After the article in the Boston Globe last Sunday, I got several emails from other aspiring writers asking for my advice. Though I'm still building my freelance business, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the advice here...
Q: Do you have any tips on where to start building a website or a blog like yours? After making a website, what would you suggest I do get people to look at it?
A: Of course! I've already blogged about promoting your blog here and here, so this time I'll focus on websites (ideally, you'd host your blog on your website's domain, but I don't do that yet, so who am I to judge?). First you’ll need to find a web-hosting service or enlist the help of a designer who can take care of that for you. I chose VistaPrint because the small business package fit into my budget and offered my own domain name (which costs a bit more but creates a more professional impression than an AOL or Yahoo member page) along with several different templates so I wouldn’t have to design the website from scratch. Here are a few other options: Globat, Writing.com, Hosting4Writers, and iPowerWeb. (If you prefer, MediaBistro also has a Freelance Marketplace where you can post clips without setting up your own website.)
Once you're happy with your website, it's time to show it off! To get people to look at your website, you can include it in your email signature line, business cards, and any profiles on facebook, LinkedIn, or other sites. You might also do some article marketing to position yourself as an expert in your niche and include your website in your bio line (Jennifer at Catalyst Blogger goes into more depth on this topic here).
Lastly, doing some search engine optimization can improve the likelihood that your site will come up in Google and the other search engines, so be sure to include relevant keywords. Wordtracker Keywords can show you how often people search a certain term and suggest related keywords, too. I know there are tons of great ideas I'm missing, so leave a comment if you have more suggestions for this reader!