Starting out freelancing definitely isn’t easy, and building a successful career being self employed heavily relies on your credibility and ability to win clients.

Here are 5 ways to build your credibility as a freelancer!

1. Create a website that is clear and professional: Starting out, you don’t need to be fancy. Once you are happy with your income, then look at investing in to a domain. Initially, it isn’t a necessary expense. Choose an easy theme that is compatible on mobiles and tablets, too.
2. Ask for recommendations from clients/old colleagues: If you are at the beginning of your career and have no references, feel free to gather references from old colleagues that will act as credibility for your work ethic and who you are as a person. If you already have completed a couple of projects (no matter how big or small they are) then ask for testimonials on your LinkedIn which you can also use on your website.
3. Have a blog: Whether you update it weekly, monthly or quarterly, it’s another way to push out content and generate traffic to your website. You never know who may stumble across your writing!
4. Get active on LinkedIn: Posting regularly and connecting with individuals in the companies you’d like to work with is crucial. Do not underestimate the power of LinkedIn! It’s another platform that a client may look at to see how long you’ve been in the game, and who you are online, too.
5. Update your portfolio regularly: I read over my portfolio at least once a quarter and assess how I am presenting my material. I may remove some portfolio pieces that are old and not relevant, or I may share particular pieces with a client I am looking to work with. A portfolio that is constantly being updated shows that you are getting work, and you always want it to look fresh and interesting.

There are a hundred other things you could do on top of this, but start with these basics first and you’ll feel confident in winning clients and generating traffic to your website!