3-Step Easy Guide to Set Up Your Freelance Business Website (In 2 Hours or Less!)
Soham Patil
Python and MERN developer passionate about building scalable web applications and crafting efficient backend solutions.
If you came up to me today and said this:
“Ugh. I’m not getting any freelance clients! WTF?!”
The first thing I would ask you is whether or not you’ve got a freelance business website.
And if you don’t?
Oooooh.
You’re in big trouble, my friend.
(But don’t worry – if the reason is that you don’t know how to set up a personal/portfolio/business website, you’ll know by the end of this ebook!)
Because having a professional-looking website that sells is one of the most important things you’ll do to grow your business.
Not kidding.
You really can’t expect to attract tons of high-paying clients without a website. (Which is why it’s GREAT that you’re here right now!)
Now, you might have an “online portfolio” page or something like that.
And you might think that’s enough to get you by.
…But it’s not.
I don’t even like the word “portfolio” when you’re talking about your website.
(Seriously – it’s like someone saying “Voldemort” in the Harry Potter world. Not cool, yo.)
Because a “portfolio” is what people use when they’re trying to land a full-time job or some kind of business relationship where they’re treated like an employee.
And that’s not what you’re doing when you build a profitable freelance writing business.
Instead, you’re creating a freelance business website. A website that showcases your niche expertise in a way that helps you land clients.
I mean, you can have a page on your site called “Portfolio,” but your entire site should not be that page.
I’ve rebuilt my website several times over the course of my freelance career.
I started out with a “portfolio” site – just like almost everyone does.
But eventually, I realized I needed to present myself as a business owner and niche expert to get clients to take me seriously.
And I started attracting and landing far more clients once I took the time to improve my site.
Setting up a freelance business website (using the exact steps in this ebook!) played a HUGE role in my getting to plenty of clients in just 4 months.
Don’t get me wrong, though – your website doesn’t need to be perfect at first.
You just need to get SOMETHING out there… so don’t put it off!
Then, you’re ready to go through these steps! ??
Here’s a basic breakdown of how to set up a freelance business website for yourself:
Now, let’s go over the process more in-depth.
…You know, so you can get your site set up today without ending up in the fetal position under your desk. ??
(Note: This article contains affiliate links, but I only recommend stuff I personally have used and enjoyed. Clicking my link costs you nothing extra – just gives you a discount and gives me a commission so I can continue to create free content. I truly appreciate the support!)
How to Set Up Your Freelance Business Website
STEP ONE: Get a professional domain and hosting.
Before you pick a website builder, you have to buy a domain and hosting.
Don’t skip this step! Your site won’t look professional if your URL is badboy69.tumblr.com.
You need to get a custom domain that represents your business.
I use?Bluehost?for this, and I’ve really liked it so far. I use Bluehost for the site you’re on now and for several other sites/domains!
(Seriously – go ahead and click and follow along with me! Even if you don’t know exactly what you want your domain to be yet, you can follow along to go through the process and learn how it’s set up.)
You’ll be taken to the main page, which looks like this:
All right – now, you need to click the “Start saving” button and then choose “shared hosting” if it asks for hosting type. After clicking “shared hosting” you will see the below screen!
Here, you can see a breakdown of all the plans?Bluehost?has available, with your discounted rate of $2.65/mo for the basic plan which is a limited time sale it may go back to $2.95 after sale ends.
Since every plan includes a free domain, you’ll be able to get your freelance writer website domain (the URL) included with your hosting no matter what you choose. SCORE.
Look over the options and pick whichever one you think will work best for you. Totally fine to start with the basic one!
Once you’ve picked your plan, you’ll see the screen above. This is where you get to pick the name of your freelance business website – exciting!
Type your desired domain name in the “new domain” box. Click next, and you can finish setting up your account.
As you can see, you’ve got lots of ways to customize your plan here.
But remember – it’s okay to start small and add upgrades later!
Look through the options, and make a decision based on your budget and needs.
…Now, I want to stop for a second here and mention something.
I know you might be thinking:
Whaaaat? I have to actually PAY to set up my website!? No way. That’s too much.
I feel you – I was broke as shit when I started out.
But the thing is…
You’re starting a business here.
Is your business not worth investing a hundred dollars (or more) in?
Think about the return you’re going to get on your investment in a professional-looking website.
Winning just one good client can MORE than pay for the costs of setting up your site.
I set up my site RIGHT AFTER I got quit my full-time job, and it played a huge role in my being able to land high-paying clients quickly. I made the money back in less than a month!
Don’t wait to set up your site, and don’t be a perfectionist about it! Just set up something simple as best you can right now so you can go ahead and start pitching!
