Why You Need a Website
It’s wild to me in 2024 how this can be the title of a blog and yet still be relevant. Two separate events happened recently which made me realize the necessity of having a website, especially if you’re an author, editor, or other freelancer.
One was a call with a client. Her book was launching in a couple of months and she still had no dedicated website for herself as an author! She admitted she knew she was in the wrong with this and was taking steps to correct it. But I’ve found her mistake is truly not uncommon. So many authors, both fiction and nonfiction, either don’t have a website at all…or they wait until the last minute to get it going.
The second was in a Facebook group. In general, I avoid them, but I hesitantly joined a writing-focused group to see where I might be able to encourage. I commented on one user’s question about hybrid publishing and got a couple of comments back. One of those comments was someone remarking on how they were impressed I had a website as a freelancer because of how “rare” it was.
She had a point. Most of the people in the group claiming to be writers, editors, or whatever have no website at all. They might have a Facebook or Instagram page dedicated to their services, but no website. Her point was simple—my comment had more legitimacy because I had a website and, well, gave a damn.
So whether you’re a novelist, a memoirist, a business bookist, or a freelancer…you need a website. But here are the biggest reasons why.
Visibility
One of my recent clients compared your website to being your digital real estate. He talked about how “in the old days,” brick-and-mortar businesses took out ads in the paper, handed out flyers, and maybe shot a commercial to get the word out. And what did all of those mention?
Their address and phone number.
Yet in the digital age, we’ve someone moved away from this. We assume people will “find” us, mostly through social media. But the problem is how much more difficult it is to stand out on social media vs. the rest of the world wide web. Don’t believe me?
According to an article by Forbes, there are 1.13 billion websites in existence, but 82% of those are inactive.
(Here’s the research.)
They went on to say less than 4% of businesses have a website. Meanwhile, a 2023 study by Search Engine Journal found there are 4.8 billion social media accounts in the world. Which means having an active website automatically gives you a visibility advantage over social media.
Plus, Google.
Google favors sending people to websites over social media accounts. Everyone reading this now has used Google for something, whether it’s to run a search, map a route, or advertise your services. If you want to make it easier for Google to send people to you, having a website is the place to start.
Control
When you stop to think about it, you’re not in control of much in your life. Control is largely an illusion.
You don’t control the weather. You don’t control if your dog digs in the flowers you just planted. Lord knows you don’t control your kids, as much as you might try. (Solidarity, my fellow parents.)
But a website? Now there is something you can actually control. You have full control over:
The domain name
The content
The pictures and colors
Sure, if you do something illegal, you can have it shut down. But otherwise, it’s the one piece of your business you can have complete control over. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have help. I’ve spent a ton of time learning from others so I can optimize my own site…and it’s started to pay off. Literally. In the past year, I had my first web sales ever and people have found my website without me having to beg or shout.
While I still can’t control if someone hires me (nor would I want to), I can control the message on my website to help attract the right kind of clients, the ones who will respect me and see our professional relationship as a collaboration. Which brings us to our next point…
Specificity
When you control the message, you also get to become specific. I’m consciously trying to attract higher-end, high-caliber clients with my site. I’m always happy to give free advice to seekers and people who can’t afford my services, which is why I offer up a free 20-minute Q&A.
But in large, I’m looking to attract people who are so serious and dedicated to their message and scaling it, that they are willing to quite literally put their money where their mouth is—or rather, where their pen is.
Some of my favorite clients have also been the most brilliant, successful people I know. They’re the type of people I look up to and want to be like. Those are the people I want to be surrounded with and learn from.
If you’ve even skimmed through freelancer advice, you’ve probably heard “get a niche, get a niche” more times than you care to hear. Well, there’s two types of niches you can get:
Audience
Skill
Audience means you are hyper-specific on who you work with. For instance, I know ghostwriters who position themselves for a specific audience like: “The ghostwriter for Christian thought leaders” or “the ghostwriter for busy executive women” or “the ghostwriter for medical professionals.”
There’s nothing wrong with finding a specific group you can work with. It’s fantastic for referrals and a solid way to scale a freelance business.
I’ve gone the route of Skill with my niche. I’m less interested in specific topics or groups and more interested in ideas. So my niche is more focused on finding “Idea Havers” and help them become “Storytellers.” I also recently started saying I like helping people find their “Inner Storyteller.” How is that niche?
Because not everyone wants to find their Inner Storyteller. Some people think the idea is rubbish. Others think they already have it (and maybe they do, to be fair). I’m specifically angling my skills for people who know they have an Inner Storyteller but need help bringing her to the surface.
But there’s still one more obvious reason we haven’t gotten into…
Story
The most obvious reason to have your own website is to share your own Story. Social media too often relies on others sharing your story, hence the fascination with “going viral.” But I’ve talked to people who have gone viral and they all say the same thing:
Going viral once or twice doesn’t lead to any sustained growth. It’s a nice bump in your dopamine and might get some extra eyes on your content, but often, it’s Story which brings in new business…not virality.
Your website should be home base for sharing your Story. Yes, have social media. Yes, post articles on Medium or Substack or whatever other platform you like. But your website should be your core Story to the world. All other avenues should point back to it. If the world wide web is the Roman Empire, then all roads need to lead back to your website as the Rome of your business.
Story is what connects us, drives us, and changes the world. People only get glimpses of your Story from social media. With a website, you have far more visibility, control, and specificity with how you share your Story.
If you’re yearning and burning to share your Story but don’t know how yet, then why not find a place to start? You can book a full hour of coaching here for us to connect and figure it out.
Did this help you? If so, consider becoming a subscriber to the ForWord Writers Newsletter where we share more specific examples of how this tip looks in both nonfiction and fiction!
