It's critical to build a good portfolio if you want to attract new clients and expand your firm. Your portfolio reflects who you are, what you've done in the past, and what you can accomplish for your clients. When developing an online portfolio, it's vital to put your best foot forward because it's a great way to attract new customers.
Online Portfolios That Will Inspire You
Building a stunning and cohesive online portfolio site will set you apart from the competition, whether you've already worked as a web designer or web developer or are totally new to the profession. Here are a few of our best free portfolio websites, as well as some helpful hints on how to create your own online portfolio from portfolio site templates to display your abilities while you're just starting out.
• Galu Design
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
It is an excellent example of a well-designed and well-organized website portfolio. The message is basic and easy to understand. As soon as visitors arrive on the page, they are greeted by the portfolio gallery. They get a sense of what Galu Design is all about. The orderly presentation of the pieces creates a sense of coherence between form and function.
• Ashmith
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Another online portfolio website example that employs simplicity through minimalism is Ashmith. Text lines greet us as soon as we land on the landing page, telling us exactly what he does, who he is, and what we can expect from him. The navigation bar is positioned in the center of his website, making it simple to navigate. Any potential client can browse straight to his site design portfolio or contact him using well-designed call-to-action buttons.
• HVN Designs
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
HVN Design is an interior design firm that provides both residential and commercial clients with a wide range of design services. Their website includes photographs of the various spaces on which they have worked. It takes the user on a virtual tour of the spaces using high-resolution images taken from various viewpoints. Clients would have a higher sense of comfort about the design firm's quality of work if it displayed its best and most recent work.
• Anne Sigismund
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Anne Sigismund, a game artist, illustrator, and backdrop artist, organized her online portfolio by field or type of work. The floating header makes it simple to go to each category and view its galleries. Clients will be able to see her work and maybe negotiate a deal with her for any of her areas of expertise.
• Adam Cochrane
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Adam Cochrane is a service designer who has collaborated with a variety of high-profile clients and partners during his career. He included testimonials from partners and colleagues who can attest to his expertise, in addition to an outline of his services and how they help firms establish user-centric operations. This immediately instills confidence in new site visitors and potential clients in Adam's work.
• Satokogojpn
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
For its website, it has disregarded the “less is more” approach. Normally, we would say that a design portfolio is all about curation, but we adore the vibrant colors and projects featured on this site.
Tips to Make Your Portfolio Stand Out
A portfolio is a collection of your work, services, or products. A superb online portfolio can help designers, developers, artists, architects, photographers, and others. In this article, we'll go through seven easy steps to help you design, develop, and promote your online portfolio.
1. Select the Appropriate Platform
Choosing a platform for your online portfolio is a crucial first step. There are a variety of website builders and e-commerce platforms that are ideal for showing your portfolio or products.
Website builders are a great method to make a website without having to be a developer or know how to code. By selecting a template, inputting your work and contact information, and linking to a custom domain, you can quickly publish your online portfolio.
2. Tell a Tale About Your Best Work
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Your web portfolio should not be a chronological list of all the projects you've ever worked on. Focusing on exhibiting your greatest work in a way that speaks to your clients is more practical.
After you've decided on your work, you can start organizing your online portfolio to create a story. Designers may want to incorporate information about their design process and interactions with clients. Client testimonials, which we will address next, are also quite valuable to your portfolio. Try to include personal tales about how your items were developed, your creative process, inspiration, or how you felt about the end result with your work. You can also provide information on how your initiatives have aided your skill development.
3. Establish Social Proof
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Customer feedback and comments, as previously said, are a crucial aspect of customer acquisition. One of the first things a customer will do when looking for a service or product is seeking previous reviews.
Facebook statements, e-mails, Google evaluations, and other forms of social evidence are all examples of social evidence. Make contact with your clientele and inquire if you can add their statement to your online portfolio. Customers are frequently pleased to have their remarks included and may even provide extra helpful suggestions, based on our experience.
4. Make It Simple For Visitors to Contact You
When someone comes to your website, make sure they can simply contact you. This may sound self-evident, but keep in mind that if your visitors can't discover the information they're seeking in a matter of seconds, they're likely to abandon your site and go elsewhere.
Provide your contact information in a prominent location on your website. Your site's validity will be enhanced by including your location, e-mail address, and phone number.
5. Search Engine Optimization
Your website will be found when people search for you if you utilize Search engine optimization (SEO) strategies correctly. Focus on these two sorts of SEO to get it right: on-page and off-page.
