The cost-of-living crisis is in full swing, and people are understandably worried about their food and energy bills.

Rising costs are driving consumers to cancel subscriptions as bills continue to mount.

While budgeting alone is no panacea for spiraling inflation, there are tools available that can ease the financial strain.

A VPN is a “virtual private network” that helps you change your location and unlock geo-restricted content by hiding your IP address. Traveling, working on public Wi-Fi, or simply enjoying US Netflix can be done more securely with one than without.

Here we’ll show how a VPN can help small business freelancers and why you don’t need to break the bank to get one.

A VPN is a popular app for remote workers, gamers, and streamers. By using one, you can unlock better content, avoid DDoS and bandwidth throttling, and watch movies at home instead of paying for theater tickets.

By connecting to a VPN server, it will mask your real location, so, for example, it will look like you’re in Venice, California, when you’re actually in Venice, Italy.

With your IP address hidden, you can watch live sports, comedy shows, and access streaming services unavailable in your region.

It’s not just films and TV series that are more accessible with a VPN. You can download international forecasts and regional data points as well.

Accessing quality information is an integral part of any business strategy, so ask yourself:

1. If you can’t source data on demand, will this mean losing clients or customers?

2. Will you miss out on opportunities if you don’t have instant access to news, stories, and videos?

3. Can you risk a hacker subverting your phone and stealing your customer data, files, or photos?

As a business owner or freelancer, you must prepare for all eventualities so you don’t get thrown off course when storms arrive.

If you’re self-employed, another benefit of a VPN is being able to work securely in coffee shops and co-working spaces.

Since smartphones live in our pockets, you’re more likely to use them on public Wi-Fi and increase your exposure to cyber threats.

With a VPN, you will receive an extra layer of protection as it encrypts all the data you send over the Internet, so no one sees what you do online.

It’s like a game of hide and seek — but this time you win.

Whether you plan to use a VPN on public Wi-Fi or watch Netflix on vacation, you will need one that provides excellent value for money.

FastVPN by Namecheap offers the best price on privacy, security, and unblocking with access to 1,000+ servers across 50+ locations.

For less than $1 per month, you can protect all your devices with one account, and it’s quick and easy to download.

Yes, free VPNs are available, but they are best avoided, even during a recession.

Companies that provide free services need to make money and want something in return.

So what’s the catch with free VPNs? Well, they will not only spam you with ads but also track your logs and sell your data to the highest bidder.

However, paid VPNs won’t track your logs as they will respect your privacy. If you enjoy streaming movies or online gaming, you will need one that offers unlimited bandwidth and data.

FastVPN also supports key connection protocols, OpenVPN and IKEv2, and offers military-grade encryption with AES-256, making it virtually unbreakable, so you don’t need to worry about cybercriminals.

Other key security features include:

Kill Switch – If your VPN connection drops, FastVPN will block all traffic to guarantee that none of your data is unencrypted.

DNS leak protection – DNS (Domain Name Systems) is like the Internet’s phonebook, as it can reveal sensitive information about the websites you use. FastVPN prevents your browsing habits from being leaked.

OpenVPN Scramble – This feature hides or obfuscates the OpenVPN traffic from your device, enabling you to bypass even the most advanced VPN blocks.

With prices shooting up, people are understandably cutting back and looking to put some money aside.

Gas and grocery payments are going through the roof, and while everyone is looking to make savings, turning off Wi-Fi is not an option.

As not spending doesn’t mean you will profit long term. Anyone who works in business knows that you need to sell and buy to be successful. In short, you cannot save without a spender. It doesn’t work for very long without both components.

Whether you’re a small business owner or a creative freelancer, you must spend wisely to keep growing.

So if you want to invest in your online protection, a VPN can unblock websites at work, school, and home for pennies on the dollar.

Access geo-restricted content with FastVPN today. It’s available for $0.99 for one month and accepts Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, and Bitcoin.

As a content marketer or a business owner, you always look for new content ideas. One type of content you should look at is interactive content. Interactive content is excellent for engaging visitors and getting them to stick around longer.

But what exactly is interactive content?

Interactive content allows users to engage with it in some way. In other words, these are the types of content that people may click on, navigate through, respond to, or play with. Ultimately, these interactive content types may help you provide a positive user experience. They help you improve click-throughs, improve SEO, and are valuable tools for getting user feedback and collecting data about your target audience.

In this post, we’ll share six simple interactive content ideas you can use.

1. Interactive quizzes

Quizzes are a fun and easy way to get people involved with your brand. You can use them to teach new ideas, test knowledge, or get user feedback while ensuring your audience has fun.

