Everything you need to know about building a freelance website — whether you're ready for one, what platform to use, and what to actually put on it when the time comes.
6-12 mins
💖 Before you dive in — if you just need somewhere to put your portfolio fast, check out my free templates for Notion or Canva:
Free Portfolio Website Templates (Notion & Canva)You do not need a website to succeed as a freelancer. I know that might be a controversial take, but I mean it — a lot of freelancers waste enormous amounts of time on their website when they're just starting out, and it costs them momentum they could be spending on actually getting clients.
In my entire first four years of business, I never once booked a client because they found my website. One client came through my contact form — and he had actually found me on LinkedIn first. The website just happened to be where he landed.
That's not to say you can't get clients through your website, or that it can't be a real marketing tool. It absolutely can. But when you're just starting out, building relationships and getting in front of clients directly will move the needle a lot faster. That's why I put so much emphasis on LinkedIn and cold outreach.
If your only goal right now is to have somewhere to send people to see your work — that's fine. Build something simple and move on. But if your goal is to actually generate leads through your website, you need a strategy going in. A website without strategy isn't a marketing tool. It's a really expensive business card that nobody's looking at.
Here's my own story: I built my first website on Squarespace in year one and bought my domain through them too. Four years in, I hired someone to redesign it — spent about $3,000 and waited six months for it to be done.
About six months after launch, Squarespace updated to version 7.1 and everything she'd built broke. She had gone out of business, so I couldn't get her to fix it. I was stuck trying to figure out how to repair it myself, and every time I got it back in shape, the next Squarespace update would break it again. It happened three times.
That's why I eventually switched to Notion and Super.so. I've been using it for about a year now and it's been smooth sailing.
But I want to be clear: Super is only the right move if you're already comfortable in Notion. If Notion isn't your thing, there are plenty of other great options — Squarespace, Wix, and others I'll cover below.
The lesson here isn't "don't build a website." It's: don't build a website before you're ready to build an effective one. If you're not there yet, go use the free templates in the portfolio chapter, start getting clients, and come back to this when the time is right.
Your options
You have a lot more flexibility here than most people realize. You don't need to spend a lot of money or a lot of time. Here's a breakdown of what's out there.
Free options
⭐ Notion — my top pick for getting something live fast. It's free, simple, and you can have a portfolio up in under an hour. Grab my free template in the portfolio chapter [link to come] to make it even easier. If you want it to look more like a real website with a navigation bar and custom domain, pair it with Super.so (paid, but affordable — and what I personally use).
⭐ Canva — more visually polished than Notion right out of the box, but more time-consuming to set up. One heads up: Canva sites don't have SSL certificates, which means links won't work in LinkedIn DMs — you'll need to run your URL through a shortener first. Grab my free Canva portfolio template in the portfolio chapter:
Free Portfolio Website Templates (Notion & Canva)If you want more page templates for Notion, I have a TON in the Build Your Website Course - that course isn’t available yet but if you DM me or shoot me an email, I can give you access to the templates.
Other free options worth knowing about:
→ LinkedIn — publish your work as articles directly on your profile so clients can find everything without leaving the platform. Genuinely underrated as a portfolio option, especially when you're just starting out and don’t know what you want on your website yet. → Carrd — great for a clean, simple one-page site that takes almost no time to set up. → Contra — a freelance marketplace with a built-in portfolio, great if you also want to find clients there. → WordPress.com — flexible and familiar if you already know your way around it. → Clippings.me — a no-frills portfolio platform, simple and quick to set up. → Authory — a sleek portfolio tool popular with content marketers and writers. → ReadyMag — a more design-forward free option if you want your portfolio to look beautiful without paying for it. → Journo Portfolio — simple and clean, designed with freelancers in mind.
Paid options
⭐ Notion + Super.so — if you love Notion, Super turns your Notion pages into a real website with a navigation bar, custom domain, and cleaner design. This is what I use. Plans are affordable and it's been rock solid for me. Only recommended if you're already comfortable in Notion.
⭐ Squarespace — beautiful templates, solid SEO, and an all-in-one website builder if you want your portfolio to double as your main business site. Great option if Notion isn't your thing. You can also buy your domain directly through Squarespace.
