10 Essential Pages in Your Freelance Site

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10 Essential Pages in Your Freelance Site

Posted September 24, 2010 in Getting Clients, Marketing

I saw something interesting on my Twitter stream the other day: “Your blog is the new resume.”

How true! Everyone is so web savvy nowadays that we know we can get the dish on anybody by Googling their name.

Even if your prospects don’t have online businesses, they know that they can easily find out more about you on the Internet.

And, what are they likely to find? Embarrassing photos in Facebook? Less than flattering remarks you make on Twitter? Or, posts in which you complain about clients on your blog?

Why Your Blog Is So Important

One way to make sure your freelance site or blog projects you at your best is to have the following essential pages. These pages will help your prospects to:

Find out what you do best and how you can help them
Discover how good you are
Determine if they can afford you or not
Get to know, like and trust you
Connect with you to explore working together

A good freelance site has one sole purpose: to compel the visitor to get to know you better, either by contacting you directly or by giving you their contact information so you can keep sending them more content.

The ten essential pages for your freelance site are:

1. Home Page

This is most likely the first page visitors see when they arrive on your site. It can be either a static page or a blog index page. Either way, it’s important that visitors know within the first few seconds whether they’re in the right place or not.

To do this, your home page should convey what you do and for whom. It should be immediately obvious that you’re a freelancer for hire. Skip the witty taglines and go for clarity instead.

2. About Page

Visitors who want to learn more about you as a person will look for an About Page. Stick to the basics, such as who you are and where you’re located (if you target local clients, especially).

Let them know what makes you tick and what sets you apart from your competitors. This is not the page to list your qualifications (more on that later). However, this is where you do get to brag about what you’re good at and how you got so good.

If you have personal quirks and interests that have nothing to do with your services–but make you a more interesting human being–you can mention them here. Remember, humans hire fellow humans, not robots.

To illustrate, here’s a story about how I got my first job. I was applying to be a researcher in a children’s television production outfit. I had a degree in communication and some on-the-job training in TV production. However, the boss hired me because she saw in my resume that I enjoyed singing and had performed in a few amateur musicals.

Singing had nothing to do with the job description, but that’s what got me hired over the other applicants. (Years later, I did ghost sing for one of the show’s performers.)

You never know what will get you hired, so mention your passions even if they seem irrelevant.

3. Your Services

Dedicate one page to describing the specific services you do for your clients. If these are complicated, you may even have one page per service, but do make sure you have one service page that lists all of them.

To publish your rates or not? There’s no hard and fast rule. Personally, I don’t like to keep prospects guessing. If they can’t afford me, I want them to move on instead of asking for a proposal and then telling me they couldn’t afford me after all!

At the same time, I charge different rates for different projects, so I publish a minimum rate for each service. See what works for you and what you’re most comfortable with.

The important thing to remember with this page is to be clear about how your services benefit your clients. Remember, you don’t just write articles, design websites or write code. You save your clients time, rescue them from hours of frustration, and help them make more money!

4. Testimonials

Pick a few of the best feedback you’ve received from previous clients and publish them on a testimonials page.

With testimonials, the more details you can provide, the better. Get your clients’ permission to publish their full name, location (just the city will do), photo and website URL, at the very least.

Your prospects will want to know that they’re not taking a very big risk by hiring you, because you have a string of happy customers.

5. Resume

Here’s where you can be detailed about your professional background and qualifications: where you got your degrees and when; where you’ve worked and what you did; what awards you’ve received and the usual stuff we put on paper resumes.

However, this is the web, so you can spice this up in terms of lay-out and tone. It doesn’t have to be very formal (depending on your target market) and it certainly should not look like a paper resume.

6. Portfolio

Give your visitors a taste of what you’re capable of. Have a page that showcases your best work, ideally, at least one work sample for every service you provide.

Always ask clients for permission first, before displaying the work you did for them on your site, or linking to them from your site. Most clients are happy to be included in your portfolio, but a few will want confidentiality.

In that case, ask if you can send the work to prospects through email rather than from your site. The extra privacy may be enough for your clients to agree.

7. Contact

Some freelancers say it’s best to have your contact information on every page of your site. At the very least, have one page where they can send you email, or find out how to call you.

