Beginners Alert! Things to Know Before Creating a Portfolio Website

Whether you create art, write texts or stand behind digital products, you need to present your creations to those who might be interested in working with you or in buying your products. With a portfolio available online you can show people your work whenever they request and you will always control exactly what is showing and how. Learning how to create a portfolio site isn’t very complicated and if you choose a good web building service online you will even be able to upgrade and perhaps sell your work directly from your portfolio site. In many ways a portfolio is what distinguishes you as a professional rather than a student so it makes sense to invest in this online presentation of yourself and your creations.

The Digital Portfolio

Once upon a time it was common to walk around carrying a bulky portfolio case in order to display work when pitching for a job or discussing cooperative relationships. Today, most people realize that it is much easier to prepare a digital presentation and simply email it before even discussing a meeting. With a digital portfolio you can present yourself and your work and make the information accessible all over the world at all times. You can also offer easy ways for people to reach you by including a contact form or just your contact details.

The digital format allows for interesting ways of presenting images, movies, texts and the like. Even if you are a writer you can use other media like movies to explain more about your work process. This is very useful and a way to better engage possible clients. Artists and photographers can work with smart formats to display current work as well as special projects.

Updates & Maintenance

It is important to choose a web site builder service that makes it possible to update and maintain the portfolio. Every now and then you will have new pieces of work to display and it could also be interesting to include comments from satisfied customers. It should be easy to log in and add new items or edit something that is already on the site. If you decide to build your own WordPress site you should think about this when considering possible WordPress themes. Don’t get stuck just when you have already built the site and filled it with valuable content. The online services that let you build a site for free will offer you different themes aimed at different types of sites and displays. If you are going to make an online portfolio with your pictures you will need to look at themes that present the images in the best way and also make them easy to reorganize and update. Your portfolio should be dynamic, since this is one of the greatest advantages of the online format. Make sure that whatever service or CMS system you choose is easy to understand and handle. Even if you choose a service that gives you access to readymade design elements you might want to learn a bit more about programs like Photoshop in order to keep a professional look.

Mobile friendly

Don’t forget to make your online portfolio mobile friendly! You can accomplish this by choosing a responsive theme. This means that people with different screens will get a good view of your portfolio and other information available on the site. Mobile friendliness is also a priority when it comes to making updates and corrections. You want to have the option to make a quick update straight from your phone as you think of it. Today there are specific CMS tools as well as themes that are designed to work well on different screens and specifically on handheld devices that are becoming so popular. It is good to know that a potential employer who takes a quick look at your work on his or her mobile will see your work nicely presented without having to scroll around on the screen.

Selling Your Work

To many the whole idea of the online portfolio is to make money from the work. In some cases it might be useful to create an online shop where people can order your work, paintings, illustrations and so on. It isn’t difficult to make a web shop but it makes sense to get some professional help with this. For this purpose it can be helpful to work with an online web building service that offers packages which include the option to build and maintain a web shop. Even if you start by building your site for free there should be an option for upgrades so that you can add a shop when you feel the need for it.