Though it may seem like the majority of articles on building your own website focus on the benefits to entrepreneurial types, there’s nothing to say that you have to be a business owner to reap the rewards that a website can bring.

Indeed, there’s lots of ways that developing your own online presence can play a huge role in giving you that all important boost up the career ladder, or even just increasing your income beyond what you make in your usual 9-5.

From bring your talents to the attention of those making those big decisions about a potential promotion to using those talents to generate a second income, here’s just three ways that having a website of your own can improve your career.

Showcase your skills to employers

By now, we’re sure you’ve heard of LinkedIn, the ever-popular social networking website used specifically for connecting to work colleagues, making new contacts and showcasing our skills and experiences in an online resume.

Whilst that’s all well and good, and certainly a worthwhile investment of your time, an even greater one is to show potential new employers that, beyond your existing skills, you’re also capable of designing and building an attractive looking website. In a competitive work environment, having that edge over potential rivals when competing for a new role can certainly pay dividends.

Share your passion with the world

Ever thought you were the only person in the world with a love of 1970s-era collectable stamps? You’ll be surprised at how many other 70s-loving philatelists actually exist once you launch your own website about that very subject. Indeed, sharing your passions with the world through your own website is a great way to meet fellow enthusiasts and industry experts.

In a work environment, you never know what kind of opportunities it may lead to either. It isn’t unheard of for people to start a website about something they love and have their knowledge, their skills and their unabashed enthusiasm come to the attention of leading figures in that industry. Nor is it uncommon for those who started hobby blogs to attract the kind of attention that ultimately led them to landing their dream job. You never know, it’s worth a shot.

Start a sideline business

If the thing that you’re passionate about is creating something which could be sold -art, jewelry, even food- why not consider boosting your income by starting a sideline business on the web?

Perhaps start small, by using an online website builder to create your site and taking advantage of free marketing opportunities presented by social media, and build up from there. At the very least, you’ll put a few more pennies in your pocket whilst still doing something you’d quite happily do for free anyway. At most, your new venture could turn out to be so profitable that you find yourself in the enviable position of ditching the day job and becoming a full time online business owner.

You don’t have to have products to sell to make this work for you. You could even branch out to sell the skills that you use in your day job to others on a freelance basis. Whether you’re a copywriter or a car mechanic, a PHP developer or a plumber, if you’ve got the tools of the trade and a free website to advertise your services, there’s no reason you can’t take on some extra work outside office hours.