A portfolio website is one of your best assets in the business world today. Whether a photographer, large business, consultant, or catering company, an online portfolio provides your future clients with concrete proof of your skills and experience. Therefore, your investment in building your portfolio website should always include a solid strategy on how to get found on the internet.
Creating your portfolio website
Templates and customized designs to build a portfolio website
There are several ways to go about starting your portfolio website. First, you can use a platform that lets you create one by adding small to large amounts of customization to pre-built designs.
Before creating a website, you first identify the best WordPress hosting platform because it’s easy and has enormous options to develop your wishful website in no time.
These website builders will often significantly advantage beginners and somewhat experienced professionals. The design templates are usually well-suited to certain types of businesses and blend seamlessly with a platform.
Finding a template you love can take a while, but the good thing is that many beginner templates are easy to switch to as you decide what your website will look like.
If you’re not sure you want to spend a long time looking for a template and you’re not excited about redesigning once you get a better feel for your website, you can hire a consultant to help you pick one out or get a custom one. There are many excellent web designers and teams to create custom templates that are easier to use for business owners than a fully custom website.
While templates and pre-made designs aren’t just for beginners, customizing plans for people with a lot of experience in business can take a reasonable amount of time. The more complex the design, the more time it will take to tweak it and ensure it’s just right for you. To make your experience great, you should know about the time investment upfront; and choose people you feel good about that you work with.
Getting your images and design checklist together
Whether you use a template from the broader market, have a custom template made, or get a fully customized website with your hosting system, you are starting on a mission to get your aesthetic out there professionally.
So, to make a great impression, you’ll need to ensure that your website is cohesive graphically, loads quickly, and contains valuable information that the reader can easily access.
Collect your images strategically to build a portfolio website
All images do not give the same impression regarding professional portfolios. You can use a mix of designs or a more edited aesthetic to your advantage. So, whatever you do, ensure the images are primarily of the exact sizes and types and exceptional professional quality.
You can do light editing in an editor like Photoshop or have another professional touch them up for you somewhat. If you need a lot of touchups, you should use a different image to ensure that you don’t advertise results incorrectly.
Significant portfolios can have a mix of close-ups and more extensive format photographs. You can use large ones with intermittent smaller close-ups to great advantage or other creative layouts.
When you collect your images, consider major layout options for your finished website. For example, consult your photographer about how big your photographs should be in pixels or on film to ensure you have enough to work with once cropping and editing go in for your final website arrangement.
Choosing website styles for your business
Once you’ve got quality portfolio photographs, you should look at the layout of any template designs you are considering. If you don’t find one that shows your portfolio well, you may need to find a custom template or hire a designer with back-end engineering experience.
Ensure that you have font options on the website that goes with your business idea and space to add notes for your photos. Remember that not all template designs will have interchangeable color options or different sizes on some aspects like headers.
If your photos look oddly proportioned; or the colors compete with the themes you are considering, double-check to see how customizable the template is. If you aren’t assured that you can get things adjusted to show off your portfolio in a way that benefits your business aesthetic, call a designer or engineer quickly.
It may be essential to call a pro who can build you something custom if you have an extensive portfolio or a lot of detailed shots. This can be essential due to speed, and it may also be necessary if the themes limit how many photographs they include.
Many portfolios include text blurbs beneath the photographs or on the side. You can consist of these or leave them out. Remember that a polished look is essential, so you will want to keep the layout consistent throughout the portfolio if you add text. Many people like to hear about the inspiration behind the work for portfolio images. But you can keep it simple with a client name and project name for included images.
Using flowcharts to augment your portfolio
Background information on your process and work can add to the effectiveness of your portfolio as you share your employment with your future customers. Online flowchart maker tools are easier to make and publish than ever. Many additional tools are available to help with graphics creation, fonts, and the design elements in flowcharts as well.
