Website Advice for Solopreneurs
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As a self-employed professional do you need a website? Is it worth the time and money if you get most of your business from referrals or by subcontracting?
The short answer is, yes. Here’s why:
1. Millions of people are self-employed. Having a website will help you stand out from the crowd.
2. If you don’t have a website a prospective client may perceive you as an insincere short-timer. A website confirms your credibility and professionalism.
3. Due to legislation like AB-5, if you want to preserve your business-owner tax advantages (see “1099 vs W-2”), you need a website as evidence that you are “customarily engaged in an independently established trade, business, or occupation.”
The easy way to create a simple, yet professional website
You don’t need to spend weeks and piles of money creating a fancy website with video, graphics, and custom photography. Follow these tips by Jared Gold, the founder of WebsiteByTonight, a service that serves self-employed professionals.
First, disregard everything you’ve heard about websites.
Confusion and misconceptions about websites are endless. The first rule is to keep it simple. Ignore whatever you hear to the contrary. You only need a basic “brochure website” to start. Forget social media, email lists, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Use an easy-to-use platform solution like Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly.
These providers let you build and easily maintain an attractive website by using intuitive widgets and drag-and-drop tools. They have all the functionality you need and beautiful templates that look great on all devices (including mobile). Everything works together and plays nicely with no software or updates to download, for roughly $14 a month.
Get organized first.
WebsiteByTonight has clients fill out a simple project brief to organize their thoughts.
What’s the purpose of your website, what are you hoping to accomplish? As a solopreneur, all you need is a simple brochure website with a contact form to boost your professionalism and credibility. Optimize for that objective. Don’t overthink it!
Who is your ideal customer or client? Think about your best customer – the one that you can help the most, enjoy working with the most, and is willing to pay you for your service. Create the website with this person in mind. The more specific, the better.
What are some websites you like, and why? It’s best if the websites you like are in the same industry or have the same purpose (for example, to increase credibility). To get started, think of other self-employed people you admire and look at their websites.
When people see your website, what adjectives or feelings do you want them to have? Is there an overall tone you’re going for like calm or trustworthy? This will help determine the fonts and colors that you use.
What templates do you like and why? Platforms like Squarespace have dozens of templates to choose from. Pick a template that best matches your purpose and type of content. For example, photographers choose layouts with a lot of photos, while consultants often use a template with sections so they can easily highlight their service offerings.
Additional prep questions for solopreneurs:
What are your core service offerings?
Keep it simple, so no more than three. Write short descriptors to use as headers on the website, then describe how these services help clients.
What is the market segment or industry of your ideal client?
For example, start-ups, middle-market, or global companies? Do you specialize in a particular industry like biotech, financial services, or the tech industry? This isn’t critical to mention on your website, but if you do have a lot of experience in an area, mentioning it will help you build your business in that niche.
Do you have any clients or prior employers that you can feature?
Featuring the logos of clients or past employers is an easy way to demonstrate that you’re a qualified professional, particularly if they are well-known brands.
Once you’ve followed the steps above and have picked a template, you’ll be given a free trial site, which you can easily extend as needed.
Other important odds and ends:
Buy your domain from GoDaddy. This makes the domain versatile just in case you need to move it from one platform to another, plus their customer support is excellent.
Do not use a personal email account for your business such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. You’ll look like an amateur. Through Squarespace, you can easily sign up for G Suite for business. Alternatively, GoDaddy has email packages for as little as $24 a year. Your email address should match your website domain.
Create a contact form. Using a form helps avoid spam and robocalls since you don’t need to publish your email or phone number. Keep it simple with just four or five fields: name, email, phone (optional), “How can I help you?”, and “How did you hear about me?”.
Write your text in a word document first to catch spelling errors and basic grammar mistakes.
Include a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Have someone proofread the site and test all links to make sure it’s flawless. Links that lead away from your site should open a new window or tab.
Go forth and build! You have everything you need to get started.
Answer the questions above and lay out your basic website. You can add bells and whistles later as your business grows (a nice logo, SEO, a content marketing strategy, etc.). Here are two sources for help in case you get stuck:
WebsiteByTonight will help you build your website for just $899. (Note: PICA members save $100!)
Take the free website webinar hosted by PICA a few times a year.
Once your website is built, tell your network! Post an update on LinkedIn, add a link to the website to your LinkedIn profile, and send personal emails to colleagues. This is an excellent reason to reach out to your network to gain some awareness for your business.
