10 Tips For Building Your Portfolio Website
By Jane Hurst
There are all kinds of reasons why you may want to have a personal portfolio website. For instance, if you do freelance work, you need to be able to show your work to as large of an audience as possible. If you are looking for a job, this is the site you will be putting on your resume. If you are an artist, you can display your work for all to see. Your personal portfolio website is going to promote you and your brand, and that brand is your name. Before you can do this, you need to build your website. Check here to learn more about some of the most popular website builders for impressive portfolio. Once you have your site, you can use these tips to help you create an amazing portfolio website.
1. Logo
Create a logo that will get noticed, and make sure that you place it at the top left corner of your website pages. That way, everyone will know that the site is all about you. Your logo should say something about you, but it doesn’t have to be your name. Don’t forget to link your logo to your home page.
2. Tagline
A tagline is going to let people who visit your website know what you do. Keep it short and simple, with a summary of what you do. Things to keep in mind here include your career field, where you are from, and where you work.
3. Portfolio
You can let people see the work you have done with your portfolio. Make sure that images are high quality, and easy to access. If you have created a website, add a link to the live version of that site. Make sure that you have a short description of each item in the portfolio, and what skills were involved in each project. If you can get customer testimonials, put them in your portfolio.
4. Services
This section goes into more detail about the services you offer. Break things down into various areas, so it is plainly clear what you are all about and what you have to offer. People want to see your portfolio, but they also need to see more details in order to know exactly what you do.
5. About Me
This section is about you as a person. Talk about your hobbies, your background, your hometown, how long you have been in your line of work, and anything else that you think people may want to know about. Be sure to add a photo of yourself, so people can put a face to the name and brand.
6. Blog
You can build yourself up by writing about your area of expertise in a blog. Use it to promote yourself, and offer an RSS feed subscription so people can follow your blog. Have a comments or feedback section, so people can give opinions, ask questions, etc.
7. Contact
You aren’t going to get a lot of business if no one knows how to get in contact with you. Be sure to have a contact page, which contains social media page information, telephone numbers, and even a physical address if applicable.
8. Call to Action
Figure out what you want out of your personal portfolio website, and find a way to get it with a call to action. Every page should have a call to action, or a next step. Visitors to your site will have to click on a link to get to something that you are offering.
9. Social Networking
Encourage your visitors to check out your social networking pages, including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and LinkedIn.
10. Language and Communication
Your writing on the website should be personable and conversational. You don’t want to sound too dry or corporate. Be friendly, and don’t ramble on and on.