Personal Websites for Freelancers: What to Include

Most freelancers have a LinkedIn profile, a Behance or Instagram account, maybe a freelance platform profile too. These can bring work. But they share one problem: someone else sets the rules. Algorithms can change, commissions can rise, an account can be suspended for some reason, and visibility built over years can shrink overnight.

A personal site doesn't replace these profiles. It becomes the hub they all point to, and the one you control.

Why a personal site beats a profile page

The first difference is control. You decide what to show and in what order, and no similar freelancers are suggested in the sidebar.

The second is permanence. The address is yours; even if a platform shuts down or changes its rules, your site stays put.

The third is search. When a potential client types your name into Google, having your own site as the first result leaves a much tidier impression than scattered profiles. A well-built site also gives you a chance to appear in service searches such as 'architectural visualisation İzmir'.

There's one more detail: an email address like name@yourname.com looks more professional than a free email address and gets noticed in proposals.

Essential sections

A freelancer's site doesn't need to be long. These sections are enough:

• A one-sentence description: what you do and for whom. Something like 'I design brand identities for boutique hotels and restaurants.' 'I'm a passionate designer' doesn't do the job.
• Selected work: not everything you've done, but your best four to six projects. When visitors see a weak piece, they can forget the strong ones.
• Services and how you work: how the process runs, how long it takes, a starting price or the range projects usually fall in.
• About: short, genuine, with a real photo.
• References: with permission, including name and company.
• Contact: email, WhatsApp or a meeting booking link. A line about availability helps too: 'Open to new projects for November.'

If you work in a profession with advertising rules, such as law, medicine, psychology or accountancy, check the rules of your bar, chamber or professional association on references, prices and case sharing first.

How to write a case study

An image in a portfolio shows what you did. A case study shows how you think. Clients, especially on larger budgets, look for the latter.

A simple structure does the job. Start with context: who was the client (their name if you have permission, otherwise their sector), and what did they have? Then the problem: why did they come to you, and what needed to change? Then your work: the process, the decisions you made and why. If you worked in a team, state clearly which part was yours. Finish with the outcome and the timeline.

Be honest about outcomes. If there's a measurable result you can document, include it. If not, don't invent one; a verifiable result is enough. If you can't say 'sales rose 40 percent', you can write something concrete like 'the client used the new catalogue at the first trade fair they attended'.

For a translator, an opening might read: 'I translated a 40-page user manual for a medical device manufacturer from English into Turkish in 6 business days. Before starting, we built a terminology list with the company's engineers.' Two sentences cover the sector, scope, timeline and working method.

For work under a non-disclosure agreement, remove the client's name and identifying details and describe it by sector and type of work. Between 300 and 600 words plus a few process images is usually enough for one case study.

A domain in your own name

A domain with your name is the simplest, most lasting address for a personal brand. A few practical notes:

• Write Turkish characters with their English equivalents: ozgursahin.com for Özgür Şahin, for example. Domains with Turkish characters can cause problems in email and sharing.
• If the .com is taken, .com.tr is an option; check the registration terms with your registrar. Adding your profession also works: ozgursahinarchitect.com, say.
• Register the domain in your own name and your own account. A domain sitting in someone else's account can cause headaches later.

We collected more detailed tips on choosing a domain in a separate article.

One page or several?

For most freelancers the best middle ground is a single homepage for the introduction plus a separate page for each case study. The homepage gives a quick impression, while case pages provide both depth and search visibility. We discussed who a one-page site is enough for in a separate article.

A blog only makes sense if you'll write regularly. A blog whose last post went up two years ago leaves a worse impression than having no blog at all.

Don't stay on profiles while waiting for the perfect site. A site launched with four projects, a paragraph about you and an email address will usually do more for you than a perfect site that never goes live.