A flowchart can help future customers understand your work process as an individual, team, or large corporation. These charts are great for explaining how you approach things for your day-to-day operations, or they can be a chart about one project in the past that you found unique solutions for.
Themes and portfolio websites work for many types of enterprises and groups, and everyone can use a flowchart from time to time. So whether you are a church taking on an outreach project, an IT firm with unique software offerings, or a political candidate taking on reform, flowcharts help explain your ideas and processes quickly.
Why Create a Portfolio Website?
Portfolio websites show your unique group or business personality
Connecting with your clients online with a website portfolio is a lot about being true to yourself and your work on the website. Portfolios help people pick you out for your past work and expertise. But great portfolios also help people get to know you, your philosophy, and your strategic approach to problem-solving.
Portfolio websites help you break new ground professionally
A portfolio strategy can be one of your best assets in business. However, many people don’t know just how robust the right online portfolio can be for someone who wants to build a specialty, expand their network, or broaden their professional range.
Arranging your images strategically helps shape people’s opinions about new types of work you want to take on and people you want to meet. You can use your collection of images to show mastery of a specific professional skill over many projects, prove your ability to do different things weekly, or explain your brand in detail. Digging into portfolio strategy with a business consultant is a great idea to discover even more.
Portfolios help you position yourself for your market
Helping your clients get to know you online with a strategic portfolio can dramatically increase your name recognition in your market. Stunning images paired with a searchable design; and background information on you will make sure your name comes to mind as clients pick through future options.
Portfolios add concrete images to the thoughts you share on your website and in other business areas about who you are professional. Of course, words are essential; but adding images provides another layer of detail and information for clients who need to decide on; and brings people on board new projects.
Portfolios provide a quick look
Online portfolios share information quickly. When people create searchable portfolios, they add significant website traffic potential and are easier to find online. While your CV and other writings provide essential information for many clients, it can take a lot of time to carefully review those as people look for someone to work with.
An exceptional portfolio that has a user-friendly layout is one of the most memorable, searchable, and efficient ways you can get in touch with future clients. They also have details to share with their other business collaborators as soon as they look at your images.
Multimedia potential
Online portfolios can provide an incredible edge for people who want to branch out from a traditional print portfolio. Online portfolios can include film, sound clips, and other things.
Working with the right platform will help you manage all the media files in your online portfolio. Some sites are built to hold more media options, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t find a lot of storage and design options on the first search. There are plenty of hosting spaces that will hold a stunning multimedia portfolio.
Share your best work
Sharing your most important professional achievements with images is essential for growth. Many people become well-known for specific projects as they develop their careers, but taking charge of your professional reputation and building your brand in a way that works for you is necessary.
Your best work and most detailed accomplishments are not always the first thing people hear about in the professional world. But sharing the truth and expanding on what you’re known for with strategic details is what it’s all about.
Inspire and connect
Captivating website portfolios are one of the best ways to draw in a network that fuels you professionally and keeps you growing. Whether you’re just entering a new industry; or you’ve been a professional for a long time, you won’t regret the time you spent building your website portfolio.
Cutting-edge professionals and people who gain returning customers often have incredible achievements that keep people coming back for more. As you build your online portfolio, you expand your audience in a much larger space than most people in their in-person interactions. Making an impression with inspirational images can earn you professional collaborations with people you never thought you would meet.
Great design brings it all together
Making your website design polished and on-brand takes careful attention to detail and exceptional dedication. Many people start with a general outline of what they want from their online portfolio. Then, as things get going, they need alterations, storage options, and tweaks to ensure everything looks just right.
Getting help from experienced people is often the difference between a mediocre experience and a portfolio that makes lasting connections. Don’t settle for limited design as you create your online presence. Instead, reach out and pursue the best portfolio idea you can.
Author bio
Uday Tank is a serial entrepreneur and content marketing leader who serves the international community at Rankwisely. He enjoys writing, including marketing, productivity, business, health, diversity, and management.
