Strategies for crafting your digital showcase: A guide to personalizing your slice of the internet
Looking to get your creative work out there? Ditch the dusty portfolio and upgrade to a digital wonder! Here's your quick and dirty guide to building a badass online portfolio with the best platforms out there.
Gone are the days when you either needed to know coding or pay a designer to create a professional portfolio site. Today's web hosting sites make it a cinch for creatives, whether you're an artist or an upcoming business owner. If you need more than just an online portfolio, check out the top website builders for small businesses to manage your online stores and e-commerce.
Web platforms provide you with the templates you need to get started, and the rest is up to you. Instead of relying on social media sites like Instagram for your portfolio, take control with a dedicated professional space that showcases your unique talents. Let's dive into the three easy steps to creating, managing, and promoting your online portfolio.
Our top pick
Wix: The swanky portfolio-building platform for the champs
We found that Wix ticks all the boxes — it's budget-friendly, user-friendly, and offers simple templates (no coding required). If you decide to add e-commerce to your site in the future, Wix has got you covered, providing helpful analytics and tools to understand your customers. You can remove ads and snag a personalized URL from as low-cost as £9/$17 a month.
Step 1: Curate your masterpieces
Choose the type of assets you want to display on your portfolio, considering if it's primarily images, digital art, or a mix. Show off your best work and keep it crisp, offering a variety and scope of what you can offer. Multimedia like text and video can help keep your audience engaged for longer. Don't be that person who uses social media as a storage backup for every art piece you've ever created. Only provide a handful of your best work to tempt potential clients. If you want to demonstrate your scope, add a review or reference section to your site where previous clients can vouch for your skills.
Step 2: Build your bastion
Decide on the type of content you plan to include in your portfolio, making it easier to choose a web hosting platform or website builder to create your site. Try complementing your portfolio with a blog, or a contact form if you're seeking clients or collaborations. Consider cost and plans for upgrades as you research several free web-building platforms that cater to various creative disciplines. Web hosting platforms house your website and can be accessed by everyone, while website builders provide the tools you need to create an online portfolio. Choose a platform that suits your budget and content requirements.
For e-commerce, try Shopify, and for visual artists, Squarespace rocks. If you're an Adobe lover, check out Adobe Portfolio — it's popular and might even be included in your Creative Cloud subscription. If you're just starting out, Wix is budget-friendly, offers tons of features, and is super user-friendly.
Step 3: Promote your prodigiousness
You've curated your assets and built your impressive online base! Now, drive traffic to your site by promoting it on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and your CVs or business documents. Incorporate SEO to ensure your site can be easily found by the right people searching for your unique talents.
Pro tips
• Be stingy with your curation process: Don't showcase your entire collection of work. Show off your finest pieces and stick to the motto that less is more.• Print your work, even if only for your eyes: Check out your work in a physical format and appreciate it more than done through a screen.• Don't sweat comparisons to others: Learn from inspiration but avoid losing your unique identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is web hosting vs. web building?
Web hosting is where your website "lives" and is accessible to everyone, while web building provides the tools you need to create an online portfolio or website.
- Transform your creativity into a digital masterpiece and exhibit it on robust platforms like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, or Adobe Portfolio for a professional online presence.
- Select the type of content, such as images, digital art, or a mix, to display in your portfolio, and curate the best work to attract potential clients or employers.
- Choose a web hosting platform or website builder that suits your content requirements and budget, and make use of available tools like blogs, contact forms, and analytics.
- Showcase your unique talents and engage your audience with multimedia content such as text, video, and reviews from previous clients.5.Promote your online portfolio through social media, SEO, and personal documents like CVs or business profiles for maximum visibility.6.Invest in physical prints of your work to appreciate its true value beyond the digital screen.7.Seek inspiration from others, but stay true to your unique artistic identity.8.Understand that web hosting is where your website 'lives' and is accessible to everyone, while web building provides the tools you need to create an online portfolio or website.9.Consider Adobe Creative Cloud for a comprehensive suite of graphic design, digital art, photography, and illustration tools, perfect for designers, artists, and creative professionals.
