As a professional and perhaps an entrepreneur, you might be dabbling with the idea of setting up an online presence for yourself. But what does that mean? Do you need a dozen different profiles on freelancing platforms and social media, or perhaps a unified website to represent all your most relevant work? The answer often lies somewhere in between: you will likely benefit from having a few social media profiles (such as on LinkedIn and Facebook) to represent yourself professionally, but having a personal website is a must.
It becomes your digital resume that keeps evolving with the times, a space for your professional opinions to emerge, and the ideal platform to build your authority. Websites can have so many functionalities that you never have to settle for just posting blogs and videos. You can also work towards setting up workshops and interacting with your audience.
In any case, a personal website for a professional is a window into the business world, and the ideal opportunity to set the stage for your reputation. We’ve compiled the key steps necessary for building a personal website from scratch, so use them to build your own.
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Establish your brand identity
Having a notable site doesn’t start or end with choosing great headshots or picking out a memorable slogan. You need a brand identity for your professional persona, so that you can differentiate your business from the rest in your industry. Even as an individual, you should be prominent enough with the kind of offer you create.
- Think about your core values as a professional and the key messages you want to send with your website. This will be the main framework for your brand tone of voice that will then define your copy.
- Take your time to write a good, consistent copy for your entire site to describe what you do – it’s one of the main reflections of your brand identity.
- Work with a designer to craft a logo that aligns with your message and your tone of voice. Are you going to be quirky and eccentric, or professional and minimalistic? There are other options, of course, but make sure to narrow down your brand personality to a few core characteristics.
- Create a color palette that will define the look and feel of your site together with your copy and logo.
Before you commit to an identity, let it sit for a while, think about it thoroughly, and of course, do your research. You have to know who else is out there in your profession, so that you can avoid becoming a copycat or someone that resembles another person in your field of work.
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Understand current design trends
Trends might be temporary, but they define how your target audience will perceive your business. It’s important to recognize the right design trends that will help you get noticed in your work. Learn as much as possible about different visual options that can be a good match for your brand identity.
Of course, you’ll also need to adapt the trends to align with your brand voice and preferences. Think about different layouts to enable clear communication and easy navigation across your entire site. Work with a professional to compare and contrast your options, and to craft an authentic look and feel based on what people love today.
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Choose a trusted domain name
Building a personal domain name requires plenty of research from that technical perspective, too. In addition to getting creative with your brand identity and design opportunities, you should leverage your domain name for various reasons.
Choosing a memorable domain name means making it easier for people to come back to your site later. At the same time, choosing a personal domain name with a personalized extension humanizes your brand and makes it more relatable for your visitors.
They will know they are getting to know a person, not pursuing just another site on the web. Your domain should be trusted by people and come from a reliable and trustworthy registrar. That will give you ample domain name security as well as boost your reputation.
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Pick a reliable platform
With your domain name now chosen, make sure you think about the best platform or website builder on which you can build your personal website. If you’re not an IT expert and you don’t plan on doing this part of the work yourself, you can also get advice from your development team, based on your design brief and your brand identity.
Different platforms can allow you different functionalities, and if you plan to manage and update your site regularly and publish content, you need something intuitive and low-maintenance.
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Optimize your site
Understanding the basics of your website platform and its functions also means that you should be mindful of its maintenance needs. Optimization doesn’t end when you launch that beautiful, well-built site of yours. You need to keep updating all the plugins and features, monitor what changes you need to make, and keep your site healthy and protected.
Not to mention that SEO is a crucial part of your brand positioning strategy, too. Continuously monitor and improve your site’s performance, across all devices. Keep track of all the analytics to learn what you can do better, and of course, you can always work with a professional to optimize your site for a better user experience.
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Prepare a content strategy
Your personal brand and your website won’t stand a chance against your competitors unless you have a powerful content strategy laid out for your business. It’s the key aspect of marketing your brand online and gaining enough traction to get qualified leads, attract customers, and start important conversations.
- Start publishing regular blogs on your website, covering important topics in your profession to build credibility.
- Diversify with creative and impactful visuals such as images, infographics, animations, and videos.
- Connect your site with social media to share and publish your content elsewhere and encourage others to do the same, thus boosting engagement.
- Do your best to respond to comments and encourage people to interact on your site. That kind of engagement helps boost your ranking and reputation.
- Keep measuring your content performance to start adapting your output based on the metrics.
In this crowded world, your website needs to be well-built, optimized, and above all, consistent with your professional image and expectations. It’s going to be the perfect medium to connect with potential clients and customers, and to solidify your presence in your industry over time.
For that to happen, however, you should be mindful of the fact that your site should evolve. Consider new ways to upgrade your design in the future, and be flexible with content formats to impress your audience. This will give you the advantage over stagnant competitors to make your personal site stand out for years to come.
