We are in a digital era. This is a kind of great and awesome world where we can build our own personal branding and share it all over the world. Still, put your profile on Instagram or other social media? Come on, that’s what all people do! You need to be different. You are supposed to be different.
Be you! Tell the world the real you by owning your own
personal website.
Why? Let me tell you,
By owning your own personal website, you could:
1. Control your personal branding
Whether you are applying for a new job or starting a
freelance project, most people will search for your name online. Having your
own personal domain makes you appear on Google
Search. A website gives you control over your image. You can
demonstrate your passion to potential through your personal website. By
featuring work samples, projects you’ve worked on, articles you’ve written,
whatever, your personal homepage can act as a digital portfolio. It helps you
to create your online identity. Your personality will shine through your own
corner of the Internet.
2. Stand out from the competition
Having the control over what information you would like to
share (including your achievements, projects, skills, etc.) is such a powerful
thing that will give you a huge advantage and possibly change the reach you
have with your future projects/endeavors. And reaching more people means more
connections, opportunities, and so forth. Highlight the things which make you stand
out. Mention your potential/key skills and showcase your previous works on your
website.
3. Build your elegant portfolio
Portfolio is the best way to showcase your talent. Include
all your previous work samples with supporting photos and even testimonials.
The more extensive your website is, the better impression you’ll make! It
should be engaging. Mention all your past experiences in chronological order.
You know that great feeling you get when people recognize your work? Well, by
having a website you can show off what you do and take pride in your work.
4. Boost your chances of landing a job
The online world is a wonderful source of opportunity, but
you need to have a presence in order to get noticed. You need to show everyone
what you’re good at, not just inform them about it. As I have already
mentioned, your personal professional website gives you the power to stand out
from your competitors. Your work samples or your blog content can be the X
factor that gets you short-listed for an interview and gives you the
opportunity to shine. Recruiters can stumble upon your online resume.
Furthermore, by having a website, people from all around the world can get to
know you, follow you and interact with you, which can result not only in new
connections but also better job prospects.
5. It makes easier to contact you
Having a personal website allows you to highlight what
channels you prefer to be contacted through, whether it’s via phone,
e-mail, LinkedIn or Twitter. Furthermore, including keywords
such as your university, city and company name on your website, will increase
your chances of appearing higher in Google
search results.
And now you’re probably thinking to yourself: ‘I know
I should have one but how do I create a personal website?’
I have created my own website.
So, let me help you out!
How to get started?
Buy your custom domain(preferably yourname.com)
from any of the Domain providers such as GoDaddy, BlueHost, etc.
When it comes to actually building the website, I would
suggest a few things:
- Professional Look and feel —
Make it simple. Express your creativity and share your thoughts.
- Use
good graphics and fonts. I would suggest few
google fonts such as Montserrat, Raleway, Lato, etc.
Use Font
Awesome for including icons.
- Never
use more than three colors on your website. Avoid primary
colors.
- If you
are including photos of yourself on your website, ensure
they are of high quality.
- Rather
than overcrowding your web pages with too much content, think
of the key things you would like new web visitors to see.
- Use
proper meta tags and open graph. Optimize
your website for better search results. Learn key concepts of SEO.
- Make
sure that your website loads faster.
Here’s what you should include:
- A photo,
such as a professional and creative headshot — something that captures who
you are.
- A
mission statement or personal summary. Try to stay away from
official resume-speak and get people excited about what excites you.
- A short
bio, less is always more. Describe yourself in such a creative way
that it resembles what kind of person you are.
- Links
to your social media profiles, such
as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
- Links
to your professional profiles, such as LinkedIn, Quora, Stack
Overflow.
- Include
links to your blog posts.
- Add
links to your samples. Put a link to your GitHub profile.
- Add a
link to download your resume.
- Your
contact information — tell people where they can reach you, whether it’s
via email, Facebook, Twitter, or
another preferred method.
- Include
a contact form(if you wish).
The best day to start building your website was yesterday, but the second-best day is today. So, what are you waiting for? Start building your online presence today!