Do You Need a Personal Web Site

In our time, I believe that any specialist in their field, no matter what they do, needs their own website. I know you usually don’t have time to read long posts, so let’s get straight to the point and I’ll explain specifically what a personal website can provide for you.

Table of Contents

What a personal website provides
Applicability in which field
My personal experience
Which system to use
What I propose

What a personal website provides

There are no miracles in this world. Don’t expect that some magical webmaster will come along, draw something on the screen, place a “Money” button, and with just one click, money will flow to the client. A website is merely a tool, another channel for a specialist in their field to present themselves in the best possible way to new employers or their own clients.

The advantages of having a personal website usually boil down to the following:

1. Professionalism. A specialist who has their own representation on the internet appears more deserving in the eyes of potential employers. Immediately seen as a professional.

2. Information in the desired format. Unlike, for example, a resume or a cover letter accompanying it, or a questionnaire on a job portal, a specialist can present all the information about themselves that they want. No form restricts them from explaining their main strengths and advantages. Conversely, no one is forcing them to admit their weaknesses.

3. Overcoming modesty. A website is created once, and if not forever, then for a very long time. The information is prepared in advance. That is, without the stress usually associated with interviews or negotiations. Many people feel uncomfortable promoting themselves in personal interactions. In such a situation, a personal website will tell a potential employer everything they need to know about the specialist, and in the best possible way.

4. Getting rid of routine. Tired of repeating the same thing to every potential client? In that case, you can provide links to the relevant pages.

5. Expertise. A specialist on their own website, by publishing just a few articles about their subject, appears to others as a true professional, a master of their craft.

Applicability in which field

Practically in any field. And in any business. It’s probably safe to say that few doubt the need for a website for those who provide various professional services. It’s hard to imagine a truly good lawyer, accountant, consultant, realtor, or practicing doctor without their own website.

But in reality, a personal resource is relevant even for those engaged in the most basic manual labor. If they are skilled, why not attract new clients from the internet, which, in fact, has a much wider reach than word-of-mouth.

Even in the case of someone engaged in labor-intensive physical work – working as a loader or cleaner, for example – a personal website represents hope and prospects, a chance to break free from the cycle of living from paycheck to paycheck.

No, this is not the kind of thing scammers usually lure people with, like passive income, where you do nothing but line your pockets. Nothing like that. Simply put, a website can initially provide additional orders alongside your main job. Then, if it works out, if the idea takes off, why not hire assistants and eventually continue working, but no longer as an executor, but as a manager and director?

My personal experience

I had the opportunity to work on top-rated portals in the Russian-speaking segment, such as banks.ru, baniros.ru, mosnovostroy.ru. I also had about ten years of experience in the financial sector and even worked as a teacher, business trainer, and more. But I only created my own personal website in 2012.

What did it give me? Firstly, during my next job change, I could refer to my website. This immediately allowed me to overcome a certain salary plateau. The next job offer was about a third higher than the previous one.

I was no longer asked to undergo lengthy probationary periods, especially with a lower salary, as the results of my previous work were presented in the form of a portfolio. This definitely instilled more trust.

The level of respect towards me as a professional has increased. It has become more respectful. And in general, it is beneficial for employers to see that they are not alone, that there can be competition for an employee, that their services are for sale, and market conditions dictate the terms. In such a situation, no one would think of treating a specialist as a fool who doesn’t know their worth and offering less than what their work is worth.

But not only has the attitude towards me changed. I have also changed. I no longer feel like a cog in someone else’s machine. Even when I’m hired full-time, I don’t feel completely dependent on the employer anymore. In reality, my employer is just another client. One who comes to me through my website. And it’s not only them choosing me, but I also choose them. I stay with some for a long time. I provide one-time services to others, earning additional income alongside my main job.

Choosing the Right Platform

Websites come in different forms. A good portal requires months of work from a whole team of developers and is quite expensive. But here’s the good news: today, there are ready-made solutions available where you can take an existing system with open-source code and apply professionally designed, free, or reasonably priced templates to it.

From there, it’s a matter of technique: configuring the website to fit your needs, customizing it, making it unique and tailored to specific requirements. Filling it with relevant content. In short, turning it into a professional tool that sells services to potential clients and employers.

However, it is worth warning beginners against using ready-made, completely pre-installed options that require no coding at all, such as Tilda, Wix, and similar platforms. There are many of these nowadays.

The difference between these so-called builders and content management systems is as follows.

1. Builders are a lifelong commitment. You can’t take your website and transfer it elsewhere. The owner is obligated to pay month after month, and if they change their mind, all the information will be lost, and they will have to start from scratch in a new location.

2. Builders are suitable for simple “landing” pages. Everything is standard, cheap, and fast. But what if you need expansion? What about special functionality that is not provided by the developers of the ready-made solution?

3. Perhaps the most important aspect. In the beginning, you have to work on the website – drive traffic to it, promote it on social media, place advertisements, and so on. To attract visitors and generate orders. But ultimately, every website owner hopes for the opposite: for the website to fully work for them. That is, to receive a flow of people from search engines. And that’s precisely why, ask any SEO specialist or website optimizer, if you’re not familiar, pages created in builders are the least suitable for this purpose.

So, a builder is convenient for those who don’t understand programming languages. But it’s not promising. And for true webmasters, it’s better to have full access and control over the website.

Of course, ideally, the best option is to create everything from scratch, designing and developing both the design and functionality independently. Then, as they say, any desires can be fulfilled. But that’s expensive. In that case, a team is needed – frontend developers who handle what we see, backend developers responsible for the server-side, designers, testers, and so on.

And once the website is built, it needs to be maintained and bugs need to be fixed. It’s easy to imagine the costs involved. It requires a whole team of IT professionals with decent salaries.

And that’s where the combination of a ready-made content management system with individual customization comes in as a reasonable compromise. The website fully belongs to the client, and all its components are accessible when needed. Generally, system support and bug fixes are usually carried out by the developers themselves, and periodic free updates are sufficient.

What I propose

So, what are the options for those who need a personal website? In that case, I suggest the following approach.

Firstly, we take one of the popular and well-maintained website engines as a foundation. This system is completely independent, will be updated without additional costs, and is also suitable for search engines. It can be further developed and enhanced with new features.

Secondly, we choose a ready-made design based on the client’s preferences. There are thousands of designs available, both paid and free. But even the most expensive among them is much cheaper than hiring a designer for custom development.

Thirdly, we configure and populate it with individual content, texts, and images. If needed, we can integrate additional functionality, including scheduling your time.

Fourthly, we make it more than just visually appealing; we turn it into a sales tool with illustrations, advantages, and customer reviews.

And finally, the most important aspect, we provide the website with multiple channels for customer interaction and inquiries: an email request form, a phone contact button, WhatsApp, or Viber.

So, how much does it cost? I would really like to give a direct answer to this question. I don’t like it when the final price is not stated upfront. But consider this: I don’t know in advance what functionality you will need, and I can’t anticipate which design, paid or free, will be suitable for you. As they say, all markers come in different colors, right?

What we can be sure of, though, is that if your service is already in demand, the investment in a website will definitely pay off. Judging by Europe, where I currently reside, the average local resident can afford to order two to four such websites with their monthly salary. So, you can calculate whether it’s profitable or not, whether you need new clients and employers, and whether you can attract them. If the answer is yes, then we can create a high-quality product together that will significantly expand your opportunities and increase your income.