Blogs are so popular nowadays that if you do a Google search for this term it will give you a result of at least 1,130,000,000. That’s correct, a whooping one billion figure that grows by the thousands every day. And with this popularity, and many other compelling reasons, I guess you would agree that these reasons are enough to encourage you to have your own blog. Squeezing an hour or two from your busy freelance schedule can bring enormous benefits for you in the future. More importantly, if you want to thrive as an online freelancer. I know there are more to what I have listed down but I chose just three of the major benefits.

Successful freelancing is not all about skills. It’s first of all making yourself visible to people who needs your service then showing what you can offer. Google will certainly not show your skills right away, but will have to check first if you actually exist. Blogs provide that kind of visibility that is rather difficult to miss. With millions of people scouring the internet for information or service, blogs can serve as your gateway to reaching out to a greater number of audience. In minutes, you can build a blog to create the visibility that you need, and gradually create a brand and a reputation that can give you a step ahead.

With the emergence of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as the most popular and widely used social networks, a blog can be your choice to solidify your online presence. By ensuring that you provide good and fresh content, a blog can help you find strange contacts that can be an asset for your freelancing career. In the long run this can broaden your reach and can help you in spreading out the word about what you can offer.

Notable bloggers like John Chow, Chris Brogan, Chris Pirillo, and teenage wonder blogger Carl Ocab and few other successful blogging gurus have proven that blogging can be a real source of income. It can replace your regular job. Although the blog is not primarily created for profit, consistent update and rich content can eventually pay off as the reputation and visibility is built up. It’s like hitting three areas with one bullet: visibility of your freelance portfolio, socializing with like minded people, and earning passive income.