You’ll want this page to be linked to every page on your site so that, no matter where your visitors are, as soon as they’re convinced they need you, they’re only one click away from getting in touch with you.

8. FAQ

A frequently-asked-questions page can help reduce the number of emails you have to respond to. Make a list of the commonly asked questions you get from prospects. It could relate to your rates, how you accept payment, or your work process.

If you’ve responded to these before, you can copy and paste your answers from those emails and quickly put together a FAQ page.

9. Privacy Policy and Other Legalese

Many website owners neglect to even have such a policy! With more and more people aware of and annoyed at spam, it’s a good idea to have a privacy policy in place.

Other policies you may consider having relate to the copyright of the content on your site. If you promote products and services you’re affiliated with, you’ll need a disclosure on your site.

I’m not a lawyer, so I purchased customizable policies to use on my own sites. You may want to ask around to find the ones that suit yours.

10. Squeeze Page or Sign-up Form

A squeeze page is where you request your visitor for their contact information, usually a name and email address. Alternatively, you could have a sign-up form in one corner of every page on your site.

Realize that not every visitor will contact you. Having a sign-up form or squeeze page gives you the opportunity to capture their contact information so you can communicate with them again through email.

It’s a good idea to offer something free–usually a special report or even a software, plug-in or graphics–in exchange for their contact information.

Once they’ve given you their contact information, you can communicate with them regularly to keep you on top of their mind and make special offers when you need new clients.

And those are what I consider the ten most essential pages in your freelance site.

The key roles of these pages are to offer your services, position you as an expert in your field, and establish a relationship with your prospects.

Your Turn

Did I miss anything else you think should be on every freelancers’ site? Or, are ten essential pages too many?

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Image by jonny2love

About the author: Lexi Rodrigo is the creator of The Savvy Freelancer, a blog that's all about achieving creative and financial freedom through freelancing. Check out Lexi's free guide, 31 Days to Start Your Freelancing Business (or Make Yours A Better One).

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61 Comments

Gabe
September 24th, 2010 at 8:44 am

#4 is my favorite :)
Jordan Walker
September 24th, 2010 at 8:52 am

haha maybe #4 is a blog?
Lexi Rodrigo
September 24th, 2010 at 9:28 am

Whoops, LOL! I guess the squeeze page is NOT a bonus. Ok, guys, make THAT number four :-D
Lexi Rodrigo
September 24th, 2010 at 9:36 am

@Jordan Walker – Do you think a blog is essential in a freelancer’s site?

I think it is essential, but only for writers. It’s an excellent marketing tool for any freelancer, however, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.

But for any freelancer who’s inclined to do the work involved in maintaining a blog, I highly recommend it as a way to attract clients :-)

What do others think?
Laura Spencer
September 24th, 2010 at 9:45 am

Okay, guys. My fault for not catching the numbering snafu. :) All fixed now, and you STILL have ten essential pages.

To answer your question, Lexi, I think a blog is essential because it builds community. However, I’m not sure it needs to be on the same site as the rest. But then, I’m a writer. So, maybe I would think that.
OfficeCavalry
September 24th, 2010 at 9:52 am

I feel everyone needs a news page on their website. Just to inform viewers of developments in your market or to tell them about some of your work. Users will like the fact they get to know you and your market on a personal level.
Jon Gamble
September 24th, 2010 at 10:23 am

It might just be me, but I don’t like putting a FAQ page on my site. I would rather have the people email or call me with specific questions they might have and make sure that the content on my site answers most of the “Frequent Questions” people might ask.

When people are asking me questions, I can tailor the response to their individual needs which makes the process just a little more personal.

I also don’t like to put a resume page on their as I have most of that information on my “About” page. I would rather keep the number of pages down and have more streamlined information on the fewer pages than have 10+ pages with more fluff and repeated ideas. I’m also into minimalism so that just be me…lol

Great article though, Thanks!
Erick Guerrero
September 24th, 2010 at 10:44 am

#3 & #4 really important points. Thanks for this article, now i’ll improve my site.
Laura Spencer
September 24th, 2010 at 10:51 am

Jon Gamble

Stay tuned! In a few weeks I’ll have post dedicated to the importance of the FAQ page. :)
Jon Gamble
September 24th, 2010 at 10:54 am

Thanks Laura! I read Freelance Folder every morning, so I am sure I will see it. I love to see opposing opinions on content as I am new to the freelance world. Thanks for your help!
Jen (Adrinah Design)
September 24th, 2010 at 10:56 am

This is a great post! I think we might even be able to trim the list down more…I don’t have my resume or an FAQ page on my site. I feel that in the about page, services, and portfolio take place of my actual rescue.

