As a freelancer, you are the product. A client who googles your name decides within a few seconds whether you come across as professional, and those seconds happen on your website. Yet many self-employed professionals put the site off, because they do not know what it should contain, what it costs and whether it is worth it alongside LinkedIn and a good network.
This article answers those three questions, with real figures. It is written for the freelancer who has no time to work out how websites function and simply wants to know what a good choice is.
Do you need a website as a freelancer?
If you get assignments exclusively through an intermediary or one permanent client, you can do without. In all other cases you do, for three reasons.
Control. On LinkedIn the platform decides who sees you and what is shown. On your own site you decide the story, the order and the button the visitor sees first.
Findability. A client searching for “freelance copywriter Breda” or “interim controller Brabant” does not find a LinkedIn profile at the top of Google, but websites. Without a site you do not exist for that search.
Credibility. Your own domain and a well-kept site say: this is a business, not a side job. At rates of eighty euros an hour or more, a client expects that.
What belongs on a freelancer’s website
Not much, but the right things. Five pages are usually enough.
- Homepage: in one sentence what you do, for whom and where. Below that your main services, a few clients or results and a clear button to get in touch.
- Services: a short page per service: what you deliver, how you work, what it costs or how you charge. One page per service ranks better than one long list.
- About you: a real photo, your background, why you do this work and which clients you have worked for. This is the most-read page on a freelancer’s site.
- Work or results: three to five examples with the problem, what you did and what it delivered. Figures convince more than adjectives.
- Contact: a short form, your email address, your phone number, your service area and your Chamber of Commerce number.
What you can skip: a blog you will not keep up, a news page, stock photos of people shaking hands. An empty blog with one post from 2024 does more harm than no blog.
What does a website cost for a freelancer?
Three routes, with the cost over three years, because that is what matters.
Building it yourself with a website builder. Wix, Squarespace, Hostinger and similar tools cost €10 to €35 a month, plus a domain name of around €15 a year. Over three years €400 to €1,300, plus your own hours. Suitable if you have a limited budget, are handy and want a simple site. Downside: you own nothing, the site looks like thousands of others and findability is mediocre.
A freelance web designer. A fellow freelancer builds a WordPress site for €800 to €2,500, depending on custom work and the number of pages. Add hosting at €10 to €25 a month. Often a good middle road, provided you agree who maintains and updates the site.
An agency. A business website with custom design, an SEO foundation and GDPR setup starts at around €3,450 one-off, plus hosting. For most freelancers that is more than needed, unless your rates and assignments are in the higher segment and the site has to carry a large part of your acquisition.
Our honest estimate: a freelancer with a clear offer is best served by a well-built five-page WordPress site in the €1,500 to €3,500 range. That is one to two assignments’ worth of revenue, for a site that lasts five years.
Pay once or pay monthly?
More and more providers offer a website for a monthly fee, without a large upfront investment. That is attractive when you are just starting and cash flow is tight. Watch three things: what happens to the site when you stop paying, whether you own the domain and the content, and what it costs in total after three years. A subscription of €75 a month is €2,700 after three years, often more than the one-off variant, without owning anything.
Paying once is almost always cheaper in the long run, provided you arrange hosting yourself (€10 to €25 a month) and have the site updated occasionally.
Getting found as a freelancer
You are not competing with national companies, but with the other freelancers in your trade and your region. That makes it achievable. Put your trade and your town in the title of your homepage, create a Google Business Profile (even without an office, with a service area), ask clients for a review and make sure your name, trade and town are the same on your site, LinkedIn and the Chamber of Commerce register. For most freelancers, nothing more is needed.
The mandatory parts
A business website in the Netherlands must show your company name, Chamber of Commerce number and contact details. If you process personal data through a contact form, you need a privacy statement that matches what you do. If you use analytics or other non-essential cookies, a cookie bar with a real choice is mandatory. Self-hosted fonts instead of Google Fonts avoid a common GDPR mistake.
Frequently asked questions
Is LinkedIn not enough as a freelancer?
LinkedIn is valuable for your network and for clients who already know you. It is not findable for people searching for your service and town, and you have no control over it. Use both: LinkedIn for the network, your site for findability and persuasion.
How long does it take to have a freelancer website built?
A five-page site is live in two to three weeks, provided you supply texts and photos quickly. The biggest delay is almost always the content, not the build.
Can I edit the website myself later?
Yes, if it is built on WordPress or a comparable system and you get a short walkthrough. Changing texts, adding a new reference or adjusting your rate should be things you can do yourself, without an invoice.
Are website costs tax-deductible?
Yes, as business expenses. A one-off website often counts as an investment you depreciate; a subscription is a monthly business cost. Ask your bookkeeper what is most favourable in your situation.
Where to start
Write on one A4 what you do, for whom, where and at what rate, and collect three examples of work with results. With that document any builder, from website builder to agency, can make a good site. Want to know what we would recommend for your situation, even if that is “do it yourself”? See our website packages or send us that A4.
