A guide for freelancers to portfolio sites (and several incredible examples) |
Portfolios are the front-end for your business of freelance. Discover how to present your offers and attract clients that you'd like to attract.
The work of a freelancer could be hardcore.
The job isn't just about putting out the work right, left and centre, but you must also be the sales, marketing as well as admin team.
An online portfolio that reflects what you've accomplished is crucial. It represents you when you're sleeping and wins you your potential clients.
This guide will guide you on how to make a professional portfolio which will showcase what you are capable of. When you're done then you'll feel proud that you put in the effort to create it.
What kind of portfolio should your freelance look to look like?
What is your first thought when you think of a great portfolio?
To me, the term conjures images of a portfolio-style gallery, similar the one on AshaAung Helmstetter 's website.
However, as you could see, there are a variety of methods to create a portfolio. You don't have to have an art degree or graphic design in order to get one.
We'll look at some alternatives that aren't restricted to this particular format.
1. Display your accomplishments with cases research
Case studies provide an example of the work you have done, along with a wealth of information that can be used to support it. They demonstrate your work process, and also the effects your work have made.
Another way to look at the portfolio you have created is to see it as a collection of case studies that could be utilized for projects or clients. 62.6 A majority of them use case studies for generating leads.
Case studies can be used to showcase as well as inform your audience while you talk. Use visual examples from your job and put them in context in order to assist your customers understand what you do.
It's especially useful if you offer services such as coaching or marketing, as they require more background than a wall of pictures.
Designer Simon Pan uses cases studies to show the process of designing to potential clients.
Each case study explains:
The project's origin
The problem he faced he needed to overcome
His manner of conducting
The vision
Requirements
Design work
The impact
The case studies showcase how he creates. These case studies help prospective clients decide if they're a suitable match, so it's an essential requirement to possess an portfolio of work.
If you're thinking of the case study as a kind of show and tell Let us present to the alternative type of portfolio which is (almost) all showing.
2. Show your abilities with a demonstration
A different option is to look at your website as an opportunity to show your knowledge.
In this instance, Laura Belgray's homepage, Talking Shrimp It's an impressive showcase of her writing talents.
Her knowledge is apparent throughout her site , from her content on the landing page to buttons. This is prior to examples of her client work.
Copywriter Joe Coleman took an entirely different path. A slider that is available on his site allows users to choose what degree of selling they'd rather.
The scale extends far from the gentler aspect of the selling...
...to the internet-honored cat animation technique:
It's a novel opportunity for him to show his writing abilities.
If you're a lover of fun styles, SEO expert Gary LeMasson goes to the next level by making his portfolio look like Google results of a Google search. For his niche, it's an extremely funny and relevant web style.
Here are some suggestions on how to duplicate these instances:
If you're a developer, code your portfolio from the ground up .
If you're an artist, draw your site's layout, including the buttons.
If you're animating, discover a wealth of images of work you're able to post on your site.
If you're a social media marketing manager, give examples of posts you've created.
If you're teaching an online course similar to the one taught by Professor Colombara Share a few samples of the content.
It's clear that there is a variety of ways to build an portfolio, but what happens do you do if you provide different types of service?
What if you offer different kinds of service?
Like many creatives You probably have various skill sets and offers. How would your potential customers like to explore every one of them in order to find out what they need?
Your portfolio should be clear at a glance. Less scrolling to do more and the more efficient.
Shea Jordan organized her offers into four simple boxes. They are neat and organized for a visitor.
The site's visitors are able to choose what to take and leave the rest to us. It's not necessary to decide where they need to go or search for their location all of the information is available right in front of their eyes.
Similar to this, design Jonathan Patterson chose bold blocks with vibrant colors, which separated distinct areas within his online portfolio. The effect is clear and clear.
You've probably noticed the different ways a portfolio might appear. It's much more than the container. There are some essential ingredients to be included. This brings us to the next issue.
