When a client visits your professional website, are they getting the information they want and need? Are benefits of hiring you, as opposed to your competition, clear? Do they leave with enough information to make a hiring decision, or at least feel inclined to contact you?
An effective freelance writer website should do those things. Does yours?
I previously announced I'm in the process of reviewing freelance writer websites so I can feature the best of the best on the blog for you to learn from. Of all the mistakes I've come across during these reviews, the biggest one is this: Too many freelance writers make their websites about them instead of their clients.
But here's the thing. Your prospects aren't on your website because they care about you. They're on your website to find out what you can do for them. Pretty much everything on your website should make that clear, including your copywriting, your design, any resources, and your blog posts.
2 Ways to Keep Your Freelance Writer Website Focused on Your Clients
If you're worried that your website is too focused on you instead of your target clients, here are two ways you can fix that.
Watch your word choices.
Take a look at your homepage. How many times did you use words like "I," "me," or "my?"
If they appear more than a few times (such as in a "contact me" call to action) or a reference to "my portfolio," find a way to reword things. Make it about the client. What do they really want from you -- not in terms of a project type, but in terms of results from that project? Focus on those kinds of things more than yourself.
I'm not one of those writers who will tell you to never use those words though. They have a place. But you have to know your audience.
If you work with smaller clients who want more of that one-on-one connection for example, give it to them. But leave most of the "me, me, me" stuff for your About page. And even there, any "I," "me," or "my" reference should convey some kind of value or benefit to the client.
Keep your professional blog professional.
A common mistake on the writer websites I've been reviewing lately is that they have an unfocused, or poorly focused, blog.
For example, one freelance writer website had a very personal blog where they shared their political views, information about their family, and even information about their health conditions. That's fine on a personal blog or if you have an existing community you feel close to. But not on a client-focused blog. And in this case it read like a rambling private journal.
That's fine. But it should be its own site. Any blog on your professional freelance writer website should revolve around your clients. What are they interested in? What can you teach them that might make them value your services even more? What questions do your prospects have?
That's the kind of information that belongs on a freelancer's professional blog. Don't write about something completely irrelevant. And don't write only about yourself.
How does your freelance writer website stack up? Have you made this common mistake? If so, how did you (or will you) fix it? If you'd like to share additional tips on keeping your freelance website client-focused, please leave a comment below.
I love this, Jenn!
I also see this on a lot of writer websites. I won’t claim to be perfect, though. I really try to put my focus on prospects, but I still feel I’m too “me” focused. I DO believe, though, that the way you word your copy (whether it’s all about “me” or about “you”) can make a HUGE difference.
I don’t think any freelancer’s site is “perfect.” But you’re right. How you choose to word things matters. If prospects don’t see something in it for them, they have no reason to buy. That said, don’t shy away from “me” oriented language completely. You can go too far with pretty much any rule. If “request a quote” seems too formal for a site, there’s nothing wrong with “contact me” for example. And if your experience or credentials are highly relevant to your specialty area, it makes sense to use first person at least a little bit on an About page. Otherwise we risk losing personality on our sites, which can be important for a solopreneur building a business on pretty much nothing but themselves.
Excellent tips, Jennifer. Freelancers have to craft their products (websites, courses, ebooks etc) with client personas in mind. One-size-fits-all is not working any more.
That’s an excellent way of looking at it Beth. A professional site isn’t some cookie-cutter proposition.
Thanks for this post Jennifer, perfect timing coming across it now as I am creating my writers website. I will be going through the content I have written so far to watch how I have been wording it. If you get a chance please drop by and have a look. Thanks
Hi Tawanda,
I took a quick peek at your homepage. Just a couple of suggestions:
1. Along the lines of what this blog post covered, I highly recommend tweaking your homepage copy to be less about you and more about your clients. More “you” than “me.”
2. I’d also suggest removing the comments form from that page (and any page really — generally you’ll want to reserve that for blog posts). If you’re using WordPress you can turn comments on and off on a page-by-page basis, or you can remove the comments section from the single page template in your theme if you know how to work with the code.
I hope that helps!