Most freelancers at some point will set up their own website, if you haven’t considered this already, then you definitely should. You need to have a presence online as this is where the majority of people do their research and you need to be easy to find. Featuring a blog on your website is becoming essential to compete with the growing number of businesses that have them.

If you’re unsure about whether you need a blog, read on.

You can provide valuable content for clients

You can build relationships with readers who might end up as your clients. If some of your readers ever find themselves in need of a freelancer, they are much more likely to hire someone whose work they are familiar with. You can choose to aim your blog specifically at clients and fill it with content they would find helpful. This way they start to see you as a valuable resource and will keep coming back to you. People love getting things for free and your blog would act as a taster that clients may reciprocate with their custom.

Network with other freelancers

It’s good to be able to have a network of other freelancers that you can learn from and share ideas and tips. This can be useful if you ever plan to outsource. If you are particularly busy one month you might want to pass that work over to someone else rather than turn it down. If you know someone who would be a perfect fit for it you will be feel better about outsourcing or even just recommending them as an alternative. In future they may do the same for you if they’re ever in the same position.

You can show your skills off

If you are a freelance writer, what better way to show off your writing skills than contributing to a blog? Having a blog about your industry builds up your credibility and makes you appear an expert in your field. You want to be the go-to person in your industry. To build more credibility think about writing guest posts on other sites which will promote your blog and therefore your services. You can also use your blog to feature your portfolio to show off professional work you have done for other clients.

Learn from others

Blogging and interacting with other bloggers can become a great source of information. You can find out what your competitors are doing, what your potential readers are looking for and sharing and then apply it to your own blog. You can see what works and what doesn’t.

SEO

Blogs can help raise the profile of your website. By creating consistent content, your website is more likely to be seen as a trusted source and get indexed by search engines. Having more content out there builds your reputation and your credibility in the eyes of your clients and search engines. If you create good content it is more likely to be shared by others and this will help bring traffic to your website.

Social media

Using social media to market your business is not as simple as it sounds. If you just tweet about how great your services are, you’ll quickly start to irritate people. Instead, have something else to share. Having a blog gives you a resource to filter through your social media profiles. Sharing an article becomes an incentive for people to visit your site because they have already found something valuable on your social media profiles. They then have a reason to visit your page, then your blog and then maybe your ‘hire me’ page.

Not sure where to start? The internet is full of freelance blogs and there is an endless supply of examples for you to look at and get a little inspiration. Look at what others are doing right and wrong and then apply that to your own blog or website.

Are you thinking of setting up a blog? Any other tips you would give to others? Let us know in the comments below.