
You’ve finally decided to launch your freelance blogging career. Congrats!
Chances are, you’ve spent days researching how exactly to get started, and one thing you keep hearing is this: Your business needs a website.
Unfortunately, you don’t have the money on hand to launch a self-hosted site. After all, isn’t the whole point to make money with your business?
So you sign up for a WordPress account and decide to launch a free version of your site until you have the money to upgrade to a self-hosted option.
There’s no shame in that.
The only problem is that in general, a free WordPress.com site can make you look less professional. To clients, it says, “I’m not taking my business seriously.”
But that doesn’t always have to be the case.
If you get serious with your web design, you can get rid of that “unprofessional” feel all while maintaining your site on a free platform.
Want to look more credible to freelance blogging clients? Here’s what you can do to boost the professional appeal of your free WordPress site.
1. Dig deep for a great theme
One obvious indication of a free WordPress site is when you stick with the generic theme everyone else is using. If you’re building your site on the default theme, potential clients will immediately realize that you haven’t put much thought into your site.
There are hundreds of free themes, so don’t be afraid to dig for one that makes you look unique.
From inside your free WordPress.com website, hover over My Sites in the top left-hand corner of your screen, and head down to WP Admin. This is the dashboard where all of the following tutorials will take place. Go ahead and find it. I’ll wait.
Your dashboard should look like this:

Are we both there? Okay.
Now, on the left-hand side, hover over Appearance, and then click Themes. From here, you’ll be able to see what theme is active as well as gain access to hundreds of new themes.
If you’re willing to put a little bit of money into your site, feel free to purchase a premium theme. If not, filter the results by clicking Free on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
You can always hover over ones you like and click Preview to take a look before you install the new theme. Then, play around with the customization options to see what the theme will look like on your site.
A couple of free themes I personally really like that would work well for writer websites include:
Responsive

Sela

Highwind

Sequential

The good news is that a lot of themes let you customize your colors and replace your header with a logo image so that you can make the site more of your own.
2. Buy a custom domain name
You’ve probably heard this plenty of times, but it’s worth saying again. A custom domain can boost your credibility.
It’s clear you’re not ready to invest money in your site just yet, but a custom domain name is worth considering. It’s cheap, and it will get rid of the “.wordpress” in your domain, which is the main indication that you’re using a free platform.
If you haven’t yet created your site, you’ll be walked through the custom domain purchase process when you sign up for a new site.
If you’ve already set up your site and want to get rid of the “.wordpress” in the address, head to Store and then to My Domains in your WordPress dashboard.

Click Register a New Domain, and you’ll be walked through the process. Most domain names from the WordPress store will run you $18 per year.
Alternatively, you can register your domain name through a third-party registrar such as GoDaddy. Keep in mind that WordPress charges a $13 per year fee to use a domain name you already own.
To do this, choose Map a Domain Name You Already Own in the My Domains section of your dashboard. You’ll have to update the nameservers with those from the company you purchased the domain name from. Need help? Check out this tutorial.
If you’re having trouble choosing a domain name, check out Sophie’s post on “3 Questions to Choose an Effective Domain Name for Your Freelance Writer Website.”
3. Rearrange your widgets
Too often I see writers with free sites who haven’t bothered to get rid of the “meta” widget or add their own widgets to their sidebar, which makes the design look somewhat incomplete or lazy. There are two ways to access your widget area and customize it.
The first is to go into your themes and click Customize on your active theme. (Or click Customize from the Appearance tab.) On the next page, choose Widgets from the menu. Depending on the options your theme gives, you may have multiple widget areas to choose from, such as Sidebar and Footer.
Start by working on just one. If your widget area is already populated with random widgets, click on each one, and choose Remove. Then, click Add Widget to add the ones you want. You can always click and drag them to reorder them. Make sure to click Save and Publish when you’re done!

