Despite the explosion of side hustles as income-generating odd jobs or a way to grow a six-figure business, the term entered our language around the 1950s and once described both scams and legitimate jobs. Today, they’re a way to take control of your financial future and reimagine what’s possible for your career. As more people enter the marketplace and look to fulfill their goals, a question comes to the forefront: Do I need a side hustle website?
The answer? It depends. A side hustle website is a must in some situations, especially if you’re looking to grow a sophisticated service or sell a product. In other cases, you can save your money and skip the website altogether.
When You Need a Side Hustle Website
Let’s start by exploring whether or not you really need to invest in a side hustle website.
You Run an Ecommerce Store
Ecommerce stores are a billion-dollar industry with room to grow and scores of platforms to sell from. However, just because you can sell from Etsy, Amazon, and eBay doesn’t mean you should stop there. When you sell off a third-party platform exclusively, you’re obligated to follow their rules, regulations, and ever-changing algorithms. You’re also leaving your side hustle business to chance. It’s not unheard of to get shut down entirely and lose your customer base and hard-earned ratings.
You don’t necessarily need to shut the door on your favorite selling platforms altogether. Just make sure the long-term goal is to build your own audience that belongs to you. When you have a side hustle website, the hard work you put into it belongs to you instead of the platforms you’re selling from.
People Specifically Want You For a Service
Do people come to you for copywriting, interior design, personal training, or your wildly popular consulting business? Even if you’re generating referrals word-of-mouth, you need a side hustle website. It’s easier for people to refer you and your services when you have an online presence. Potential customers can review your portfolio and testimonials while getting a sense of who you are and what you offer the world.
You’re Trying to Raise Your Credibility
A side hustle website is a significant credibility booster when you’re growing a new business. Let’s say you offer B2B services by outsourcing your skills to accounting firms. They likely won’t be that impressed when you send them a round-up of links to businesses you’ve worked with. If you want to work with big clients, you need a rock-solid side hustle website that commands attention.
You Want to Stand Out from the Competition
Remember the days when side hustles were relatively new and no one really understood how to start one? Today, one in three Americans have side hustles. Many of them are just cobbling together to work to make extra income, but scores of side hustlers are looking to launch, scale, and command their marketplace. Make sure you stand out from the competition with a side hustle website that hits all your goals:
- A positive User Experience
- Intuitive Design
- Easy to read and book your services or buy products
- SEO-powered
- A low bounce rate
- A/B tested
- Integrates seamlessly with apps and plugins
- Content marketing
- Built with best practices in mind (digital marketing, design, User Interface, and so much more)
Here’s the truth. Your side hustle website doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to stand out from the competition, look credible, and get results.
When You Probably Don’t Need a Side Hustle Website
You can still earn a serious income without the need for a side hustle website at all. Here’s what to consider in your side hustle journey.
You Work Off of Gig Sharing Platforms
Sites like Uber and Instacart make it a breeze to get up and running on a side hustle in minutes. You can start earning money almost immediately and get booked directly through gig sharing platforms. Although it’s difficult to scale these types of gigs into consistent, powerhouse income, they work incredibly well to earn extra cash when you need it. You really don’t need a side hustle website to work in the gig sharing economy and see results.
People Find You Through Freelance Platforms
Just like gig sharing platforms, freelancing platforms are also a win for side hustlers. Whether you want to do some Virtual Assistance work off of Upwork or build a marketing agency on Guru, you can scale and grow a side hustle into a viable business with freelance platforms. Potential clients on these sites also rely on reviews and social proof to make their next hire and vet your experience.
There is a caveat with freelance platforms. Yes, you technically don’t need a side hustle website to find clients and start making serious money. However, if you want to grow into a larger business that attracts clients on and off freelance platforms, a side hustle website may become necessary.
You Do a Bunch of Unrelated Odd Jobs
Side hustles are a win for anyone who needs to generate some cash quickly. They’re also fun if you’re feeling a bit burned out at your day job and want to dabble in different things on the side. If you’re just having fun while earning money, there’s no reason to invest in a side hustle website. However, suppose you find yourself focusing on a singular professional service, like taking pet photography portraits or selling curated pet products online. A dedicated website to showcase your work may prove a worthwhile and lucrative investment for your future.
Next Steps
Whether you want to earn some extra money or are looking to grow a side business, there are tons of ways to execute it.
What about you? Are you ready for the next steps with a side hustle website? Talk to the team at Digital Nomad Designs about improving your content, SEO, UX, and UI to attract and retain a more targeted audience. Book a free call here to discuss your project.