When creating a quiz, it’s essential to understand your audience. What are their interests? What kinds of questions would they find challenging? Think about the best way to format your quiz, too, so it’s easy to provide interactive experiences.

For example, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has website personality quizzes that match individuals to therapy dogs depending on their personality. The hospital then gathers users’ email addresses so it can send them their quiz results. That’s an opportunity the hospital uses to send updates about the medical institution via email as well.

You can use interactive quizzes on social media for branding, generating leads, and building relationships with your audience. To get the most out of your quizzes, follow these tips:

• Keep them short and sweet. No one wants to take a quiz for hours.
• Stick to a single topic. A quiz with too many topics will confuse and frustrate your audience. Choose one area and stick to it.
• Use images and videos. Quizzes are more engaging when they’re visually appealing. Adding pictures and interactive video content will help people stay interested in what you have to say.
• Offer a prize. Everyone loves a good incentive, so offering a prize for correctly answering all the questions in your quiz is a great way to get people motivated.
• Make it shareable. Include social sharing buttons on your quiz, so people can easily share it with friends and followers.

You can embed your interactive quiz into your content. You can use a quiz maker to help you turn your questions into an interactive quiz.

2. Polls and surveys

Polls and surveys are great ways to collect data from your audience. You can get user feedback, track trends, or get to know your audience better. In other words, you can gather valuable insights to help you make better decisions for your business or organization.

For example, in this poll, Northeastern University asks blog visitors to determine their preferred content format. That helps the university improve its content marketing strategies.

To create an interactive survey or poll, decide what information you want to collect in the first place. Once you have this, format your question based on that goal, so it’s easy to understand.

Make sure you promote your poll or survey so that people will see it and have a chance to participate. You can distribute your interactive content using various methods: via social media through organic posts or ads, via email by using mail merge in Gmail, or via your website on your homepage, for example.

3. User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by users of a company’s products or services. It gives you feedback and insight from your users that you can use to improve those products or services in the first place. UGC can take the form of reviews, blog posts, comments, images, videos, and more.

For instance, watch brand CLUSE includes client photographs on its online store website. In the LookBook section, visitors can look through photos sent in by customers to get a sense of how the product shows on real people.

You will see the product and the customer’s Instagram profile when you click on the images.

This is an excellent way for businesses to enhance the content experience and engage with consumers more interactively. With UGC, you can encourage visitors to click on your links and share your interactive content. UGC can also help boost conversions.

Gathering UGC is as simple as asking your customers or fans to submit reviews, photos, or videos of themselves using your product or service. You can also host contests that encourage users to submit their creations.

4. Interactive videos

Interactive video content allows viewers to perform specific actions on the video itself. So, customers can click, tap on the video or even make voice commands that will yield a specific result. You use this type of interactive content for marketing to help increase engagement and conversions and, ultimately, scale your business. Also, you can use them for educational purposes.

Eko, for example, creates interactive original shows ranging from cartoon comedies to technical thrillers. Eko makes it possible to interact with its interactive films by allowing users to choose options from the video.

There are a few things to consider when using interactive videos:

• Make your interactive film helpful and relevant to your audience and topic.
• You must ensure that the interactive elements are integrated into the video in a way that makes sense.
• Use storytelling, appealing visuals, and audio to help guide your audience.
• Keep the interaction short and sweet – too much interactive content can be overwhelming.
• Make sure you have a clear call to action so your audience knows what to do.

It is easy to create interactive videos with the right interactive content tools. There are several platform options at your disposal. Some examples are Spott, Eko, Adventr, Smartzer, Thinglink, and Wirewax. Once you have your interactive video, you can share it with your audience via social media, email, or your website.

5. Chatbots

Chatbots are computer programs that simulate human conversation. They are commonly used in online customer service to answer simple customer questions or provide essential information. You can use chatbots for more complex tasks, such as giving personalized recommendations or booking appointments.

Chatbots can help keep your audience engaged with your content. At the same time, they can collect data about your audience’s preferences and interests. This data can then help improve your content marketing strategies. It can help you produce more targeted content that is more likely to resonate with your audience. That increases your chances of turning them into paying customers.

For example, Impulse Creative uses a chatbot to give potential customers a personalized experience. This chatbot makes it easier for visitors to browse the website and find what they’re searching for. All customers need to do is select an option that corresponds to their interests.

