I highly recommend that freelance writers learn how to build their own websites. There is no better way to showcase your Writing chops than with piles of writing samples published all over the web. While I don’t advocate writing for free, writing for yourself is always a good investment. Over time, that writing adds up to not only great writing samples, but a demonstrable experience in topics you are interested in writing about as well.

If you don’t want to go all the way to becoming a web developer type, you can still build and manage really great websites with WordPress.

I’ve been meaning, for years now, to develop a How To Build Your Own Websites for Writers type of guide. The idea would be that while there are numerous guides out there about how to build your own websites, there isn’t really one that I know of focused on showing writers how to build and create their own sites. Like all of the guides I have planned, the distinguishing factor would be an emphasis on real world examples and knowledge, complete with a kind of checklist type planner that keeps you from getting hung up on those little things like, which webhost to use, or how to structure your links, and so on.

Writer Build Website From Scratch

We are buying a new House. The house we are buying is a great little house, in a really nice, family-friendly, neighborhood community. It better be, the taxes are basically double to get all of those goodies.

However, this particular house was built a little over 10 years ago with all the “base” options the builder offered. In other words, we are buying a house with an all white interior, all white basic carpet, basic appliances, and bathroom vanities big enough for two sinks, but with only one installed.

On the one hand, this makes for a very bland house, and is probably a big part of the reason we got it for less per square foot than most houses around it. Oh the other hand, this offers huge potential for upgrading, and turning a cheap, low-end house, into a very nice (and highly re-sale-able) house. It will just take some home improvement project work.

Real-Time Step-by-Step Website Building

That is where the new website comes in. We haven’t even closed yet, but I’m already planning a new website built around the concept of a regular guy with average (below-average, probably) skills taking on a live-in remodel project to upgrade a house. Again, while there are plenty of home improvement websites out there, and even more do-it-yourself websites, so many of those seem run by folks with so much skill and experience that they can seem like they really aren’t good resources for an everyday, average, Joe.

This presents two really great opportunities for me, and you, the reader.

First, I can document how I go about building a website from Scratch. You can follow along, step-by-step, and create your own website about whatever topic you are interested in. I’ll document everything from choosing the domain name, to picking a webhost, to installing WordPress, and so on. Then, I’ll show how I get the site indexed, do some online marketing, do some monetization, and so on. All written with my fellow writers in mind. When I’m done, I can polish it and box it all up to turn into an eBook that I can sell.

Check out is Acorns safe review.

Second, I get to build another website that in addition to showing another area of writing expertise, will hopefully be profitable as well. Frankly, if I can ever earn as much money building and writing for my own websites, that would be an even better dream than my current life of working from home every day and writing for a living.

Right now, I’m still working out details, but I’ll be back when I have them. In the meantime, be sure to check back in, or follow me as ArcticLlama on Twitter for updates.

Building a New Website From Scratch originally published at Freelance Writing Blog of ArcticLlama.com