A freelance website that wins work: one service, real proof, a price and a brief form
Clients hire freelancers who look like they've solved this exact problem before and who are clearly available to do it again. A freelance site that says one specific thing, shows proof of it, gives a starting price and asks for a proper brief does more than a long list of skills ever will.
One service line, said precisely
"Designer and developer for brands, startups and agencies" describes most of the internet. "I build fast Shopify themes for independent coffee roasters" makes the right client stop. Narrowing feels risky, but a site isn't a contract: you can still take other work. The headline only has to win the clients you most want.
A useful formula is what you do, for whom, with what result: "Bookkeeping for UK sole traders, so your Self Assessment is done by January". If you genuinely serve two markets, give each its own Services page rather than blending them on the home page.
Proof that does the selling
- Two or three case studies, not twelve thumbnails. For each: the client's situation, what you did, and what changed, with permission to name them.
- Specific numbers you can defend. "Page load went from six seconds to under two" is checkable; "massive growth" isn't.
- Quotes with names and roles. Ask clients at the end of a project, while they're pleased. A first name and a company is enough.
- Process in four steps. What happens after they get in touch, so the first call feels safe.
A 'from' price and your availability
A starting price filters out enquiries you'd turn down and reassures the ones you want. "Projects usually start from…" with a line on what moves the figure (scope, timeline, revisions) is enough. If you sell fixed packages, a Pricing page with each package and what's in it works well; the freelance rate calculator can help you set the figures.
Availability is the most neglected sentence on freelance sites. "Booking projects from March" or "Two slots open this month" tells a client whether to wait or move on, and it creates honest urgency. Update it whenever it changes; a stale "available now" in a busy month costs goodwill.
A brief form instead of 'Get in touch'
A blank contact form gets "Hi, how much for a website?". A short brief form gets something you can quote from. Ask for:
- Name, company and email.
- What they need, in a sentence or two.
- Budget range, as a few bands, so they don't have to name a number first.
- When they'd like to start, and any hard deadline.
- Links to anything relevant: current site, examples they like.
The built-in contact form only asks for a name, email and message, so a brief form with these questions is a custom form tied to a site function, with up to 30 plain-text fields. Describe the questions in your request and check the preview; ask for changes in a sentence if the form isn't right.
Sending each brief to Notion or HubSpot
Briefs are saved in your Anticode dashboard, sealed at rest, and can be emailed to you. To track them as a pipeline, add a connector. Notion and Airtable turn each brief into a row or page in a database you already use for clients. HubSpot creates a contact for any brief that includes an email address, so the enquiry sits next to your other leads. Slack or Telegram can ping your phone. Each submission is sent once without retries, so glance at the dashboard if something seems missing. The qualify website leads workflow covers what to do once briefs arrive.
How Anticode builds it
As a freelancer website builder, Anticode starts from your positioning sentence and a few facts: "a site for Jonah Reyes, freelance bookkeeper for UK sole traders, with services, a from-price, two case studies, availability and a project brief form". The Architect plans the pages, typically Services, Work, Pricing, About and Contact as separate pages, and asks where a choice changes the build. Swiss (Inter Tight) and Technical (IBM Plex Sans) suit consultants and developers; Editorial (Geist) suits writers; Playful (Fredoka) suits illustrators. Add your own project images to the build and the model places them.
Limits
- No proposals, contracts or invoices. Use your accounting tool; a deposit can be paid through a payment link from Stripe Payment Links or PayPal.
- No calendar sync. The booking calendar can take requests for discovery calls, but it doesn't read or write your Google or Outlook calendar.
- No client portal on the published site. If you need logins for clients, the Next.js export adds accounts, but you'd run and maintain that code.
- Your proof has to be real. The model can't supply case studies; it drafts structure around the ones you give it.
Questions people ask
Should freelancers show prices?
A starting price or price range usually helps. It saves time on both sides and makes the enquiries you do get more serious.
Is a freelancer website different from a portfolio?
A portfolio shows work; a freelance site sells a service. It needs a price, availability and a way to brief you, which a gallery alone doesn't give.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on a paid plan; free sites use an anticode.dev address and show a small badge. See /pricing.