Guide · Personal website
Why you should own your corner of the internet.
Why a personal website still matters in the age of LinkedIn — and how to build one that works as a genuine career asset.
A personal website is the one place online you fully control — not rented from a platform that can change its rules. This guide covers why that matters for anyone serious about their professional presence, and how to build a site that actually does something rather than just existing.
Own, don’t rent
Everything you build on LinkedIn or any platform is rented — they own the rules, the reach and the relationship. A personal website is the one professional asset you fully control. That ownership is the whole point.
Make it do a job
A personal site shouldn’t just be an online CV. Decide what you want it to do — build authority, generate opportunities, house your thinking — and build around that job. Purpose first, pages second.
Lead with substance
The sites that work lead with genuine value — your thinking, your work, things that help the reader — not just claims about yourself. Substance is what makes a site worth visiting and returning to.
Keep it genuinely current
A stale personal site is worse than none — it signals neglect. Build something you’ll actually maintain, and keep it reflecting who you are now, not who you were three roles ago.
Reflect you, not a template
The point of your own site is that it’s yours — your voice, your point of view, your standards. A distinctive site that sounds like you beats a polished one that could be anyone.
LinkedIn is where you rent an audience. Your own site is where you own one.
Related questions
Do I still need a website if I have LinkedIn?
They serve different purposes — LinkedIn for reach, your site for control and depth. The strongest presence uses both, with your site as the owned anchor.
What should a personal website include?
Whatever serves its job — typically who you are, your work, your thinking, and a way to reach you. Substance over completeness.
How much does a personal website matter?
For anyone building authority or opportunities, a lot — it’s the owned centre of your professional presence.
Related: personal branding · for founders.