When using chatbots to engage your audience, ensure your chatbot is responsive. People expect a quick response when they use a chatbot. Also, your chatbot should be easy to use and understand. It should be able to handle common, simple questions and requests without getting confused.

As you continue to use your chatbot, you will likely find ways to improve it. Make sure to keep your chatbot updated with the latest information and features.

6. Calculators

Since calculators are helpful, they are perfect for engaging people. For example, people can use calculators to figure out how much money they can save by investing in a specific stock. They can also use these tools to calculate their average daily commute cost.

Interactive calculators can be embedded into websites or apps. They can also be standalone tools. Either way, ensure your calculator is easy to use and provides a personalized experience.

Wise’s calculator, for example, has a user-friendly interface for calculating how much you will spend in USD, EUR, GBP, or any other currency when sending or receiving in different currencies. Additionally, it is comprehensive and provides accurate insights. The calculator can help you make the right business decisions so you can save a substantial amount of time and money.

You can include a calculator in your blog post. Just make sure it’s relevant to your post in the first place. For example, if you’re creating content about conversion rates, you might want to include a calculator that converts US dollars to another local currency, for example.

Get creative

Interactive content marketing is a strategy that helps you get ahead of your rivals. With this marketing strategy, you use content that requires active engagement from users.

There are many types of interactive content you can use. Interactive quizzes, polls, surveys, and chatbots, for example, are perfect for engaging consumers and, at the same time, for gathering actionable information. Interactive videos, user-generated content, and calculators are worth exploring, too.

Don’t just stick to one type of interactive content. You may want to experiment with two or more forms. There are other interactive content types you may want to consider, too, such as interactive infographics, maps, and emails, among others. The sky’s the limit when it comes to interactive content marketing. Just always bear in mind your audience in creating your content, and you’ll do just fine.

Good luck!

Creating a website for your writing business requires careful thought. Whether you wish to generate new clients, sell books or coaching packages, or showcase your skills, you’ll need a website that looks great and is easy to navigate.

To inspire a professional look for your new portfolio, this article will explore a variety of websites from fellow writers to see what works and what doesn’t. You can also use the Studocu resource for summaries, lectures, and notes from top universities on how to build a website.

Michal Eisikowitz

An excellent website idea can be so challenging to come up with. But Michal Eisikowitz did justice to this problem by creating and incorporating many intriguing features on her website.

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Simple
• Visually gratifying
• Exquisite use of colors and personality
• Integration of real-time data-backed facts

Not only is this website vibrant, but it also directly tackles potential clients’ pain points and needs in visibly large letters. Michal ultimately expressed her value throughout the website by using a compelling yet conversational tone to make the reader feel like they were engaging in physical communication.  

The website flow is phenomenal and unique:

• Targeted intro for high-paying clients
• An immediate and bold call to action
• Personality breakdown
• Quick follow-up with real-life facts and social proof
• Segmentation of services offered
• More social proofs
• A compelling call to action

Michal’s homepage features eye-catching navigation links, especially the “schedule call now” button, which was distinctly colored for more visibility. Pay attention, and you’ll notice how the usual “how it works” label was converted to a more simplified yet intriguing “process” tag.

Topping it all off, the homepage’s color was a good choice. Most women prefer using pink for their room decor and wardrobe. But Michal took it a bit further. This color gave the entire website a calm and comfortable feel.

You don’t need to develop your website in exact details like this, but paying more attention to each bit pays off. The goal is to create a well-segmented online page, strongly reflecting the values you offer as a writer and nudging your clients gently throughout the entire sales process.

Tom Johnson

Let’s take a peek at Tom Johnson’s website, a technical writer from San Jose, California, working at Amazon Lab126. Tom created a highly simplistic website where his passion for writing was freely demonstrated  —  primarily through his site name (‘I’d Rather Be Writing blog’).

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Casual
• Purely blogging
• Well-designed Navigation bar coupled with a search box
• Social media buttons are within reach

Not all writers want to sell their skills online. A perfect example is Tom. While he writes technical topics for work during the day, he fills up his blog with valuable non-monetized posts at night. And if you’re like him, looking for a safe space to educate the public with your skills, then you can go ahead with this website idea.

Tom’s website is more or less a simple draft or diary instead of the usual portfolio-like interface. Moreover, he offers an eye-catching invitation to his writing community by placing a newsletter box in the left bar.

Of course, you can integrate more visually appealing designs and spice up your blog. Just ensure your message is being passed across and visitors get the gist of what your website is all about.

