Q&A Time: Professional website?

I want to set up a professional website, but I have no writing credentials or clips to display. Should I create a site anyway? I want to convey professionalism, but I have not actually done any professional work. I’ve got a nifty food blog, but I feel that may not cut it when potential editors google me to check me out. Any ideas on this dilemma? – J, who works in marketing

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Great question! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Every writer should have a website. (You can find a list of helpful articles to convince you of this fact right here, and information on my web host, Homestead, at their homepage.) Even if you don’t have clips right now, you will eventually, and there’s a lot you can say about yourself even without a ton of writing creds on your resume. For instance…

• What’s your education?
• What kind of jobs have you worked in previously?
• What kind of work do you want to do as a freelancer?
• How have your education and professional experience equipped you to solve my writing problem, whatever it may be?
• How could I hire you if I wanted to do so?
• What’s the best way to contact you?
• Where are you located?

The purpose of a writer’s website is to allow potential editors and clients to find out more about you, and eventually to showcase your work. If you don’t have work to showcase right now, that’s okay. There are still a lot of ways to show your skills and highlight your strengths.

I love Elizabeth Hoover’s website. Her main focus is on what she can do for the client, not touting her portfolio, and it works well. The design is classy and simple, and the copy is straightforward and effective. I recently saw another website by a freelancer with veterinary experience whose niche was animal writing and who had a fantastic site design and a really solid presentation. For the life of me I can’t find the link, but I think her name is Jill. If anyone knows who this is, please e-mail me so I can post the URL. The focus was on how her expertise made her the right person for the job, period.

Whatever you do, don’t apologize for not having a ton of clips to flash around. We all started out with nothing on our resumes. As a marketing person, you know what it means to focus on filling the customer’s need. What are people looking for in a writer? Someone who gets it. If you can demonstrate that you’re that person, you’re golden.

Critical elements for any writer’s website:

• Clear, clean, professional design. You don’t have to hire someone to do this for you, but if you’re doing it yourself, do some research. Pick up a few design books from the library and make a note of what you like and dislike about other freelancers’ sites. No dancing Jesus figures or flying toasters, regardless of how funny it was on The Simpsons. I forbid it. No banner ads or anything that blinks. I forbid these, too.
• Concise, appealing copy. Describe who you are and what you can do for a client. Focus on the need you’re filling. As my marketing class discussed, customers aren’t interested in the quarter-inch drill — they want the quarter-inch hole.
• Prominent contact information. If they fall in love with your style, you don’t want them to fall out of love with your lack of common sense in allowing them to get in touch with you quickly and easily. Include a way to contact you on every page, and don’t try to be all cute and hide it somewhere. That annoys people.
• An appropriate photo of yourself. In my ever-popular “Glam-tastic?” blog entry from back in June of this year, I gave some examples of what I consider to be appropriate photos for a professional website. See what they have in common. Note that they do not make use of a Vaseline filter, excessive rouge, or bright pink satin. Please follow suit. (Incidentally, I finally tracked down a Realtor who could answer my question about why they all have photos in the marketing materials. The response? “Branding.” Makes sense. Get your name and your face in front of people, and they’ll remember you.)

A single page is fine to start, although you may find that you want to have a separate About Me page or Contact page once you get rolling. It’s your site, so you can set it up however you want it. Just remember that first and foremost, it’s a marketing tool. Use its power responsibly. And don’t forget to proofread!

Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the ::inkthinker:: blog? Send an e-mail to kristen@kristenkingfreelancing.com, and I’ll get on it right away!

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www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest

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