifestyle business that will let you leave your job, work from anywhere, and spend more time doing the stuff you love. On the site you’ll find resources for how to do this, as well as content from our own adventures.

Let’s do this.

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