Jacob McMillen 

Jacob McMillen’s page is another exciting place to generate mind-blowing website ideas for writers. You don’t want to miss out on this fantastic website, especially if you plan to set yours up personally. Jacob created this entire site by combining a prebuilt WordPress theme with his kickass copywriting skills. All of these were done without hiring a third-party designer.

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Crisp and clear
• Completely straightforward, with a prominent call to action
• Easy Navigation
• Clean segmentation

While this website does not feature too many fancy animations, it offers simplicity and clear messaging (I am the copywriter you need). Moreover, fewer aesthetic elements mean less visual complexity. This makes it easy for visitors to navigate the website without many carnival-like disturbances. 

Another note-worthy feature is the presence of a blog and podcast section in the navigation bar. Not all writers prioritize these two, but Jacob did. This is one of the many ways to increase the visibility of your website and offers by creating valuable blog posts that can scale up in search engines. 

Jacob took things a bit further by adding a review section. Note the strategic use of descriptive icons. Moreover, podcasts serve as a lead magnet for top industrial clients. There are just so many takeaways from this website.

Jacob’s website is an excellent idea for copywriters with low budgets and great writing skills. You can pitch your offers on a static page while communicating value to the broader audience through a dynamic blog using the same domain name.

Kristi Hines

Kristi Hines is a popular writer with reputable past clients such as Hubspot and Salesforce. You could picture her professional yet simple style right from her website design. Nothing complex, no fluff. 

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Simple and clean
• Seamless user experience
• Fitting typo for a blog
• Well-segmented bar

Kristi’s website is super unique for its extreme simplicity and clean design. Starting from the homepage, she directly engaged visitors with her skills in action via blog posts. Moreover, you can get all of her available pieces on a single page without going through many touchpoints.

There’s no particular flow to see here, but you can savor the seamless scrolling experience going from one post to another or navigating the bar links. The website is also well segmented and looks different from the typical homepage design that you might expect.

Another exciting feature is the inclusion of a photography section on this website. That shows a writing website doesn’t have to contain just pitches and great copy. Sharing a few sidekicks should speak a lot about your personality and give clients something to look up to.

This website maximally utilized whitespace to give more clarity and reduce unnecessary link-ups caused by scalability errors. Notably, the color blend of white and black created a perfect background template for all other tints to stand out.

Aaron Orendorff

Still not saturated with the previous website ideas? No worries! Aaron here did an excellent job putting together different iconic elements to form a too-good-to-ignore website. This website’s uniqueness is not only depicted through its name  —  iconicontent  —  but also the exhilarating structure of each section on the homepage.

Why Is This Website Unique?

• High-quality Hero image
• Color Vibrance
• Clean copy
• Detailed

Did you notice how Aaron used a persuasive humanitarian copy (‘saving the world’) to introduce his skills? That added a bit of charm to the whole website and gives you that ideal view of what a good content strategist should look like.

Iconicontent was built using a simple layout to feature the essential details while guiding clients down the funnel. Moreover, Aaron offered a free content roadmap when visitors clicked on his first call-to-action button. This idea entirely overturns the conventional understanding of using CTAs by placing a “free offer” link instead of a “contact me” button.

Navigation-wise, Aaron’s website takes full credit since visitors can access all they need on a single page. Although stuffing your homepage with too much content is not a good website idea, you could still surround each section with significant whitespace to improve visibility.

This website also features a perfect color transition from the initial professional blue look to a playful yet comfortable magenta glow. Don’t forget the blog page, which effectively increases your site’s SEO.

From the use of an expressive hero image and a humanitarian intro to the professional font styles and colors employed, everything is right on the spot. If you’re going for something low-budget yet remarkable, then this website idea is something implementable.

Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith was awarded as one of the Best Young British Novelists in 2003 and 2013. Her website UX does not require too much design technicality. And it is a perfect fit for book writers or publishers with little interest in online stores like Amazon.

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Clean and paper-like
• Minimalistic design
• Careful choice of colors
• Zero clutter

The most fantastic thing on this website is how Zadie made use of a brilliant eye-catching red box that attracts all attention to the new book launch, “Intimation: six essays.” Notice how visitors cannot help but focus on the book section while disregarding everything else. Then the website gradually glides down to an excerpt section discussing how to acquire the featured book.

While the website does not include a single homepage detail on the author, Zadie ensured there is another navigation bar to take care of that. The “Contact” section, containing a couple of business email addresses, was put on a separate page to provide enough breathing space for the site’s front page. 

Moreover, the website’s paper-like background image created a bookish feeling. Zadie didn’t forget to add a tinge of red amidst the grays, giving the entire website an excellent color balance.