→ Wix — easy drag-and-drop builder, lots of templates, good for beginners. → Showit — highly customizable and design-forward, on the pricier side but worth it if aesthetics are central to the work you do. → Copyfolio — made specifically for copywriters, very clean and easy to customize. → Format — popular with creatives, clean portfolio layouts with solid customization. → Authory — automatically pulls in your published bylines so your portfolio stays up to date without extra work. Great if you have a lot of published clips. → Cofolios — built for UX and content folks, works well for digital marketers broadly. → FreshPort — newer option built for freelancers, straightforward setup. → Journo Portfolio (paid) — a step up from the free version if you want something more polished.
On domains: You can get a domain through most website builders these days — Squarespace, Wix, Super, and others all offer this. I'd recommend Namecheap if you want to buy your domain separately.
How to know you're ready for a website
Before you invest serious time or money into a website, make sure you can answer yes to all of these:
→ You know who your ideal client is. Your website should speak directly to them — what they need, why they should hire you, what to do next. If you're not clear on that yet, the website copy won't land.
→ You know which services you want to offer. Hard to build a services page if you're still figuring this out.
→ You understand the basics of SEO. A website without SEO is just a brochure. Know how to use keywords, optimize your images, and write page titles and descriptions that help Google understand what you do. Check out the SEO lessons in the FRL if you need a refresher.
→ You have a portfolio you feel good about. Even a few solid samples are enough to get started.
→ You have the time and budget for it. DIY budget at least 10+ hours to build it yourself. Plus, the monthly cost of upkeep (your subscription to the website platform).
If you're hiring someone, get clear on scope and make sure you understand what happens if the platform updates and things break. (Ask me how I know. 🤪)
What to put on your website
Think of your website as a living thing — it's going to evolve as your business does. The copy, design, and structure you start with won't be what you end up with, and that's completely normal. Don't be a perfectionist about the first version. Done is better than perfect.
Home
Your homepage is the first impression. Lead with a strong, clear statement of what you do and who you do it for. Then tell them why they should work with you and point them toward your services. You can include a condensed version of your about section here too, with a link to the full page.
As you grow, add testimonials and client logos. Social proof goes a long way.
Portfolio
Your portfolio should be organized and easy to scan. One approach that works well: create one page or post per client with their logo, a short summary of the project (what you did, their goals, what you accomplished together), and links to the actual work. For projects where the work lives on the client's site, link directly. For work you can't link publicly — NDA'd projects, internal work — use screenshots and a brief description of the scope.
Check out the portfolio chapter for a deeper dive into how to format your work as case studies.
Create Your PortfolioAbout
Your about page should have some personality. Include your niche, the background that makes you the right person for the work you do, and something that makes you feel like a real human being rather than a list of credentials. You might also include the types of clients you work best with, any relevant experience or industries you specialize in, and a photo that feels like you.
Services
Don't include your prices on your services page. Here's why: for most projects you'll want to send a custom proposal anyway, so a number on a page is rarely accurate to what a client actually needs. And if someone lands on your services page and leaves without contacting you, you've lost a warm lead with no way to follow up.
Instead, outline what you offer, mention that you have packages and retainer options available, and include a contact form right on the page where they can request your pricing guide. Ask for their name, company, and email. That way, you're in their inbox — not hoping they come back.
Once you're getting a steady flow of inquiries, you can automate this with a tool like Flodesk so your pricing guide goes out automatically. For now, sending it manually is completely fine.
Contact
Keep it simple. A contact form, a sentence or two about how excited you are to hear from them, and links to your social profiles — especially LinkedIn. Some freelancers rename this page "Work With Me" and include a brief overview of what the process looks like after someone reaches out. Both work.
Aesthetic
Don't let this be the thing that slows you down. Pick a color palette (Pinterest and Canva's color palette generator are both great for this), create a simple logo in Canva, and move on. You can refine it later. What matters most is that you get it done and out into the world.
You can use my Pinterest Boards for inspo if you’re feeling stuck!
Examples
Here are some examples from freelancers and digital marketers I admire — take a look at how they've structured their sites, shown their work, and made their personalities come through. Notice how different they all look and feel, and how many different platforms are represented.
→ Rachel Meltzer — Notion site example → Rachel Meltzer — Canva site example → Amy Bernstein (Canva) → Polly Clover (Squarespace) → Megan Kitzmiller (Squarespace) → Katie Warren (Squarespace, professionally designed) → Emily Court (Squarespace) → Kristi Hines (WordPress) → James Descombes (Journo Portfolio) → Cory Anna Jones (Journo Portfolio) → Lauren Stair ⚠️ verify before publishing → Dan Levy (Squarespace, professionally designed) → Haus of Bold (Squarespace) → Taylor Scher (Webflow, professionally designed)