When you create your portfolio, you are your own client. It is much harder than what it sounds. The hard part is to combine a personal identity with usability and a good display of your work. Fortunately, talented web developers have done the job instead of you. For instance, TemplateMonster provides a wide variety of website templates. Among them, there are 4,800+ portfolio website templates to make your skills and expertise more distinctive. The assortment is regularly growing, so you can always update the existing online project.

The easy part is that you can do the work yourself, so you don’t need to take a loan for it. In my opinion, the 15 websites in this list did a great job at creating a good web design portfolio.

A portfolio website is a simple and quick way to showcase your work as a designer. However, if you’re still new in the profession and want to practice designing your own website, then there are some things you should know. GS-JJ.com and EnamelPins.com are examples of personal design websites worthy of reference. Both are good promotional gift e-commerce sites, which rank well on Google, thanks to using a sitemap generator. Working as a professional web designer entails creativity and expression, so you need to be willing to put in the work and practice. You should also remember the following tips:

  • Express yourself: Avoid copying other designs, even those that you think looks great. In designing your website, it’s crucial to showcase your personality and passion. Because people who wish to use your services will want to know you and your personal style, add your best headshot. This will help your potential clients feel an instant connection with you. Besides, some people are turned off by faceless websites.
  • Leave your contact information: Ensure that you include a contact page where prospective clients can contact you. Provide various contact information, including your email, social media, and phone number, so they’ll have different ways to get in touch with you.Make them easy to locate or noticeable on your website. Place them on the upper part of the page so that users can contact you quickly when they need to verify information or avail of your products and services.
  • Be aware of loading times: Many people will leave a website if it takes forever to load. Thus, it’s best to find an appropriate hosting package that will load your page fast. User experience is crucial in the effectiveness of your online portfolio. A slow-loading web page doesn’t only affect visitors, but your organic Google search ranking as well. Hence, you may end up losing a client’s trust and a potential business deal.
  • Add unique content: To improve your search ranking, add new content that’s relevant to what you do. You can add awesome selfie captions or quotes to your online portfolio to make it more appealing and unique. This way, you can add a personalized touch to your portfolio to make prospects remember you the most out of the many possible options the online world provides them.
  • Use the right hosting: not enough emphasis is put on using the right website hosting. A good web host should be able to provide essential features that you’ll be needing for your website. However, web elements such as large-sized images and video files can make your site sluggish. So, it will help if you have sufficient diskspace to accommodate all of these elements.

‘When designing and optimizing your website, instead of thinking what is best for your own eyes or the eyes of Google, always consider the ‘True’ user experience of what your targeted audience would expect when they land on your portfolio websites.’ – Josh from Zensite Design Agency.’ 

With that in mind, check out the following websites where you’ll most likely find inspiration in creating your own portfolio:

1. Free Portfolio Templates

2. Schepps Design

3. Benny Cuppini Photography Portfolio, made with Pixpa

4. Serj

5. Marie Bocquet

6. Daedeva

7. Parabolic Playground

8. Big Kid

9. Sherlin John

10. Alex Swanson

11. Hello I’m Tom

12. Design 19

13. Michal Pawelczyk

14. H4 Laboratory

15. Become Known

16. My name is Orman

Conclusion

Creating a good online portfolio to promote yourself or a brand isn’t easy. You should apply your creative thinking and skills in SaaS web design to make your portfolio appealing and functional. By doing so, your website will gain more traffic, increasing your chance of converting site visitors to paying customers. Obviously, you will also need more links in order to increase your rankings and traffic, for that Outreach Monks offer legit link building service via outreaching real blogs.

About the Author

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Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.