This website prioritized readability and ensured there was less fluff. Although you might not be the type to keep things this simple and short, you could still derive a few inspirations on how your book website should look.

Gill Andrews

Gill Andrew’s website is way too exceptional to skip the list. Every inch and corner of this website was well-crafted to appeal and dish out value visually. Out of the previously mentioned pages, Gill’s website contains the most touchpoints. Interestingly, these touchpoints were exquisitely interlinked to give an excellent user-friendly experience.

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Highly prioritized headline
• Strong and immediate CTA
• Exquisite use of many touchpoints
• Well-built funnel or lead magnet

Gill’s excellent value proposition takes precedence through her headline. The site’s catchy intro was specialized for businesses with an online presence and it recognizes visitors’ pain points. An attractive website is a good start, but most visitors will leave your website if the main message is immediately visible. This is especially true for writers interested in creating a website for portfolio display and lead generation.

Gill’s website also demonstrates what a perfect landing page should look like. It’s not just about stringing different widgets together and splashing colorful paint all over your webpage. You could see this from how Gill followed her headline with several real-life claims or reviews before segmenting her services.

Fixing too many clickable links with different destinations on your homepage is not a good idea. Things get messier when your CTAs get in the way of your readers. But Gill did a great job aligning each touchpoint to create an enjoyable scroll. The “do it yourself” section features a few checklists with the same functionalities as a website audit tool. So bookmark her page if it sparks up some website ideas in your mind.

Matt Philcarver

Matt’s page is one of the most artistic websites on the list. It features a straightforward and clean design, aided by several artworks representing Matt himself. You could easily relate to the fun personality of the website’s owner, which makes visitors feel at ease while scrolling through.

Take note of how this website introduced Matt as a tripartite individual  —  copywriter, blogger, and word nerd. Readers don’t need to scroll much before figuring out who he is. While there is no call-to-action button immediately after the introduction headline, clients can get in touch with Matt through the links on his nav bar.

Check out how this website used interactive labels like “What my clients say” instead of “testimonials.” You can see that Matt is not a man of many words from how he followed up his header with a client review, a brief introduction, and a quick close with relevant links. 

The website is well laid out, from the unique wordcraft to artistic inclusions and a crisp design. If you have little free time to write numerous copies, this website idea is a perfect fit.

Kayla Hollatz

Everything about this website is fantastic. Incorporating such playful word strokes with a bluish-gray background is out of this world. Kayla demonstrated her specifics on the homepage in large and bold letters, with a short but exciting copy below. 

Why Is This Website Unique?

• Playful strokes
• Clean segmentation
• Clear call-to-action buttons
• Great follow-up copy

One interesting element about Kayla’s website is the inclusion of a quiz section. You can integrate this idea into your website to encourage visitors’ active participation and increase lead generation.

The website flow is seamless and gives a good user experience despite featuring more than one different section on the same page. Notice how Kayla’s blog blends smoothly with the entire homepage before an email CTA puts a nice close to everything.  

Brittany Berger

What a great way to end the list with a sassy website by Brittany Berger. It’s so amazing to see how the whole website reflects her personality. Pay attention to the lively and cheeky feeling that melts the hearts of visitors right on their first click.

Everything from her shirt, which features a little text “serious businesswoman” to the superb head copy in bold capitals, attracts the total attention of clients. Brittany made sure to use each bit of her website to bond with the readers and lead them through an effortless journey.

Moreover, her use of colors with huge contrast put her message in the spotlight. Look at the quiz section gently lodged in the nav bar to increase website engagement for readers.

Interestingly, this website design is something you could pull off with a little bit of technical knowledge if you are working with WordPress. To save some extra cash, you can pay for a prebuilt WordPress theme or build your website from scratch using a WordPress builder tool.

Inspired yet?

As a writer, you probably need a website to acquire new clients, feature your books, or showcase your skills. Regardless of what goals you have in mind, the main thing is to ensure your website performs well, visually and SEO-wise. 

Each of the websites mentioned above had unique differences that made them stand out from others. And some basic actionable insights you should consider when building a website for your writing business include:

• Targeted headline for your homepage
• Optimized call-to-action buttons
• Use of quality visuals and relevant content
• Avoiding page clutter
• Careful pick of colors
• Integration of a blog section to improve SEO

Once you have all these in place, it is time to publish your website and optimize it accordingly.

And for more on creating a personal portfolio site, check out our other articles, How to create a successful digital portfolio and How to build your portfolio online.