Your personal brand serves a variety of purposes. When done right, it does the work for you by representing your values and mission. It serves as an introduction and first impression to new acquaintances. Because a brand can serve as a testimonial to your character, it can also help you achieve professional goals. If you ever find yourself out of work, a personal brand can be leveraged to demonstrate your abilities, drive, and commitment.

The perfect accompaniment to your personal brand is a website dedicated to it. A website is not only essential to your brand, but it is also essential to your professional wellbeing. Recents posts by The Muse and YouTern discussed the advantages of having a personal branding website. Here’s why you need one:

1. It lets you flex your tech muscle

Just having a website can say a lot about you. It shows your dedication – after all, there’s a big difference between saying and doing something. It also shows your knack for technology, a highly desirable quality in any field. Even if your website was easily created on a platform such as Squarespace and you know little about making a website, no one has to know. A website for your personal brand is in itself impressive.

2. Everything’s under your control

Having a website also puts the control of your brand back in your hands. While you can only do so much on social media sites like Twitter or LinkedIn, a website allows for customization, and more importantly, the space to display exactly what you want to show about yourself. As The Muse put it, a website allows you to show what you’ve done and what you want to accomplish, unlike a resume that just shows who you are.

3. It houses your content

Creating content not only benefits your website through search engine optimization, but it also allows you to demonstrate your expertise on a visible platform. No matter what form of content you create – whether that’s a blog, vlog, podcasts, etc. – do not underestimate it’s value for your website. This essential component for a personal branding website not only allows you to demonstrate your expertise, but it also allows you to engage with others in your field. Content is a great key to networking, though it’s a two-way street. Engage with content from others in the community to network and get your brand out there.

4. It’s all about you

The great thing about a personal branding website is that it’s all about you and your brand! You can customize the design to exude your personality and professionalism. Your own website gives you the space to elaborate on your personal narrative and branding mission statement. Instead of telling what you’ve done, you can show what you’ve done through a portfolio, work samples, and testimonials, suggests YouTern. Keeping the “personal” in a personal brand demonstrates authenticity and shows visitors to your website exactly what they’re going to get. People like seeing a face behind the name.

5. It sets you apart

Employment is never permanent. If you ever do find yourself out of work, switching careers, or even vying for a promotion, a website may be the key to getting exactly what you want. Instead of having just another resume in the stack, include your website in a job search to set yourself apart from other applicants. Do not underestimate the importance of the visual – a nicely crafted website can catch the right sort of attention and will let you stand out from the crowd. It will let you elaborate all you want and can provide much more information about you, your brand, and your experience than you’d ever fit on a resume. Plus, with many recruiters scouring the web, it may bring opportunities straight to you.

Ready to take your personal brand to the next level with your own website? Give Squarespace a try. They make it easy to set up a professional and aesthetic website with little to no knowledge. Squarespace is an award-winning platform that allows anyone to build an elegant and operational website. With 24/7 support, a domain in your own name, and built-in search engine optimization and Google Analytics compatibility, Squarespace is your go-to for an impressive personal branding website!