Sounds fair?
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STEP TWO: Choose a Site Builder Option
Once you’ve got your hosting account and your domain (that wasn’t so bad now, was it?), you’re ready to pick a site builder.
Let’s go over some of the most popular options, and I’ll walk you through how they work.
WordPress
I love WordPress and use it for my own and my client's freelance business websites.
It allows for a ton of customization. You can use it to make your site so fabulous that even Tim Gunn would be impressed.
My clients find it easy to operate and don't bother me when they need to make some changes (though I always remain ready to help them)
That being said, keep this in mind:
If you’re not already familiar with WordPress (or willing to put in some serious time to learn it), it might not be a good option for you right now. Consider going with a more user-friendly option if you need to get your website up and running fast.
But if you want to give it a shot, head over to the?WordPress website.
You can see that they’ve got 3 steps in the bottom right corner.
You already covered Step 1 when you bought your domain/hosting through Bluehost. So at this point, you just need to download and install WordPress.
They’ve got plenty of documentation on how to get your site going. But I want to make one thing clear:
You need to get a professional-looking theme.
Now, you can go for a free WordPress theme if you’re on a tight budget –?there’s a big ol’ list of them right here.
I looked through them and found this one:
I can’t vouch for it because I’ve never used it personally, but at a glance, it looks like a decent free option as far as the design. Might be worth looking into!
But what if you’re ready to invest in your business and get a paid theme?
If that’s the case, I recommend the?Divi theme for WordPress.
It’s what I used to build my clients websites and its easiest theme to use with front-end and back-end editing, whichever you like!
See how beautiful is this? I made this client's website with?a Divi theme.
My favorite thing about?Divi?is that it includes an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
I’ve used other themes with this functionality, but none have come close to?Divi?as far as ease of use.
Whatever you do, just promise me that you’ll pick a theme appropriate for a business website, okay?
Not a portfolio. A business website.
Because again, you’re not a job applicant. You’re a freelance business owner.
Tip: Want a walkthrough of how to set up your site in 5 minutes or less with WordPress and Bluehost? I’ve got your back.?Click here to go to the Bluehost website, then go to “Support”?>> “WordPress” >> “How to Install WordPress” …It’s super easy!
STEP THREE: Optimize your freelance business website so it SELLS.
Here are four things to think about when creating your site:
1.???You need to have the right content/pages, a good design, and a clear navigation bar.
Here are the pages I use on my website:
I suggest using a similar set of pages.
You can totally customize the names of these pages to fit your preferences, but keep in mind that the copy you use for each page in your navigation bar should be clear.
You want your potential clients to know exactly how to get the info they need so they can navigate your site and reach out to you.
I also suggest putting some kind of pricing on your site, even if it’s a “Starting at” or “Prices range from $____ to $____ depending on project scope.”
That way, you can weed out clients who are going to lowball you and attract clients who are ready to pay your rates.
Also, make sure you put some time and effort into your design (often, picking a good theme/template will take care of a lot of this for you).
You don’t want an ugly ass website, okay?
Your site is the first impression you make on clients, and if it looks bad, YOU look bad.
Ouch. Harsh, I know. But it’s true.
2.???We all have to start somewhere.
(Just make sure you’re not staying where you started for too long. You don’t want to get caught in a rut where you have the same starter freelance business website for a year!)
3.???Invest in your business if possible.
Can’t get all the fancy stuff you want right now? That’s okay – just keep pushing until you get to that point.
But if you can afford to sink time and/or money into your site right now, I encourage you to do it.
I think one of the reasons my freelance writing business grew so quickly is that I didn’t stick with my first basic website for long – at all.
Sure, that site helped me land some clients.
But I knew it wasn’t good enough to use long-term.
So while I was cold pitching with my first website, I was also spending a lot of time creating an even better website.
I never hesitated to invest time and money in my business, even if it meant working extra so I could do the things I knew would take me to the next level.
4.???Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Obviously, some of the stuff presented here (like Squarespace not being very intuitive) is just my opinion.
Look around online, and you’ll see all kinds of different opinions about these site builders.
It’s up to you to try them out and see which one you like the most.
It won’t take you that long (I tried all of them for this ebook!) – and it’s worth the positive effect a good freelance writer website will have on your business.
I know I say this a lot, but I’m going to say it again here because it’s important:
The most important thing you can do is take action.
Get your freelance writer website out there, and make improving your website over time a priority.
Got any questions about how to set up your freelance writer website? Ask me in the?Linkedin DM – I’ll do my best to help you out!
Keep on hustling! ??