The alternative is to head to Appearance and then Widgets in your WordPress Dashboard. Here, you can drag and drop widgets in each widget section. Your changes will save automatically.
What widgets should you include?
Obviously, that’s all going to depend on what information you want to give clients. Some good widgets I personally suggest include:
- Search
- Recent/Popular Posts (if you have a blog on your site)
- Social Media Icons
You can also use the image or text widget to create a custom “About Me” widget or to add your headshot to the sidebar (which I highly recommend if it’s not in your main content area).
4. Create a custom logo
Go ahead and type your site address into your address bar. Do you notice the little WordPress logo in your browser tab? It will look like this:

Did you know you can change that? This simple change will quickly get rid of WordPress’s branding and make the site more your own. Once you change your logo, it will also show up in blog comments if you send pingbacks and as the logo for bookmarks.
The requirements state that your site Blavatar (as WordPress calls it) must be square and saved as a JPEG or PNG. (You don’t have to upload a square image, but you’ll crop it down to a square later.) WordPress suggests using a photo at least 128 x 128 pixels.
Your logo–or Blavatar–can be as simple as you want it to be. Upload your headshot if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of creating a logo. Or, stick with just a simple letter. Here’s what my writer website logo looks like:

Super simple, right? All I did was type a letter in Photoshop and then remove the background to make the image transparent.
If you want to make things super simple, you could take a screen snip of your site’s header and upload that as your logo to maintain a consistent look.
But let’s say you want something more complicated. You could always hire a logo designer, but that’s not necessary. If you’re okay with designing your own logo, there are tons of programs you can use without paying a penny. (But if you already have the Adobe package, why not start with Adobe Illustrator?) Some free programs you can use include:
- Paint (if you use Windows)
- Canva
- Online Logo Maker
(You can do a quick Google search and easily find plenty more programs, although many ask for your email. Also be aware that some offer the logo building software for free, but require you to pay to download your finished product.)
Here are some examples of logos I created using the abovementioned programs:
Paint

Canva

Online Logo Maker

How to Upload Your Blavatar
Uploading your Blavatar is super simple. Start by going to Settings, then General in your WordPress dashboard.

On the right-hand side, you’ll see this:

Choose your file from your hard drive, and upload it. Next, you’ll be prompted to crop the photo. Crop it, and you’re done! Remember that it can take a couple of hours before your new logo shows up.
5. Customize your menus
One thing I notice a lot of writers having trouble with is customizing their navigation tabs. By default, every page you create will pop up on your navigation menu, but there’s a way around this!
Let’s say, for instance, that you offer blog writing, copywriting, and social media management services. You might want to create a separate service page for each, but you want each page to show up as a drop-down item under your Services tab.
Start by creating a custom menu by going to Appearance and then Menus.

The default menu will show up first. You can use this for your main menu, but you can also click on Create a New Menu if you want multiple menus (which you can then arrange using the menu option in your widgets area).
On the left-hand side, you’ll see a list of your pages. Click the check box next to the ones you want to add to the menu, and then click Add to Menu. If there’s a page listed on the menu that you don’t want, expand the choice and click Remove.

Want to layer your menu items so some will appear as drop-down items? Just click and drag your secondary menu item underneath your primary item until it indents. It will look like this:

You can always click and drag items so that they’re in the order you want them. Just be careful that any items listed as sub item are intended to be that way!
Once you save your menu, visit your customize area again (through your Appearance tab or in Themes). Head down to Navigation. Under Primary Menu, choose the menu you just created. Now you’re good to go!
6. Disable comments on pages
There’s no reason to allow comments on pages (which are different than posts). Unless the page is intended to collect public comments, leaving the comment function open screams “I haven’t really thought this web design thing through yet!”
There’s a quick and easy way to change that. Head to Pages in your WordPress dashboard. Check all the pages you want to disable comments on. Under Bulk Actions, choose Edit, and then click Apply. Under Comments, click Do Not Allow, and update. Simple as that!

