Freelancers need a homepage Google can find

Freelance consultants — designers, developers, strategists, coaches, and specialists — operate without a company website or with a portfolio that hasn't been updated since 2023. Clients discover you on LinkedIn, refer you by name, or search "[your name] consultant" on Google. If nothing indexed ranks, you lose the inquiry to a competitor with a proper SEO footprint.

Your link page is the minimum viable professional website: indexable, conversion-focused, and optimized for the exact queries that bring paying clients.

LinkForge offers indexable /u/slug pages, custom seo_title and seo_description, automatic sitemap, Open Graph previews for referral shares, and SEO architecture that helps consultant hubs rank for name + expertise queries.

The freelance consultant client funnel

Source	Client mindset	Hub goal	Close rate
LinkedIn bio click	Evaluating fit	Portfolio + booking	Medium
Referral forward	Pre-sold by referrer	OG preview confirms trust	High
Branded Google search	Active vendor research	Hub ranks top 3	Very high
Conference networking	Met you briefly	Hub refreshes memory	Medium-high
Cold email reply	Checking your credentials	Case studies visible	Medium

Branded Google search inquiries close at 2–3x LinkedIn cold outreach because intent is established before first contact.

Building your consultant hub

The hire-me layout

Primary CTA (1 link): Discovery call booking, project inquiry form, or email. "Book a 20-min intro call — no pitch, just fit check" reduces friction.

Portfolio proof (2 links):

Case study or project showcase
Client testimonials or Clutch/reviews link
Resume or credentials page for corporate clients

Expertise content (1–2 links):

Blog post, newsletter, or published article
Free resource demonstrating methodology
Speaking or workshop page

Optional monetization (1 link): Course, template shop, or retainer info for productized consultants.

Bio copy for expertise ranking

"Catherine Wu is an independent UX strategist helping B2B SaaS startups reduce onboarding drop-off. 8 years at Figma and Stripe. Based in Berlin, working remotely across EU and US."

Ranks for "Catherine Wu UX consultant," "B2B SaaS UX strategist," and "freelance UX Berlin."

SEO for freelance consultants

SEO element	Consultant use	LinkForge feature
Title tag	Name + specialty + location	Custom `seo_title`
Meta description	Client type + CTA	Custom `seo_description`
Crawlable expertise bio	Keywords, tools, industries	Indexable `/u/slug`
Referral shares	Slack, email forwards	Open Graph tags
Portfolio updates	New case studies	Automatic sitemap

Example configuration:

seo_title: "Catherine Wu | B2B SaaS UX Strategy Consultant | Berlin"
seo_description: "Independent UX strategist for B2B SaaS onboarding. Ex-Figma, ex-Stripe. Book a free 20-min intro call."

Most consultants rank top three for "[name] [specialty]" within 4–8 weeks without a traditional website.

Platform and channel tactics

Bio link = hub, not Calendly directly. Calendly as Link 1 inside hub preserves SEO and analytics. UTM: ?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=bio.

Email signature

Hub URL in every signature line. Custom domain (links.yourname.com) increases click trust from corporate inboxes.

Proposals and contracts

Include hub URL in proposal footer. Prospects who Google you mid-review find indexed hub confirming credentials.

Referral partners

Give agencies and fellow freelancers your hub URL — not a PDF portfolio. OG preview displays headshot and specialty when forwarded.

Consultant hub maintenance

Frequency	Task	SEO benefit
Monthly	Update case study link	Fresh crawlable content
Quarterly	Refresh bio with new client types	Keyword expansion
Per project win	Add industry keyword to bio	Vertical ranking
Annually	Audit seo_title for specialty shift	SERP relevance

Pricing and positioning signals

Use bio text and seo_description to pre-qualify clients:

"Working with funded startups Series A–C. Projects from €8,000. Not accepting hourly-only engagements."

This filters mismatched inquiries and adds searchable terms like "Series A UX consultant."

FAQ

Do freelancers need a full website or just a link hub?

A link hub covers 80% of SEO and conversion needs for solo consultants. Add a full site when content marketing becomes primary lead source.

Can a link page rank without a custom domain?

Yes. /u/slug pages index and rank. Custom domains add trust in email signatures and print materials.

How many links should a consultant page have?

Four to six. One booking CTA, two portfolio links, one content resource, optional productized offer.

Do Open Graph previews matter for freelancers?

Yes. Referrals share your link in Slack and WhatsApp. Branded OG with headshot and specialty converts warm intros into booked calls.

Will sitemap inclusion help when I add new case studies?

Yes. Automatic sitemap updates signal Google to re-index after portfolio updates — keeping search results current.

You are the product. Your link hub is the shelf Google searches — build one that ranks for your name and expertise.

Launch your freelance consultant hub on LinkForge — free →