What comes up when people Google your name? Whether it’s an award achieved when you were at university or an entry inviting searchers to check your criminal background, you don’t have control over the results — that is, unless you have a personal website. Creating a personal website is the best way to take control of your digital profile. If you're unsure what a personal website is and what the main benefits are, then you’ve come to the right place. 

What is a Personal Website?

A personal website is a website that centres around an individual instead of a company or an organisation. An individual creates a personal website for a few reasons that typically fall under three categories: entertainment, information, and/or business purposes. It's a place for people to share their passions and hobbies, while others use it as a medium for career purposes.

Personal websites normally include a home page and several pages that include the content they want out on the internet about themselves. These pages often include: biographies, skills, qualifications, projects, blogs, and many other things.

People often use personal websites as a CV when applying for a new job. For instance, artists will have a home page with a basic bio and have a portfolio of their work on the other pages of the site. Many artists also use personal websites as portfolios for their work. Musicians are given the opportunity to release new songs or EP’s on their website for fans to find their music.

Some people also use personal websites to communicate with their target audience, potential clients, buyers, or fellow members of the same industry. Personal websites are favourable because of the freedom they offer. There's no limit to the amount or type of information you post on a personal website. Generally, personal websites can be anything you want them to be.

What Are the Benefits of a Personal Website?

There are numerous benefits to setting up a personal website. In fact, creating one is considered a necessity for many entrepreneurs, professionals in digital media, entertainment, and creative fields. Here are the top pros to having a personal website online:

1. Building your personal brand

There is huge competition to be found in whatever industry you are in. Success in your line of work will ultimately depend on your ability to stand out from the crowd. This is where having a strong brand identity works wonders. Your personal website can allow you to establish the exact information that defines what you are about, and what make you different.

With a personal website, you can customise the text, colours, imagery, and layout to match your personality and professional skills. This makes it possible for you to create an accurate visual representation of you and what you're capable of.

2. Improves your chances of being employed

Finding work is a major concern for millions of professionals around the world. While LinkedIn and other recruitment platforms can help, there are tons of reasons why you may slip through the cracks. For one, many employers are still not on social media (CRAZY WE KNOW). Research shows 70% of employers check out candidates’ social media profiles before interviewing and hiring.

In addition, unless you have a unique name, there are tons of other people who will have the same or a similar name on social media. A potential employer will find it difficult to pick you out from the hundreds of people with names like "Lauren Smith" and “Jordan Butler” that have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok etc. If your potential employer chooses to look you up online, having your own website removes all the doubts about who you are. So avoid getting confused as someone else and add your personal website link on your CV.

Moreover, your personal website can make it easier for people to hire you, even if you never applied for a job, because it allows your information to show up in Google search. This is especially helpful if you have a portfolio online, which brings us perfectly to the next point.

3. It's a way to showcase your portfolio digitally

Having your own personal website allows you to show off your work and provide proof of your abilities. This is a must if you are in a creative field such as design, art, music, etc. While you can list out your skills on your CV, having a portfolio people can look through at any time lets people see what you're capable of.

For example, if you're a graphic designer applying for a newjob, you may indicate on your application that you edited images for a local magazine. It's possible that other applicants said the same thing, so what will make the recruiter choose you over them? If they are able to find your website and look at the images you've edited in the past (all in one place), they now have a better idea about your skills and can make a definite decision as to whether you're suitable for the role or not.

Also, if someone is looking for a new graphic designer using Google, it's possible your website will show up in the search results. Once they are there, they can view your work and get the information they need to see if you are a right fit for their project at hand.

4. Allows you to promote yourself and share knowledge

A personal website is an incredibly useful for promoting businesses and sharing knowledge. If you are a motivational speaker or life coach, for example, your personal website is the best place to let the world know what you do and how to get in touch with you. Along the same lines as having a portfolio (as mentioned above), you can post materials of your past work - whether that's video content, blog posts or snippets of newspaper articles - or even customers reviews you've received.

5. Accelerates your SEO

The content you create around your personal branding can work towards your SEO presence. Think about it — the blogs, videos, art, etc. that you create will contain keywords relating to other places you can be found online (i.e social media profiles and company websites etc). In addition, your website allows you to share links to other places on the internet where information about you and your work can be found. This is a great example of backlinks, which are important to SEO. The longer you have your personal website and the more active you are online, the better your SEO. As a result, people will find you easier. For more tips and tricks on improving your SEO, click HERE.