With the rise of technology and the internet, more people are spending their time and fulfilling key tasks online. It makes sense for this generation of professionals to use personal websites to boost their online presence and widen their networks. A well-developed personal website can be quite effective at showcasing someone’s skills, experience, and accomplishments to a global audience. This type of asset is also incredibly versatile, given that it can function as an online portfolio, resume, and business card all at the same time.
What distinguishes a personal website from a traditional resume or portfolio is its ability to showcase someone’s work, achievements, and expertise in a way that the others cannot. The website also makes it easier for potential employers to get a glimpse of a candidate’s personality, work ethic, and passion for their field.
As more than just a tool for jobseekers, personal websites are also essential for experts looking to build their brand and online presence. Experts can use their websites to highlight their skills, offer valuable insights to potential customers or clients, and establish themselves as authorities in their industry.
In today’s world, it isn’t uncommon for people to place such a high value on their online presence that they tap a professional web design company to build their personal websites. This might be the kind of investment that will pay off for you, too. Here’s how building and maintaining your own personal website will benefit your career:
It Will Develop Your Online Presence
If you’re looking to develop your personal brand or improve your online presence, creating a personal website is one of the best methods to do so. You can use your website to compile your professional online activities—including links to your social media profiles, a regularly updated blog, and a section showcasing your work. Having your own personal website will also allow you to maintain full control over your online image so that you can showcase your skills and talents in the best way possible.
In addition, a personal website may serve as the perfect channel to demonstrate your skills and showcase your work to potential clients and employers. For example, graphic designers can display their portfolios on their websites to highlight their design skills while writers can compile their published works from different sources.
It Highlights Your Skills in Unique Ways
Those working in the creative fields, like graphic design, photography, or writing, will highly benefit from investing in personal websites that can double as their portfolios. If you’re a creative, think of your website as your showroom or virtual gallery where potential employers or clients can see your best work and evaluate your skills and your take on the world.
A writer can use their personal website to showcase published or award-winning work and testimonials from satisfied clients or readers, as well as display their pricing packages. They can also host a blog on their website to share writing tips, personal experiences, or upcoming events.
It Improves Your Credibility
Building a well-designed personal website takes time and effort, and it will communicate to employers and clients just how serious you are about your career and developing your personal brand. Personal websites can indicate your legitimacy and credibility as a professional, as they allow you to showcase your awards, accomplishments, or other credentials with few limits or physical constraints.
For instance, makeup artists can use their websites to showcase their previous work through photo and video formats, compile written testimonials from happy customers, and demonstrate their experience in the field in various other ways. With plenty of evidence that they can closely evaluate, potential clients are more likely to trust them with high-value business like wedding makeup or recommend them to other customers.
It Boosts Your Visibility
The rise of the digital age has made online presence more important than ever, and those without a personal website will be at a significant disadvantage from their more tech-savvy and digitally literate competitors. Not having your own personal website in a field that demands high online presence may put you in danger of being seen as outdated or not up to the times. On the contrary, a well-developed personal website will enhance your online visibility to potential employers or customers by virtue of boosting your search engine optimization or SEO.
By maintaining your website for SEO purposes, you’ll be able to improve the likelihood of clients or employers finding you when they search for keywords specific to your field. For example, graphic designers can target the words “graphic design” or “graphic designer for hire” to improve their online visibility. Following good SEO practices like these on a personal website may lead to enhanced exposure and, as a result, more job opportunities in the future.
It Widens Your Network
By enhancing your visibility and online presence, a well-developed personal website can also widen your network and help you broker valuable connections with other professionals in your industry. If your contact details and other vital info about your brand are readily available, potential employers or clients can contact you anytime to ask about your work, seek your services, buy your products, or even team up with you.
If you’re an entrepreneur managing a startup, having a personal website can allow you to connect with other entrepreneurs who can help you build your business or are interested in collaborating on new projects. And since having your own web property makes it easier to share things about your brand history or personal expertise, you may even be able to count on the people in your network to boost your website through their own channels.
In today’s digital age, where many people expect their first point of contact to be online, a personal website is no longer a luxury or a novelty, but a necessity for professionals in all industries. Take the necessary step of developing a personal website for your career, and make it both memorable and truly reflective of what you can offer the world.