Creating a website for self-employed people: tips and benefits

As a freelancer or SME, you want to present yourself well online. Many entrepreneurs immediately think of a beautiful website. Understandable. But let’s be honest: a beautiful website doesn’t necessarily make a good website. A good website helps you attract customers. And that’s precisely where things often go wrong.

In this blog post, I’ll explain what to consider when having a website built.

Why a website is essential for self-employed people

Nearly every business is searched for online. Even if people find you through word of mouth, they often still check your website first. What they see there determines whether they contact you or abandon your search. A good website:

Builds trust
Clearly shows what you do
Makes contacting you easy
Works 24/7 for your business (so it’s like having an extra employee!)

Simply put, without a good website, you’re missing out on opportunities.

A beautiful website is not yet a good website

Dit is misschien wel het belangrijkste punt van allemaal. Een website kan er fantastisch uitzien, maar als hij niet gevonden wordt in Google, onduidelijk is in de zin dat hij geen antwoord geeft op de vraag waar jouw klant naar op zoek is, technisch niet goed werkt of geen actie uitlokt dan levert hij weinig op.

Wat maakt een website écht goed?

Regardless of taste, there are several aspects that make a good website. A good website:

Is well-organized
Loads quickly
Has a good navigation structure
Works well on mobile (responsive)
Is written for your target audience
Exudes confidence
Is built around findability and conversion

Design supports this process, but is not the end in itself. It’s important that your website is professionally designed and exudes confidence. By that, I mean that the customer sees who you are as a business owner, what exactly you do, and what other customers say about you (reviews, social proof). The customer must feel that they’ve come to the right place.

Should you have a website created or build it yourself as a self-employed person?

Some entrepreneurs start by building a website themselves or ask a friend or family member to do it for them. This is understandable from a cost perspective, but it’s strongly discouraged. Creating a good website is specialist work, just like calling a roofer for a leak in your roof.

Building a website yourself
The advantages of building a website yourself are low costs and a quick website launch.

However, there are also pitfalls. If you don’t understand SEO or are less skilled in the technical aspects of a website, your website might look good at first glance but yield little in practice. If the design is flawed or the technology is flawed, your visitors will lose interest. And if your website doesn’t show up in Google search results, it’s of little use.

Common mistakes with freelancer websites
I regularly encounter websites where the focus is primarily on the appearance. The website is incredibly slow, not mobile-friendly (not responsive), and the menu structure is lacking. There’s no clear call-to-action, and the titles and text don’t match the search intent of potential customers. These are exactly the things you want to avoid.

Get a website built for freelancers
When you have your website built by a professional website builder, you can rest assured that the specialist will create a design that aligns with your corporate identity and the image of your business.

Furthermore, the builder will research your services and ideal customers so that the right keywords are integrated into your website, helping you rank in Google.

The technology is extensively tested, your website looks great on mobile, and call-to-action buttons are placed in various places for requesting quotes, contacting us, and/or setting up a no-obligation consultation. In short: a website that generates conversions.

What should a good website contain?

Without trying to be completely exhaustive, here are some important elements.

Clear structure and call-to-action
Most websites consist of four pages: Home, Services, About me, and Contact. Navigation is clear, and it’s easy for visitors to contact you.

SEO-proof titles and texts that are also searchable
Good web texts are understandable, appeal to the right target audience, and contain relevant keywords in titles and texts that help your website rank in Google. Ultimately, this determines whether people contact you or submit a request.

Mobile-friendly and fast
Most visitors access your website on their phones. If your site doesn’t work well on their phones, they’ll leave, and you’ll lose a potential customer to your competitors.

High-quality images
Image loading time plays a major role. For proper site functionality, images should generally be no larger than 100-200 KB, but preferably under 100 KB.

Exude trust
People looking for a specialist or buying a product online 99% of the time do so through a trusted partner. To exude trust, it’s important to showcase your business, show your previous work (portfolio), and provide reviews from people who have worked with you or purchased from you before.

How much does it cost to have a website made as a self-employed person?

I prefer to call it an investment in your business. A good website will bring you more customers and therefore more revenue.

The investment depends on your specific needs. There’s a significant difference between the amount of work and technical resources required for a relatively simple one-page website, a multi-page website, or an online store. Depending on your industry, even one additional customer can (partially) recoup your website’s costs.

Want to have a website created that really works for you?

Do you want a website that’s not only beautiful but also generates customers?

Visit my web design page or feel free to contact
Demoet graphic design directly (0031 6 4821 6537). I’m happy to help.

Demoet graphic design helps businesses and individuals with web design, graphic design, and interior design. With over 30 years of experience and many satisfied customers, I’m a trusted source.

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