It’s important that you develop a website for your personal brand. You should think of your website as the HOME or headquarters (HQ) for your online personal brand / digital footprint.

And here’s the thing … just having a website is no longer enough.

You have got to spend the time to effectively plan, design and develop a website that 1) communicates a clear message that is simple, relevant and repeatable, 2) is visually appealing and in alignment with your brand identity, and 3) serves your audience with a great product and a positive customer experience.

Here are 10 reasons for creating and continually optimizing your website.

1 You are in control. Unlike social media platforms and other free content creation platforms where rules change, you get to define and maintain control of the rules of how your story is told with your website.

2 Your competitors have them too. Whether you’re a business owner, practitioner or a corporate professional, someone is always researching you. They are googling you right now before they make the decision to hire you, partner with you or buy from you. Don’t lessen your chances of securing the money bag because you aren’t doing what your competitors are doing to stand out from the crowd.

3 It becomes your resource hub. Your website can serve as a digital portfolio where you share past projects and work you’ve done. Creating a website can also help you find new job opportunities because a site can act as a dynamic resume, that supports your LinkedIn profile and physical resume.

4 Be where your customers are. Research shows that more than 4.3 billion people have access to the internet. A good percentage of these people are searching for info online and purchasing products/services. Creating a website helps you become accessible to others that need what you’ve got to offer and helps them solve their problems. But again, your site must stand out from others to help your prospects not only find, but want to select you.

5 Influence. Having a polished and properly branded website gives you credibility, authority and can position you as a person of influence.

6 Low cost of setting up. With the existence of affordable hosting service providers and easy to use content management systems (CMS), creating a website has become manageable, even if you’re a complete beginner.

7 Networking. A website can help you to get discovered by other influencers in your niche. This is highly beneficial to your growth and exposure.

8 Go global. Any resource on the internet is accessible to a global audience. Your website is one of those resources, which means that you will make an impact both locally and internationally. Creating a website will open doors to better partnerships and opportunities in international markets.

9 Attract media attention. Few professionals have a nicely designed and well thought out website, that has clear messaging and aligns across digital and social platforms. By creating an amazing website, you stand out from the crowd and position yourself to attract media interviews and stories.

10 Speaking opportunities. By showcasing your expertise and gaining media attention, you position yourself to also be asked to speak on your area of expertise. You become a thought leader and as you share more about your experiences and wisdom on your website, it will improve your search optimization, and increase the traffic and added opportunities that come your way.

Last Thought – Keep in mind that some of your visitors will come to your site via their laptop or desktop, and others from a smartphone. So you’ll also need your site to be responsive, which means it will look good and operate well on any device or environment where someone views it.

Source: linkedin