On-page SEO refers to the techniques you can use to improve your website. These strategies ensure that Google finds your site and can determine (through crawlers) what value it provides to users and how you compare to your competitors. Consider the following on-site optimizations.
- Site loading time
- [Meta descriptions](https://support.strikingly.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000094561-Adding-SEO-Page-Titles-and-Meta-Descriptions-Tags#:\~:text=Strikingly%20Tech&text=The%20meta%20description%20(meta%20tags,your%20site's%20search%20engine%20ranking.) and title tags
- There are no broken links
- Information about how to contact us
Off-site SEO is the work you can conduct with other websites to boost your portfolio's SEO value. Here are some off-site strategies to consider:
- Adding your website to the list
- Links (backlinks)
6. Concentrate on Your Client
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
The most successful online portfolio sites combine personal sharing with clear value propositions to demonstrate what they have to offer. Your potential clients must know who you are and what you can accomplish for them. Your portfolio should highlight your talents, abilities, values, and how you stand out from the competition.
7. Always Go for the Best
Always utilize high-resolution photographs and a user-friendly design while creating your portfolio. Because your online portfolio may be a customer's initial impression of your company, it's critical that it's well-designed.
How to Make an Online Portfolio?
You're probably more focused on your work as an artist, making artworks that represent your current sentiments or thoughts. When you're on a creative high, creating an art portfolio site may be the last thing on your mind. However, having your own website is an essential component of a successful profession. You want to be able to present your work to a larger audience since agencies, clients, art connoisseurs, and fans are always on the search for the next great masterpiece. Strikingly allows you to create your own free art portfolio website in only a few minutes. As a result, you'll be able to get back to generating amazing items for your portfolio.
1. Create a Website Concept for Your Online Portfolio
Consider your online portfolio to be your internet business card. It should be a reflection of both your personality and your brand. It's critical to have a clear understanding of your goals and the general look and feel of your portfolio before you begin developing your website. What kind of material do you want to put on your website? Look at art portfolio website examples for ideas and to see what other artists in your field are up to.
2. Pick a Memorable Website Name
You start with a catchy website name to grab your target audience's interest. Some designers utilize their brand name as the website name, while others aim to be more descriptive to indicate the site's purpose. However, don't make it too long, as this will make it harder for people to remember. Also, don't make it too difficult. Nobody has time to remember a website address that is a confused collection of numbers, letters, and special characters.
Strikingly allows you to name your free online portfolio website whatever you choose. You may even go one step further and register your own unique domain name to give your site a more professional appearance.
3. Decide on a Portfolio Template That Is Appropriate For You
Image is taken from Strikingly
The next step is to select a website template from which to build your website. One of the nicest things about using a template rather than beginning from scratch is that you won't have to learn how to read or write code to get your website up and running. A template has already been created to contain content, allowing it to function as a standalone website. Consider it the shell of a house that you wish to customize to your tastes. Having said that, not all templates are created equal. The type of template you choose and the parts it should have will be determined by your content.
4. Include Your Finest Work
The best art portfolio websites don't always include all of an artist's previous works. Most clients and agencies will not waste their time going over your complete work history, so choosing a handful of your best pieces is far more efficient. These are items that reflect your personal style and the area of expertise in which you work. If you still have a large number of pieces in your collection, consider categorizing them by media, topic, or theme. To keep your space organized and easy to browse, you can add various gallery sections to your online portfolio website.
5. Create Compelling Website Copy
Introduce yourself on your website with succinct but impactful material. Inform them about your interest and the services you provide. When clients can connect with the creator behind the masterpiece, they are more likely to acquire it. Through blog pieces and behind-the-scenes reports, you can help your fans comprehend the thought process behind your work.
At the end of the day, your art portfolio may be whatever you want it to be - whether it's unique to you as an artist, represents a group of creatives with similar interests, or represents a complete movement in the art world.
Strikingly isn't your ordinary portfolio maker. Rather, it is a one-click friend who may greatly assist you in exposing your works to the rest of the world. Strikingly has it all, from a free collection of art portfolio website designs to an incredible set of features.
You can now create a unique section for your art portfolio website with Strikingly Add Custom Form. You can start sharing your views and ideas with your online art portfolio audience by creating a simple blog. You may also easily create your first modest store and sell your artwork online. Simply pick one of the three options available, each with the tools you'll need to create your art portfolio website.
Are you ready to display what you've got to the rest of the world? Now is the time to start your own portfolio website and discover where this new creative adventure will take you.
