Why is a personal website important?

A website puts you on the map, it is your own space of real estate online. I have been planning to create one for myself for the longest time but never managed to get down to it. But I will tell you why I should get one and get going and why you should too… 

I have built websites for a lot of brands; we do this as communicators and brand owners. Imagine the benefits of having a website for a brand extended to you and your profile. 

The world online is fast paced and growing as we can see and more so now than ever and if you want to leave a strong impression online, just social media is not good enough. You need to ear mark your space and put your work out there as it is a great way to find you and find out more about you without having to find you on a social media platform. 

Building a website today is easy and the kind of tools available are varied and intelligent. There are a lot of template-based website building tools that make this process simple and efficient. Be it communications, leadership or management having a website will help. It can also be leveraged if you want to establish yourself as a subject matter expert. 

There’s also the impact on your connection to recruiters who will be able to not just find you but also know more about who you are and what you do. 

As an extension of the idea of the personal brand, a website helps you control your image and you can channel content according to your liking. 

Here are some reasons why we need to look at establishing the website. 

• It helps build an identity 
• It helps you extend your influence
• It helps reach your work to a wider audience 
• It becomes your online portfolio 
• It helps build credibility 
• It also becomes a space to showcase your work
• It helps people looking for similar profiles to find you easily
• You can use it to tell your story 
• You can integrate all elements of your resume into this 
• Search engines will be able to find you faster 
• It helps you stand out from your competition 
• You have the freedom to be creative
• You can grow your blog and promote it 
• It forms an easy access point to your information 
• It becomes a space to share personal experience 
• It also acts as a networking tool 
• It helps get more out of your presence 
• It can also help build skills that augment who you are 

If you have a blog already, integrating this with the website is a great idea too. These personal websites are fast becoming new and dynamic resume showcases. 

I am planning to make a series of these by focussing on what elements need to go into the website, what to do and how to go about it and what elements to add to your website. 

I will also share with all of you the process of creating my own site and chronicle the experience and learnings as I go about it. 

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.