If you want to win clients, your content writing website needs to be the best of its kind. Here's how.
When I was in college, I took an introductory marketing class where our professor told us that we needed to build a personal portfolio or business website to show off our skills and land work. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but I didn’t take it seriously. In fact, I still don’t have a personal website — just a LinkedIn profile and some other social media accounts.
But now I’m realizing that my professor was right. For content writers, a personal portfolio is not only the primary way to demonstrate our skills, it’s also the non-negotiable foundation for winning clients. If your site isn’t up to par, no one will ever see your skills, and your content marketing or copywriting skills won’t matter at all. So if you’re going to use your own site to get clients, you need to make sure it’s actually good.
So what does a good writer’s website look like? Let me walk you through examples of real individual writer portfolios, and explain why they’re so good.
Real portfolio examples
Let’s start with this unnamed writer. Her site shows off her range of skills by listing specific brands she’s worked with:
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VU.CITY AI
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Rust-Oleum
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Pagerie pet accessories
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A magazine for London Hilton on Park Lane
That’s a pretty impressive list! It shows that she can write for both niche and mainstream audiences, and that she’s got experience in a variety of industries.
Another writer, Susan Horsburgh, has built a great niche credibility. She’s been writing for over 25 years, and she’s written for major publications like TIME and People, as well as major Australian publications.
Kira Hug’s site stands out because of her personality. She “embraces her weirdness,” and uses quirky copywriting, research, optimization, UX, and customer understanding to create content that people love.
Halle Snavely’s site is great because it emphasizes storytelling. She’s a professional copywriter who writes for small businesses, and her content marketing services include everything from blog posts to SEO copywriting. She’s also worked in the music industry, helped nonprofits raise money, and consulted for food/health/wellness businesses.
Bella Shing’s site is unique because she stands out specifically through her writing style. She writes about travel, food, beauty, and lifestyle, and she knows how to capture attention with her words.
Each of these sites is very different, and each one emphasizes a distinct quality rather than trying to appeal to everyone. If you want to stand out in the crowded content writing world, your site should do the same thing.
Content marketplaces vs. your own site
Now let’s talk about content marketplace platforms. These are websites where companies go to find freelancers, and they set rate expectations that individual writer sites must compete with or differentiate from. For example, WriterAccess lists native-country freelancers, and ranks them 2 to 6. The best writers earn 6–10 cents per word, which is less than half of what most freelance writers charge. WriterAccess offers plans starting at $39/month and going up to $499/month.
Upwork lists many kinds of writers, including content writers. According to Upwork, a content writer generally costs $15–$40 per hour. Fiverr lists content writers under the category of “content & copywriting.” They offer a pool of freelancers who “captures and converts” into SEO-friendly material.
These platforms are important because they set the bar for what content writers can expect to charge. If you want to compete with them, you’ll need to make sure your site is up to snuff. Otherwise, you’ll never get noticed.
What your website should include
So what should your content writing website include? First, it should have pages that best showcase your small business and writing talents. That means case studies, art, quirky copy, business plans, brand stories, etc. You should arrange the elements on your site to present your best qualities at one glance. If you study existing portfolio examples and apply the lessons you learn, you’ll end up with a great site.
Misconceptions that can hurt your positioning
There are a lot of myths about content writing, and some of them might lead you to misrepresent yourself on your site. Let’s correct a few of those.
The first myth is that high-quality writing = high prices. But that’s simply not true. Quality writing is clear, correct, error-free, and fit for purpose. Paying more doesn’t exceed that baseline. There are some industries where hands-on industry experience is required, and others where it’s not. In some cases, it’s simply unavailable. Your niche experience depends on your industry and budget.
The second myth is that consistency is an advantage. Repeated orders plus detailed feedback lets a writer tailor their style to exact client preferences, and that’s worth signaling on your site.
The third myth is that thought leadership is important. Publishing content builds credibility, peer trust, and domain authority. That’s directly relevant to what a writer’s own site should demonstrate.