You Need a Personal Website

Why You Need a Website

Even though you can generate a lot of work from freelance exchange

websites, there are four disadvantages associated with it:

You would be bidding alongside writers from developing countries and

many times they will outbid you.

Working only on freelance exchange websites is like driving a Ferrari on

a road with a dead end. There are limitations to how many clients you can

attract from these websites. Your goal as a freelance writer is to attract an

avalanche of buyers and flood your bank with crispy notes!

• Never depending on only one source of lead generation is a sound

business principle you should follow. What if, due to some reason, you

stop getting clients from these websites? Your income will tank!

• Generally, the quality of buyers you get from freelance exchange

websites is not top notch. You need to attract some high paying clients.

You really need to dig for them and make them want you.

To further solidify your freelance income and build a brand name for

yourself , you need a website: your own personal website, and you need to attract

buyers to that website. You would also find that your website is a crucial factor in

getting top rankings on freelance exchange websites (explained further in the Six-

Figure blueprint …)

Here’s a new Mindset you need to adopt: Think of your website as a funnel.

Your mission is to get as many people as possible to your website. Not 10, not 20,

but hundreds! You will find invariably a percentage of visitors would land you a

writing job. What’s even more delightful would be that many of them would

become your long term customers.

If you stick only to freelance exchange websites, your income will be

limited. Make freelance websites amajor part of your strategy, but not

your sole strategy.

Setting Up a Website

To get writing work, you have to let people know you exist. Setting up a

website is the best way to start. If nothing else, it makes your work visible and

accessible to a large audience.

A website is like having a dedicated salesperson working for you 24/7, 365

days. A good website gives you a chance to show others what you do, how you do it

and what makes you better than the competition.

A website does not have to be complicated. It should simply address a buyer’s

need when he or she lands on your website. How are these needs addressed?

• Have concise information about your writing specialty. What do you do?

It's not a good idea to try and be everything to everybody. It's a recipe for

confusion, so pick a specialty and focus on it.

• A list of writing credits. Link to articles or information you have written

online. Another idea is to contact your past buyers and have permission to

showcase the work on your website.

• Your complete contact information, including e-mail addresses and

telephone number.

• Pricing or payment policies, and if you are collecting email addresses,

your privacy policy.

• If you are a busy writer, include a calendar on your website that shows

your writing commitments.

• If possible, your photograph. Remember, people like to know the person
  
• with whom they are dealing with .

How to Build a Website

Back in the good old 1990s, websites could only be made by people who

were proficient in programming knowledge. Hiring someone in those times for

making a website could have drilled an inch-wide hole in your purse!

Enter the first decade of the 21st century. Kinder garden kids now host their

own website with nursery rhymes on it! Building a new website is as easy as 1-2-3.

If you are prepared to invest a few hours, you can make a website yourself

for under $50. All you need are:

• A domain name (e.g., yourname.com). This normally costs around $9 per

year.

• A company that will host your website. This normally costs around $30

to $35 per year.

• Software to make your website. You would find tons of free software to

make your website.

Some freelance writers use blogs as their websites but generally this is not

recommended. Blogs are meant to initiate a dialogue and require regular postings of

your thoughts. Your website should serve only one purpose: to let buyers know

what they are looking for.

Think of your website as an international salesman. It tells about your

services to people fromall parts of the world. Its salary is only about $

3.5 permonth (hosting charges).