I do agree that you should be able to figure out what the person (or company) does when looking at their homepage. If I can’t figure it out within the first 30 seconds, I may click through different pages to figure it out, or I may just leave the site all together.

The breakdown you have is excellent. Prospects and clients needs to be able to find this information immediately so we don’t irritate them and waste their time.

Great list, thanks for sharing!

PS – I’ve been debating putting my rates on the website or not. My concern is that if I list that a logo design starts at a price, will clients be annoyed or feel misguided if I quote a higher rate because the project is more involved than a basic design (re-branding project for example)? What has your experience been with that?
Rusty Fischer
September 24th, 2010 at 11:02 am

This goes to the blog comment above, but I use my blog to cover a major portion of these 10 pages — although I could certainly use more. By carefully arranging my blog, I’m able to post testimonials on the side panels, every post tells them a little more about me, they can easily see what types of projects I do in the range of my experience via links to book covers, which in turn become my Portfolio. Although I could certainly add more depth of coverage via additional pages, this gives them a quick tour of what I do, who I am, what I’ve done, who I’ve done it for and via various twitter and facebook badges they can then view even more. It’s not perfect, but it works for me and I’m always trying to add to, enahnce and actively evolve the site; thanks for the tips!!!
Candy Nicholson
September 24th, 2010 at 11:47 am

I’ve decided to add my resume to my site in order to establish credibility regarding my editorial experience. With my portfolio, I’ve largely included pieces I’ve written or produced for organizations. But the portfolio doesn’t really convey my experience as a editor and manager, so I use my resume page to give my background a little more heft.

Some of the top 10 listed I think work well if combined into one page. For instance, I address FAQ on my Services page. And I’ve seen many privacy policy statements relegated to the Blog page, which I personally would include among the 10 essential pages, if for no other reason than to give your opinion on what’s happening in your industry and the freelance world in general.
Tyler Herman
September 24th, 2010 at 3:54 pm

Those are probably all either necessary or good to have but I’m not sure they always deserve a page by themselves. Maybe its just me but I can’t remember a time when I more then skimmed a testimonial let alone looked for a 2nd or even a whole page of them. Squeeze Page, Contact and Privacy Policy can be pretty easily incorporated into one or all of your pages.
Bill
September 24th, 2010 at 5:13 pm

You lost me at “resume”.
TLC
September 24th, 2010 at 10:40 pm

I would be very cautious about posting a resume on a Web site. They have alot of personal information that could be used for identity theft.

I used to work at a major academic medical center. Most of the physicians/faculty would post their full CVs online, complete with Social Security numbers, names of spouses and children, and home addresses. Sigh. . . . .
Mark @ Alchemy United
September 24th, 2010 at 11:35 pm

In terms of content, it’s obviously a good list. In terms of sheer pages I would like to suggest that:

1) The home page be nixed and/or be the by-product of some of the other list content. Why not make the blog the home page? Why require an extra click?

2) Presuming there will be RSS subscriptions to the blog (and/or the blog also pushes out to Twitter, FB LI, etc) then it makes sense to make 4, 6 and 8 blog categories.

3) Geez, I just noticed that blog is not on this list. How can that be?
TheAL
September 25th, 2010 at 1:06 am

Working on #9. Don’t want #5 or #10. I did a blog from like 1998 to 2003. I don’t plan to do another anytime soon.
Stephanie
September 25th, 2010 at 8:16 am

Thanks for this post Lexi! I’m about to build my very own and very first professional website so this came at the right time for me. I’m gonna have to work on the terms of service and policies though since most of my clients are internationally based.
Techfudge
September 25th, 2010 at 12:58 pm

Thanks Laura for the great post. I agree with your posts but all blogs do not need to have all the pages mentioned here.Yes some existence of some pages is inavoidable.
behzad
September 25th, 2010 at 2:56 pm

Keeping a site simple is better than having multiple buttons or pages or too much information to read. This is the very reason why I never touched writing a blog for myself. I have written a few articles but for the graphic design community featured on other sites.

