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If you work as a freelancer in a creative field, one of the best ways to showcase your work to future clients is to have a portfolio website. But condensing years of experience into one portfolio can be overwhelming. What do you include and how do you present it to convey to potential clients that you are a good fit for the job? In this guide, we’ll discuss the top ways you can make your portfolio website stand out from the crowd.
Step 1: Determine your goals
Everyone has a different vision and goal for their online portfolio. Some freelancers are generalists and want to remain open to a diverse range of clients, others specialize in a niche and want to target potential clients in that space, such as a graphic designer specializing in the financial sector. Others may have multiple areas of expertise that they would like to showcase (e.g. graphic design and illustration).
Start with the main function you want your portfolio to fulfill. A portfolio with a clear purpose and vision stands out, as opposed to one that is scattered and difficult to navigate. In general, there are two ways you can structure your portfolio. You can design it either as a brief introduction to your work or as a marketing tool for your business.
One-page portfolio versus a full portfolio
Many freelancers use their portfolio as an introductory page to their work. Your website isn’t how customers first find you, but a way for them to learn more if you’re already introduced to them via LinkedIn or a professional connection, for example. On the other hand, your goal might be for users to find your services through Google when they search for a professional in your industry. If that’s the case, you need to develop a strong SEO plan and prioritize content. This is rarely the case in creative fields.
Sarah Doody, founder of career accelerator UX Portfolio Formula, where she helps people build online portfolios, recommends the first route specifically for most creative people and freelancers. “For me, a website is more of an element of trust. Because you know people are likely to google you, you have a professional website that gives you that credibility,” she said.
In this case, your website serves as an introduction to your services. Doody recommends a one-page style website that is very simple, has an “About Us” section, a brief introduction to your work, and invites clients to request a PDF of your entire portfolio. Here is an example of such a portfolio.
Step 2: Choose between manual coding or a website builder
Once you’ve decided what type of online portfolio you want to create, your next step is to decide whether you want to create that website yourself or use a website builder. If you’re not a programmer, using a website builder like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix is your best bet.
These companies offer templates and make it easy to present your work online. Creating a one-page website is easy with these templates.
Step 3: Highlight your best work
You don’t have to include all of your work in your portfolio, instead select the work you’re proud of and illustrate a range of experiences. Focus on the kind of work you want to do more of in the future.
For example, if you’ve worked as a writer and illustrator in the past but currently focus solely on illustration, you might want to consider not publishing your writing portfolio on your website. The more focused you are, the easier it is for customers to understand where your strengths lie and how you can help them.
Add descriptions to each project
It’s tempting to stack your work and put everything online. But one way to make your portfolio stand out is to give readers an explanation of the project you worked on, the challenges you set out to solve, and some insight into how you arrived at the end result are. “Don’t just show the final result. Always add context,” explained Doody.
“If you’re a graphic designer and I click on your website or PDF and it’s just screenshots of your brochure, it doesn’t mean much to me. You need to make sure you add context so we understand details e.g. B. who this project was for and why it had to exist.”
These descriptions are also important because sometimes important information is left out when you’re just presenting the bottom line. “Maybe you design a website or an app and it ends up being used by a million people. If you don’t mention it, no one will know,” Doody said.
But on the other hand, be careful not to include too much text. You want to find a balance between text and visuals so you don’t overwhelm the reader or potential client.
Step 4: Create a persuasive section
In your About section you can tell future customers who you are and what you do. It complements your portfolio and gives readers a little more background information about you. A good place to start is to be clear about what people are hiring you for. Then think of a few examples and incorporate them into your statement.
This is where Doody suggests that the more specific and results-oriented you can be when describing your work, the better. “The mistake you want to avoid is not just to separate this deliberate list of skills with bullet points, but instead to provide examples that demonstrate those skills,” Doody said.
For example, if you’re a web designer, you might be tempted to write something like, “I have experience designing websites and am proficient in various software, mobile, and app designs.”
That’s not specific enough, Doody explained, because it doesn’t set you apart by showing what you can do for clients. Instead, the same web designer might write something like, “I helped reduce the cart abandonment rate by 30% for an ecommerce store after performing usability testing and completely redesigning the checkout on the site.”
This can be more difficult if you’re a freelancer and don’t have access to data about how your work impacts a business. Still, the idea is to get creative in how you communicate the value you offer your customers without sounding generic.
Step 5: Create a strong call to action
Most online portfolios include your contact information and a button that prompts prospects to contact you via email or phone. It’s simple, but a contact page or area also offers an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. If you choose to use a one-page portfolio, you can direct customers to contact us here if they want to learn more.
A benefit of this approach is that you can track who is interested in your work. “It’s a great way to start a conversation with someone, and it’s not like you have no idea who’s looking at that portfolio or not,” Doody explained.
This approach also allows you to tailor your portfolio to the target customers. For example, if you are a graphic designer with experience in many fields, you could provide a portfolio for a client in the restaurant industry and a separate portfolio for a potential exhibit design client.
If you are restricted from showing certain work publicly due to non-disclosure agreements, this approach could be a solution.
Step 6: Make your portfolio user-friendly
Even the best portfolio gets overlooked when it’s presented in endless chunks of text in a tiny font. Once you’ve got the basics of the projects you want to share, what you’ll say on your about page, and how you’ll put your portfolio together, it’s a good time to start thinking about the design and layout.
You should think about how a user will navigate your website. Are the buttons easy to understand? Is the layout easy to follow? Doody suggests using different fonts and font sizes, bolding text, and using larger fonts “so that someone quickly scrolling up and down this page or PDF file can get the gist just by reading the headings.” can capture.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does it take to build a portfolio?
Building a portfolio can take months or a few hours. It all depends on what you want to convey, how specific you want to be, and whether you’re customizing your site or using a template. If creating an entire portfolio seems daunting, you can start with a simple one-page summary of your work and add to it as you go.
How much does it cost to create an online portfolio?
You can create a website for free with a website builder. A dedicated domain name will cost you something, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. If you’re using a website builder like Squarespace or Wix, maintenance costs around £10 a month.
What happens if I am not allowed to present my work publicly?
Although every situation is different, there are creative solutions to this problem that do not violate client confidentiality. Sometimes a client asks you not to share your work publicly, but you can still share it privately. In other cases, the solution may be to redact identifying information. It all depends on the agreement you have with your client. But even if you don’t share the work you’ve done, think creatively about other ways you can convey your expertise and experience to potential clients.
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