If you’re in the process of setting up your own business as a contractor or freelancer then one of the biggest things on your mind is probably how best to market yourself.
There are lots of things you can do and some you’ll have already implemented: designing business cards, polishing your LinkedIn profile, signing up with recruiters, and speculatively calling and emailing companies or brands you would like to work with are just a few. However, building a website could well be something you’re undecided over whether or not to do.
Ultimately, it can appear to be a lot of work, it seems like a fairly specialist task and there are regular costs involved. That being said, having a website is one of the best value ways of marketing yourself to potential clients and you absolutely do need one.
Why do I need a website?
Credibility
Recruiters and potential clients alike will often head to Google to check out any contractors they are considering working with. Having your own website shows them that you are a genuine, established business. Once you have your website, you can link it to services such as Google My Business and Bing Places For Business so that full listings for your business appear in relevant search results.
Leads
Even if you just have a basic website with information about yourself, your CV and a contact page, it can still generate leads as it gives potential clients an easy way to get in touch with you. All you need to do is ensure your site is searchable by engines such as Google so that people can find it.
IR35
Having your own website can help indicate that you are in business on your own account in any disputes regarding your IR35 status.
Control
Unlike most contractor or freelancer platforms and LinkedIn, your own website gives you the luxury of being completely in control of what you share with people. So, you can give much more detailed, richer information than those other sites, if you should so choose. Your own website gives you a blank canvas.
But isn’t it a lot of work and expense?
Setting up a website can be quite a bit of work initially but, once it’s up, it will only need changing once in a while (for instance, should you update your work history or portfolio). There are a lot of services out there that will help you choose a domain, design and host your site so even if you’re a complete novice, it can be very straightforward and cost effective.
You will have regular fees (annual or monthly) to cover the cost of hosting and the purchase and retention of your domain, but these fees are usually fairly small for a simple website so it needn’t be a big financial burden and, if it generates leads for you then it should pay for itself.
One thing you can include on your website is your contractor insurance status. If that needs some work, give Kingsbridge a call on 01242 808740.
