Freelance Writer Website: How to Create a Website for Online Business

Yay! You are a freelance writer! And one of the most crucial tools you need for your freelance writing business is a freelance writer website.

Forget about the tiny online portfolio site you created or a free wordpress.com site you own.

You need a professional website that showcases your work and skills.

So, what is a freelance writer’s website?

What is a freelance writer website?

A writer website is a strategic site you create to market your writing service.

Your website should be a self-hosted site with a content management system of your choice.

You will be in control of your site and its content.

Should a freelance writer have a website?

Freelance writing is flooded, and one way to stand out from the noise is to create a writer's website.

Here is what a website will do;

#1→A writer website is home to your writing portfolio

With a writer's website, you can create a portfolio page for all your most proud work.

It makes it easy for you to send your potential clients to see your work on your site.

#2→A writer website is your marketing tool

Picture this;

A client reaches out to you to hire you through your website!

When you optimize your site well, it can be a client-attracting tool you will ever need.

It saves you time and money while you focus on your freelance writing business.

#3→You can publish content on your website!

Let me confess:

I landed my highest paying guest posting writing gig after publishing one blog post on my website.

So if you are dipping your toes into the freelance writing world, a website will give you a platform to publish content you can use as a portfolio.

#4→Your clients care about you having a website.

Are you thinking of sending your cv to potential clients instead of a portfolio?

That is a big mistake because clients don’t care about your degrees but want to see your published work.

What’s more, clients will be more confident having you help them with publishing because you have experience using a website. 

I do most of the publishing for my clients because I know how to use WordPress.

How do I create a freelance writer website?

Listen, I had a hard time creating my website, so I understand how overwhelming it can get.

And I haven’t updated some of the pages, including my About page and Service page.

Yikes! I keep postponing.

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create a client-attracting freelance writer website in the shortest time possible. 

Choose your freelance writing niche.

Let’s face the truth; 

There is no one size fits all, and so you cannot be a general freelance writer.

In as much as it is not a must to have a writing niche when starting, it is crucial to have an idea of what industry you want to write for and what types of writing you want to focus on as a freelance writer.

Check this post if you want to learn different types of writing niches.

The reason why you need this step is to help you when choosing a name and branding.

You can start as a freelance blogger and branch to a more granular niche like copywriting as you gain experience.

An example of a niche by industry is finance, digital marketing, AI solutions, SaaS e.t.c

Pick your domain name.

Once you have a niche, choose your domain name.

The domain name is the address name of your website.

Take time to brainstorm and create your domain name.

You can use your name or play around with words of your choice. 

 Choose your website hosting company.

Already have a domain name? Choose your website hosting company for your website.

There are thousands of hosting firms, but it all boils down to who offers the best services?

You need a hosting company that is reliable, affordable, and customer-oriented.

Also, consider a hosting service provider that offers free SSL, free lifetime domain name, and SEO-friendly hosting.

To cut the hustle for you, I’ll recommend one of my best hosting companies.

Introducing HostPinnacle

HostPinnacle is a hosting company in Kenya that provides world-class web hosting services.

They provide best-in-class website hosting services, including free SSL certificates and domain names.

Head over to HostPinnacle and host your website without a hustle.

I love them because they are affordable and always available if you have issues with your site.

You can host your website for as little as $39/year (Ksh 3,999) with a free domain name with this hosting firm.

Also, for as little as $19/year (Ksh 1,999), you can get a hosting package with a .co.ke domain extension.

I’ve used other hosting providers, and HostPinnacle is the best in terms of rates and services.

Choose your plan and pay.

To start your freelance writer website, go to HostPinnacle, and choose your hosting plan.

I highly recommend the standard package that costs Ksh 3,999/year or $39/year because it comes with a free .com domain name and free SSL.

You are also good with the starter package that costs Ksh 1,500/year or $15/year if you have a domain name or okay to use the .co.ke domain name extension.

Once you pick your hosting plan, HostPinnacle will direct you to a page to input your domain name.

Add to the cart and choose your currency option, as you can see below. 

You can pay for your hosting through the M-Pesa pay bill or via PayPal.

After you pay, you will get access to the client area to log in to your cPanel and start designing your website.

Login to your cPanel

You can now access your control panel (cPanel) through the client area.

On the cPanel is where you can download and install your WordPress.

Install your theme

On the WordPress dashboard, you need to choose your website theme and start designing your site according to your brand and liking.

Some of the themes I recommend are Astra and Unwind themes because they are responsive and SEO-friendly.

Once you install your theme, start customizing.

Add plugins

Apart from themes, you will also need plugins to design your website and for security features.

Download the must-have plugins to enhance the functionality of your site.

Here is a complete list of plugins you will need at the start.

Create web pages for your freelance writer's website.

A freelance writer's website needs to have at least four pages-The home page/landing page, the About page, the Portfolio page, and the Service page.

You can also add the blog page where you can publish your posts.

Create content for your website

Start creating copy for each of the above pages keeping in mind the SEO part.

You can do keyword research to optimize your pages.

Congratulations, you have a freelance writer website!

As simple as that, you will have a freelance writer website.

Kick-start your freelance writing business with a professional website that attracts clients.

What’s more, you will have a professional email to cold pitch your potential clients.

Successful freelance writer websites

Do you need to see some of the successful freelance writer websites for inspiration?

I’ve got you, and this post wouldn’t be complete without these sites.

So, here we go!

Elna’s Innovative Ink

Elna Cain knows who her target client is and speaks to them on her home page.

Colin Newcomer

Colin Newcomer's site is stellar! He lets his site visitors know that he is a WordPress writer.

Christine Renee

Christine's site is also another client-attracting freelance writer website to inspire you.

Ready to create your freelance writer website?

HostPinnacle is your starting point towards creating a stellar freelance writer website.

Do you have questions? Let me know in the comments.