7. Display your contact information
A final common mistake many writers make on their writer website is including only a contact form. While a contact form is a simple way of getting in touch without having to dish out your email, some prospects won’t fill them out, and others may want the assurance that you’re a real person by having other contact information displayed.
Depending on what you want to share, this could include your phone number, email, and Skype address. You’ll also likely include social follow buttons, in which case prospects might contact you through social media.
To make things easy on prospects, place your contact information in an easy-to-find area where they can see it no matter where they are on your site. This could be in your sidebar, footer, or in the main content of each page. If you have a contact page (which you should!), include your contact information along with your contact form.
Not sure how to get your contact information on your sidebar? It’s easy! We already talked about rearranging your widgets. You can choose the text widget to add your contact info, or you can use the built-in contact info widget.
Remember that you don’t have to include every means of contacting you. I stopped sharing my phone number online because phone calls never worked for me (either the call was fuzzy or I couldn’t understand the person’s accent). However, having a back-up available in case your contact form stops working or prospects don’t want to fill it out can boost your credibility.
Look pro for free
While most freelance blogging gurus will tell you to launch a self-hosted WordPress site, that’s not practical for all writers at the start of their careers. That being said, having a site of any sort is better than not having one at all. If you choose to go with a free WordPress site to start bringing in business, use these tips to give it more of a professional feel.
Still confused about how to navigate WordPress? Leave us a comment telling us where you’re stuck.
Perfect timing!
I’m sick, so writing is a bit too much energy at the moment, and so is pitching. I figured I’d fiddle with my site . . . but got stuck on the theme and the header.
This post update (that I got by email, from Sophie) came at the PERFECT time!
And thanks – I knew that I could change the Blavatar (didn’t know it was called that), but hadn’t been able to figure out *how*.
Here’s hoping that my updates will make me famous. 🙂
Good luck!
Hi Alicia,
How refreshing to get such clear and simple blog set-up advice – thanks.
Free themes can also be a lot easier to customise than paid-for themes which is always a plus. I think some sites are so full of “essentials” that it’s sometimes hard to focus on a freelancer’s actual work.
Simple is always best. Unless, you’re aiming at web design, most clients are looking for: can this person write? What work have they done before? Will they deliver what I want? How much do they cost?
Everything else is ego-fluff.
Thanks again, Alicia.
-Tom
Mmm…I’ve found greater luck customizing paid themes, but I’ve still used plenty of free themes that have a lot of customization options.
I appreciate the article as I’m trying to build my own site and really, really don’t know how. And when I say, “don’t know,” I really mean that. Some of the language used still confuses me.
“…you could take a screen snip of your site’s header and upload that as your logo to maintain a consistent look.”
I have no idea what you mean by a “screen snip.” And upload it where?
What is a nameserver?
Where would you suggest someone like me go to learn all this? It’s obvious I’m a real tech beginner. I’ve tried googling and looking in YouTube. Even there, I have to have the directions in front of me while I’m working.
I really, really want my site to look professional. It can and should be simple (I’m an experienced editor and beginning writer), but it has to be taken seriously. I simply don’t understand all these instructions. They do assume some knowledge.
Thank you.
Ana,
I apologize for some confusion. If you have a “snipping tool” on your computer (which I believe comes as a default tool), you can essentially crop a part of your screen and save it as an image. For instance, I could crop the “Be a Freelance Blogger” text at the top of this page and save it as a jpg on my computer. You’d follow the Blavatar upload instructions once you have an image that would work for a logo.
You shouldn’t have to worry about nameservers if you buy your domain straight from your WordPress dashboard.
Ana, the “snipping tool” can be found on the top line of your keyboard. If you’re on a pc it’s the “PrtSc SysRq” button (Print Screen/ System Requirement). When you press it, you’ll get an option to select the area of the screen that you want to “print”, although actually printing it isn’t necessary. If you’re on a Mac, this is how: Command ⌘ + Shift + 4 + Drag with mouse. Capture selected area of screen and save it as file on your desktop. Press the Command ⌘ + Shift + 4 (for older Mac versions use Apple key ⌘ + Shift + 4) all at the same time.