3. What is your ideal portfolio?
The portfolio you have created is not the right place to dump every single thing that you've made. Instead, it should showcase your talents in relation in relation to the kind of work you wantto achieve.
These are the most critical issues to think about Which type of job would I like to do in the near future? What industry would I like to work in?
Are your past work and portfolios correspond with the information you have provided? If not, finding the time to create new work specifically to be used in your portfolio is beneficial. It is possible to create drafts rather than fully realized.
In addition, you could make sure that your other relevant projects are brought in the spotlight. Full stack development Kim Kiamco gives her own projects pride of place within her portfolio.
Here are a few other examples of the items that will typically be included in portfolios of freelancers
An "about your" section, where you describe the background of your. Be sure to add an image of yourself; everyone likes to put a face to the name. Have a look at this video to learn how to design the most efficient "about the me" page.
Contact details,or at a minimum, a clearly defined message that directs users to a contact form. For example, booking an appointment, or making a purchase.
Testimonialsfrom customers who have been with us for a while.
Are you shocked by the reviews that appear in that list? Don't be. If there's one component in the portfolio recipe we wouldn't recommend replacing, it's testimonials. Here's why.
The reason why you should incorporate testimonials within your portfolio
Testimonials are a great way to convince prospective clients. They can help create a full picture of you and can be significantly more positive than the piece of writing you've ever written.
The astonishing 72% consumers believe that testimonials can help in gaining confidence about a company. In addition, 89% of marketers think it is the most effective approach to influence people to buy.
What's more, testimonials aren't solely to be used for portfolios. They can also make use of them to advertise your product or course. Like salt, they are able to improve the taste of any meal.
photographer Meg Marie includes a substantial portion of her personal testimonials on the sales page of her course. Each includes a big image, a block quote with additional information.
It's possible that you are wondering "Great However, how do get testimonials at the starting?"
Testimonials are obtained by askingfor them. Ideally, you could do this through mail.
However, this procedure will be different in the case of three students instead of. thousands of students in your course. If the former is the situation, you can just send the person a message. If you're in the second situation, then you cannot contact them in person to ask reviews, but you can't lose your ideas.
What you need is an approach that is as easy to them as it is for you.
Hello,
My name is [Your NameI'm [Your Name], the creator behind [Link][Course Name][/Link(link)[Course Name] [link]. I hope you'll spend the time to leave me your thoughts on the experience you had using my course. Did you love it? Did you hate it? I'd like to know.
Link [Link] Share your feedback here. [/Link]
A mere (X) minute of your attention can aid me in developing even better programs in the near future.
We appreciate your time!
-- [Your name] Copy this to clipboard
Alternatively, you're probably having many reviews, without even realizing that it.
There aren't necessarily lengthy formal documents. They could also come in the shape of Tweets, LinkedIn recommendations, and other forms. If they're relevant to the job you're in they can be used in the event that you have permission from the person who created them.
The advantages of using social posts as testimonials are
The material is already publicly available so the process of seeking permission for the use of images from them on your website is (usually) easy.
The content was written by real people and are able to be verified. This adds trust and credibility to the content you create.
For instance, let's say you're researching a class on poetry, led by Malika Booker and you're uncertain about whether you want to go. I'm certain this tweet from Stephen Lightbown would help sway you.
Ship30for30 integrates reviews from tweets with hyperlinks on their website for increased trustworthiness.
The section of testimonials is great because every tweet contains the specifics of the user's statistics.
It's crucial to keep in mind that while testimonials are crucial when creating an online portfolio of freelancers, it's the quality, not how many, that's what's top priority.
Similarity draws like. If you're in the middle of choices, offer clients that are the exact type of clients you want.
Mark Leruste's how-to guide on how to launch an effective Podcast from Scratch contains testimonials from podcast hosts.
Name the podcast will give it even more credibility. Podcasts won't perform as well if he included testimonials of clients who were completely left out by podcasters. Take, for instance chefs.
OK. Between testimonials and demonstrations for your content, you've got it all planned out -- but you have to choose what to do with it? Given the variety of options available that are available, it is important to decide the ideal solution for your company.
