How To Build An Online Portfolio
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The document provides tips for freelancers and small business owners to create an effective website to showcase their work and attract clients. It recommends including an about page with your experience and qualifications, examples of your work tailored to potential client needs, and contact details. It also discusses options for hosting a site, from free templates to paid platforms, and registering a custom domain name. Key points covered are using consistent messaging around your main skills, keeping content fresh, and optimizing your site for mobile and search engines.
How To Build An Online Portfolio
- 2. Overview 1. How to look legit 2. How to make a sweet site (without technical wizardry)
- 3. Consider your audience Who might be looking at your site? What might they want to know about what you can do?
- 4. Content Essentials Contact details Just what you're comfortable with. This could be email, or a contact form with your details hidden. About Me page Consider from the perspecEve of what a business might need. Add years experience, experEse or courses, awards, skills or soIware. Think of it as a 1 paragraph resume. List if you are a freelancer and available for work.
- 5. Content Essentials Have a consistent message Keep your skills to 1 – 3 key skills and show how you specialise in that area. Don’t be a “jack of all trades, master of none”. Show your stuff Showcase a variety of things you can do – eg. Variety of mediums. Consider what services businesses might be looking for eg. CreaEng logos more oIen than straight up illustraEon. NEED INSPIRATION? If you don’t know what businesses might want from you, google other companies in your industry. See what kinds of content their por<olios show off and consider if you should show off similar types of work. DON’T
- 6. More Content To Consider Keep it fresh If you’re blogging or keeping a porVolio, keep it regularly updated. Aim to refresh your site three Emes a year at a minimum. If you have lots of images, “save for web” or reduce the image size to they load faster on your site. You don’t want people to leave before they’ve seen your stuff! Professional Picture Include a picture of you looking professional for your industry. Might be in front of a bookcase, in front of drawing equipment, or in a suit. Own it.
- 7. FREE: Lots of free, nicely designed sites where you just put your content into. LimitaEons: can’t choose own URL, limited customisaEon, may have ads. Examples: Tumblr.com, Wordpress.com. Free. DROP AND DRAG: You can buy a professionally designed site and webspace combined. Just put your content into with no ads. May have limited customisaEon. Some include URL. Examples: Squarespace, Wix, Weebly. HosEng -‐ around $4 -‐ $10 month. DESIGN IT YOURSELF: You can buy web space and install your own website. Requires a liele more technical knowledge, more customisable, ad free. Examples: Wordpress.org or build on your computer using HTML. HosEng -‐ around $4 -‐ $10 month. Website Options
- 8. Domain Names Don’t want to use Johnsdrawings.tumblr.com But JohnJonesGraphicDesign.com? A custom domain name will look more professional – but needs to be paid for. These are oIen bought separately from a domain registrar and could cost around $8 a year.
- 9. More tips Many websites today have most of their traffic come from mobiles. Most sites will have a separate design for mobile – ensure yours works on a mobile device. SEO “Search Engine OpOmisaOon” – submit your website to be indexed by Google. Also, when you create content, make sure you include the words people will google when searching for your industry eg. ‘graphic design’. Make sure your posts, pages, images and tags use these keywords.
- 10. The Checklist q About You page as a mini resume. Why should someone hire you? Are you free for work? q Add Contact details q Show a variety of your work -‐ especially things a business might be interested in. q Have a consistent message to show your key skills q Add a professional pic q Website opEons: Free (tumblr), paid drop and drag (Squarespace), DIY (Wordpress.org) q Domain names aka URLs: separate purchase
- 11. Exercise Our boss has given us $150 to get a graphic designer to make a new logo for our business. A friend has recommended we hire his friend WolIron the wolf. Based on WolIron’s site, do you think he can do the job? Check out his site here: hep://awesome-‐wolIron.tumblr.com/ What could he do to make his get more business? Come up with 5 things he could do to make his site beeer: 1. _______________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________________ 4. _______________________________________________________ 5. _______________________________________________________