Hi Ana, I am also learning how to build a blog using WordPress. I discovered quite a few useful resources in their community. The main site that provides the essentials for creating a blog using WordPress also contains a glossary of terms used frequently by bloggers and techies. The main page is: https://learn.wordpress.com/ and the glossary is located: https://learn.wordpress.com/glossary/
Another good WordPress resource is their Blogging University: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/blogging-university/
Here you can sign up for free online courses or daily emails for inspiration, support, advice, etc. (scroll down to the bottom of the Blogging U home page to access these) or go straight to the Community Pool website: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/community-pool-135/
Good luck!
i’ve already subscribed so how do aI get your Ultimate Kist of Better Paying Blog gogs?
Kathy, the link should have come in your welcome email. Otherwise, I’d contact Sophie privately for the link.
Alicia, these are some good tips on things like turning off comments on pages, editing menus, etc.
That said, I’m in the camp who suggest self-hosted. The primary reason is that WordPress.com displays ads on their sites unless you pay for the upgrade to remove the ads.
What’s worse is that their ads use re-targeting. So, the site visitors are going to see ads for things they’ve already looked at. Usually at Amazon, although other sites come up in the ads, too. And if I’m at a writer’s site, and see an ad for something I’ve already looked at on Amazon, it’s really enticing to click that. And poof- I’m gone.
WordPress.com does offer an upgrade to get rid of the ads. It costs $129 per year and includes a domain name – which is pretty much the same price as going the self hosted route.
Hostgator offers self-hosted wordpress pretty cheap. You can go month to month for $14 or you can get $11/mo. if you pay a year up front. Same price as removing ads at wordpress.com.
Here’s the biggest thing. What I often see is that when people pay for their web presence, it creates a mind shift. They take it more seriously. Because now it’s not just something you’re “trying” on a free website… now you’ve started a business. Now you have skin in the game.
And I say that from experience. I started working online 20 years ago using a free Geocities page. lol. Anyone else remember Geocities? When I finally registered a domain name and paid for hosting, my hands were shaking while I did it. But making that decision changed everything for me. It’s when I really got serious.
(Side note: you wouldn’t know it from my site right now. It’s empty because I’m rebuilding)
One other thought. Writers want business owners and bloggers to pay them to write. Most probably, they are hoping to get $50, $100 or even $200 for an article. But if they don’t want to spend $15 on the website to bring in that business, isn’t that sort of at cross purposes with their goal?
All of the tips you gave apply to self hosted sites, too. Some of the language will be different (ie: blavatar is a wordpress.com name, but the same concept applies on a self hosted site) — but the tips themselves are beneficial to people with self-hosted sites, too.
Linda I wanted to gently disagree on a few things. I do think it’s fine to start with WordPress.com, WITH the caveat to do the things Alicia suggested (it really is a fine post.) Folks always mention oh you don’t want the wordpress.com in your name (as a reason not to use it,) but hey fail to mention how cheap it is to buy domain name ($10-15) and use that to have address be: mywebsitename.com.
Also it’s quite rare to see ads on wordpress sites-at least it was when i started out there. And every site “retargets” now, you are tracked over the internet and all your interests pop up in the ads.
And even if folks have it for a few months then upgrade at least that’s a baby step they took. And frankly you can’t tell if it’s self-hosted (again-if you follow what Alicia recommends.)
The other plus about starting at WordPress.com, is that security issues are taken care of- and for a beginner that is HUGE. It’s a pain to remember to update plugins and WordPress self-hosted upgrades. I had clients who had a simple website (self-hosted) but they were not techy, paid little attention, I happened to check and found it had been infected and had viagra ads in the header!
I agree about security.
I jumped on a sale at a self-hosting place and learned immediately that I’d owe lots more money if I didn’t want my site to be violated in some scary way.
Everything costs about the same, even if parts are on sale. But to say owning a site only costs a certain amount is maybe a bit shifty of them, as we do need to spend lots more than that.
Linda, if you go the self-hosted route, you’re going to spend considerably more than $15. I just cancelled my account with GoDaddy, which was about ready to re-bill me $115 for a year’s hosting. And that only included the one domain name. I’ve found deals where you pay similar for a year but with unlimited domains, and lots of support. I know I have to put some money up, but that’s business. It’s tough right now because my day job pays very little, but I have no choice if I want a business set up properly.