Your work will sell your product more than words can say. People are busy and don’t have time to read all the information in the world why they should pick your services over the competition.

The above pages mentioned in this article are fine only if done up to moderation and not in excess. The less pages you have the easier and faster the prospect will convert over and decides to contact you.
Laura Spencer
September 25th, 2010 at 6:35 pm

Thanks TechFudge

This is actually Lexi’s post! :) So she gets all the credit.
Jim Bonham
September 26th, 2010 at 3:54 am

Nice article, but I really don’t think as a freelancer you need 10 pages to “compel the visitor to get to know you better”, which is the sole purpose identified at the start of the article. So I agree with behzad on this. Keep it simple, include only your best work and the the key information you want to convey to get a conversion. Maybe we should thing of your 10 “pages” more like 10 “content types”. For example, for many freelancers the first four on the list can be in one page or spread over two. faq, policy, resume and squeeze page are just fluff for most people. Contact info should just be on every page.

Naturally link to your blog, business twitter/tumblr etc. accounts if they seem appropriate.
Khuram Javaid
September 26th, 2010 at 6:18 am

I have Index, Portfolio, Contact pages and my blog on the website. I think these are all the necessary items for a freelance website. I am doing quiet well with that.

Khuram
Stella Aghenie
September 26th, 2010 at 5:18 pm

I agree with what’s written in your post, but actually for me, the About page is important, to know who gives me the information, and who’s the person that answers my questions…
Hastimal Shah
September 27th, 2010 at 12:37 am

Thanks for giving useful information.
I will definitely update on my blog with required pages
Nadine
September 27th, 2010 at 8:07 am

Good stuff.

I agree with Jen and the 30sec rule. If in this time I don’t get a feel for a site I most likely move on. So, I think within this time it is the layout that gives you already a vibe of who and what the person is like “A picture (colours and layout) say more than a thousand words” :) Then the main site: What is it about? and Who is the person (About me page).

As for the rest, they can contact for more information :)
Freelance FactFile
September 27th, 2010 at 10:04 am

I have all these pages (apart from FAQs) on my website (which sells my copywriting service). My blog is about freelancing and so only has posts related to freelance matters. Pages 4 (testimonials) and 6 (portfolio) on my website are the ones that potential clients are most interested in.
Ameet
September 28th, 2010 at 5:55 am

nice interesting tips but too many page for a freelance websites i reckon…i hope visitors dont get bored
Albert
September 28th, 2010 at 9:17 pm

I’m thinking of doing some freelancing on the side. To make it legit I need to create a fictitious company name. I’m not sure if if using my name is a better choice than a company name.

I don’t know if I should create a company site for my freelancing, and also have a personal website for things that don’t belong on my freelance site.

Does anybody have a freelance site + personal site? or both as one website is better?
Ameet
September 29th, 2010 at 7:23 am

@Albert i think having both as one is better that way client have a feel of your other qualities and attitude and will b friendly with you as if he knows about u a lot..anyways these are my views
Lynore Avery
October 31st, 2010 at 12:11 am

There are some great tips here. I think I would prefer to put some of this information on my LinkedIn profile, and provide a link from my website.
Assistant Resume
November 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm

A professional business resume is very important to have in doing freelance work. If you decide to do freelance work there are various ways you can establish yourself and earn income. There are some good items mentioned in this article.
Arif Saeed
November 24th, 2010 at 1:49 am

I agree with your points, but on the other side too much information might scare people too, its all the play of tailoring to the need of your audience and topic of website
Radhika
February 28th, 2011 at 10:28 pm

I have a question about combining lots of these pages into one.
I was thinking to combine 2 and 7 together and 3-6 together. What do you think about that?
Should I split it up? If so, what is the bare minimum I should keep it at? (I don’t want my menu bar to be so cluttered with hiring pages).
Thanks!
Darwin
March 14th, 2011 at 5:16 pm

I went from a site having almost all of the above elements to a 1 page site and actually increased my leads. My current site is actually what was supposed to be a coming soon site but a busy streak slowed my redesign so 1 pager it is. Like they say… “the shoemaker’s children go barefoot.”

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