Olaitan

I owe a lot to my personal website: - £1M+ in revenue - 100s of leads for work - 10s of interesting opportunities More people should have one. (Read on for tips to start yours) Because I’m convinced it’s the simplest way to stand out. - From the freelance projects via Google searches - To the people reading my end of year reviews and reaching out - And the companies seeing my code online then going to my site to read more My personal website has played a part in every opportunity I’ve had online. I’ve made money I wouldn’t have without it. I’ve travelled to places I wouldn’t have without it. I’ve made friends I wouldn’t have had without it. It’s felt like my unfair advantage for years. So why don’t more people have one? And if they do have one, why isn’t it working for them? (Working as in, bringing revenue, leads and opportunity) The first reason. It’s always on the back burner: - Too much client work - Work project deadlines - Busy family life (I get it, some of my pages are out of date, too) The second? Content. Most people don’t know what to include. It makes the task overwhelming. And then another year goes by without launching their site. But here’s the thing: You don’t need a ton of content to get your personal website live. I’ve been adding to my personal website for years. And I’ve helped 100s of others build their sites this way, too. So let’s put a stop to your procrastination today. Here’s what to include to get your personal website to MVP: A single service landing page What is it? A simple page that tells the visitor: - Exactly what you do - That you understand their problems - Why you’re a good fit to work with - What your availability is - How they can get in touch You can start with this as your home page. Why should I include it? A well written single service landing page helps both users and Google understand who you are for. People are busy. They’re searching for someone to help them with a specific task. If they can’t understand how you can help them from your personal website, they’ll click away. A single service landing page gives people the information they need fast. You need to be discoverable, too. Writing in detail about your service helps people find you via search. What content should I include? Start with a simple way to describe yourself. A keyword that you can expand on. For example: "Freelance WordPress Developer" Assure people they’re in the right place high up the page. Use bullet points for your credentials: - "I’m a senior WordPress developer" - "With 10 years of professional experience" - "I've worked on projects for BMW, Umbro and Meta" This sets the scene that you’re suitable. Include a headshot of yourself. It shows you have skin in the game. Then, show you understand your target audience’s problems. You could lead with something like: "Common scenarios where I deliver successful projects" Here, you’ll list off the work you want more of. An example if you’re looking for service work: "Your business wants to migrate its website to WordPress" An example if you’re looking for consultancy work: "You need technical advice on what a migration to WordPress would look like" After that, go into more detail about your specific credentials. (Think, what makes me special?) This could be: - Your soft skills and communication style - The time you’ve been in the industry - Your remote work experience - Any guarantees you offer - The way you like work If you have visually appealing work, include that, too. You won’t be for everyone, but you’ll be a perfect match for others. Finally, if you have testimonials, add some. Aim for 4+ If you don’t have testimonials, get some. (From colleagues or work you’ve done for friends) Because social proof is important. (Tip: Always request a recommendation on LinkedIn from people you’ve worked with) A way to contact you The job of the content beforehand is to lead the user to do what you want them to do. Which, in many cases, is email you with an opportunity they have. So make it easy for a visitor to contact you. The simplest way is with a form: - "Name" - "Email address" - "Tell me about your project" I like to add an email address to my pages, too. (Some people prefer to write in their email client) Give an overview of your availability. Price availability: "My minimum project price is £10,000" And time availability: "I’m booking work today for January 2024" Assure your visitor that you’ll reply with a message beside your form: "I’ll reply within 24 hours!" Because serious enquirers want to know that their message will be worth the effort. And that’s your basic content plan! Bonus content for your personal website MVP: A one-page personal website will get you started. But a multi-page personal website will get you more traction. Here’s what content I’d include next (ranked in order): An about page People work with people they like. And those looking to work with you will check you out online. I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve cited common ground from my about page when contacting me. An about page is a way for you to tell your story and enhance your credibility. Content to include: - What you’ve done before (accomplishments) - What you’re doing now (current status) - Where you’re going next (aspirations) - Relevant personal info (with photos) - Authority (like podcast appearances) A blog If you want inbound leads for jobs your best bet is to prove yourself at scale. Writing on your personal website is a great way to do this. Articles you could write: - How to solve a problem your target audience has - A personal reflection from your experience in the field - An opinion piece relevant to your industry - An end of year review (Tip: Your first article could be about how you built your personal website) More single service landing pages You can offer more than one service. You can offer different types of service. You can offer services to more than one target audience. Adjacent service pages help with discoverability. (With their own key terms) For example: You might offer web development services to clients directly: "Freelance WordPress Developer" And training services to people looking to improve their web development skills: "WordPress Development For Beginners Course" (Tip: Link your pages together where relevant) That’s it! I hope you found this useful. And remember: The best time to start your personal website was 10 years ago. The second best time to start your personal website is today.

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