Good luck to all whichever way you go! 🙂
I agree, Linda. I recommend the self-hosted route, too, but not everyone follows that advice. Some writers are just dipping their toes in the water. Others don’t have the budget to launch a website and need clients first before they start putting money back into it. So this article is for those writers.
I agree with you, Linda, that getting your own domain and self-hosted sites has advantages over using popular hosted sites but I think it depends on the purpose of your blog or website. The investment for your own domain and a good hosted site for a blog is minimal in comparison to the cost of launching a full-scale website for a business, for instance.
Totally agree, Linda – came here to comment along these lines but you’ve already said it! There are a ton of issues when it comes to using free site builders besides the unprofessionalism – too many to get into here.
No matter how nice your site looks, many prospects will not take you seriously when they see that “wordpress.com” or “blogger.com” in the domain – because it’s not professional. Those are for personal sites, not businesses.
If you’re starting a business (and freelancing IS a business), you need to treat it like one. That means investing in a website. That’s a requirement for an online-based business in this century, especially if you’re purporting yourself to be an expert in writing for the web! If you can’t figure out how to do it on your own, you should hire someone to do it for you.
Alicia, just want to say I mean no offense to you at all 🙂 You do have good tips in here for making a site look more professional. I just disagree that a free site can really be professional at all.
Great tips! I used several of these to help develop my blog that I’ve just started. Thanks for the helpful advice!
Glad I could help!
Great tips Alicia they make it virtually impossible for a regular site visitor to judge someone as “unprofessional” b/c of the look of website. I know as someone who had had both self-hosted and .com over the years.
Thanks for the tips Alicia – these basic things are often overlooked.
Great tips Alicia – and I love the themes that you’ve suggested. I am about to shift my writer site onto WordPress and was flipping between the .com and .org versions in my head. I already have a couple of self hosted WordPress sites but, having read your post, I think I’ll go with .com for my writer site for the time being.
Thanks for the (very timely) inspiration!
Heather,
I would suggest going self-hosted if you can, but if you feel more comfortable on the free version, that’s okay, too.
Thanks for these tips! I knew some of them, but really wondered about the blavatar, among others. Thanks! 🙂
Oh, about the blavatar, if I have two wordPress sites, can I have a different blavatar for each? Thanks!
Yes, you should be able to have a different one for each. Glad I could help!
Great tips, Alicia! I’ve done some of these on the site that’s linked in my comments, but I’ve not taken the plunge with a domain yet, mainly because I’ve not decided which I want yet 🙂
Did you check out Sophie’s post? http://beafreelanceblogger.com/domain-name-freelance-website/
I really enjoyed this post Alicia. While I’ve decided to go the self-hosted route for my writer website, I’ve been blogging as a creative outlet since 2012 on WordPress.com. I’ll use these tips to make my personal blog more professional, give myself a bit of ‘practice’ before I tinker around with a paid website.
This was a really helpful post. Thank You! I have a wordpress blog but still haven’t decided on a domain name for it yet.
would like to get a copy of the -paid blogging gigs report. thanks
Go to the BAFB homepage and sign up – it’s at the top, by the header.
Thank you Alicia!
Your post was truly helpful. It was well written, easy to follow from step to step and it arrived at just the right time. Thank you fir shedding light on WordPress.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
I have a WordPress.com site now geared towards instructional design, but I want to post more writing samples to get blog writing work.
My issue with making sites is that I’m not an artist. How can I make my site visually pleasing? I have chosen a template but I don’t have a logo. Also, how do I know which widgets to use?
I hear you, Wendy. I’m not an artist, either. My suggestion would be to ask a couple of friends or other bloggers you know to take a look at your site and give feedback on visual appeal.
As far as widgets, it’s really about what you need on your site. Some common ones are an “about” blurb, search box, social follow buttons, newsletter subscription form, and recent or popular posts list. I personally don’t like most of the default widgets like meta information and a calendar. You really don’t need to use a whole lot of widgets, though.