How do you write your professional resume?
When it comes to building your portfolio online, There are many possibilities. In this piece, I'll go over the most popular options and then throw in some additional options at the end.
Whatever your profession is, whether it's an instructor for life or a graphic designer, coder or photographer, one of these will be perfect for you.
Adobe Portfolio
Adobe Portfolio is the perfect tool to create beautiful galleries of your work. It's easy to use but on the other hand, the choices for customizing are limited.
Features:
Gorgeous themes
Responsive design
Custom domain
Syncs with Behance account. Behance Syncs to your Behanceaccount
Lightroom integration
What exactly is it to do?
Freelancers looking for a basic site style
Visual artists who work in a medium (artists and graphic designers illustrators, photographers, etc.)
Here's a Example of a Portfolio with Adobe Portfolio.
Price is part of an Creative Cloud account (starting at $9.99 monthly when you purchase the photography plan).
Additionally, you are able to easily turn your clients into premium products by offering classes online, downloads, virtual classes and even all your memberships from one location.
Highlights
Unlimited custom web pages
Capture emails on any page
Live previews
SEO is a great tool
It is capable of working with over 20 applications, including Mailchimp and PayPal
The complete website is available on the no-cost plan
What is it used to do?
People who are looking for an all-in-one solution to run their business are particularly looking to sell info-related products
People with no programming expertise (or the motivation) that want to develop impressive portfolios
This is a great alternative for creators and freelancers of all kinds who wish to showcase their talents and skills to all of humanity. As an example, The Happy Artist Studio The page serves to serve as a portfolio and functions as an advertising site.
The site is neat and clutter-free, so visitors are able to find the information they need easily. Her work is highlighted throughout the page, lending it color and energy. She's "about me" and her section on testimonials emphasize her value to the reader.
A page by Tara Chapman called two Hives Honey is another page that serves as both a portfolio page and the sales page.
With a fresh and vibrant fashion, the site of Tara shares extracts of her works to draw learners.
The power of testimonials to convince clients, too.
You can create any number of pages you'll need to display the various services you offer and also instances of your work that you've completed previously. No matter whether it's only one or 20 pages; the cost stays the same.
Create your free account now or join our live demonstration every week for a chance to experience these features at work.
Portfoliobox
Portfoliobox is a great tool for creating stunning online galleries. Portfoliobox the software allows you to build stunning online galleries that connect to your online store. The layout is not customizable to the extent that it is able to be. That's the reason why this is a good option when you have only just the pieces are you looking to show.
Features Features
Multiple galleries
Integration of E-commerce
Blog posts
Custom domain
HTML0 For whom is it meant for?
Designers seeking a comprehensive gallery as well as a shop (photography and graphics design music, architecture and design, architecture, etc.)
Creators who want to create their portfolio for the first time at a reasonable price.
This is an illustration of the portfolio of photos from a lifestyle that was created using PortfolioBox.
Prices : Starts from $4.90 per month for an Lite plan. It increases until $14.90 monthly for the Pro Plus.
WordPress
Features
A huge selection of topics to select from
A plethora of plugins designed to assist sales
Optimized search engine
An array of options to customize
Content Management
What exactly is it for?
People who are proficient in programming (or it's possible to employ someone to help with setting up the system)
Developers who have the funds and time to maintain WordPress, plugins and WordPress update
There are a variety of WordPress themes that you could choose to use for your portfolio . One of them is this appropriately named "The Perfect Portfolio" theme.
Cost:Free, but you'll be required to plan to purchase your hosting, domain, and the theme and designer should it is required.
Bonuses for portfolios that you can choose to include and the best way to select the right platform
Many other options to build your portfolio are available including Carbonmade , Crevado , Format , Ucraft , Webnode , Wix and much numerous others.
We recommend that you begin with a variety of instruments to build your portfolio before committing funds to an online platform.
Certain platforms, like Adobe Portfolio and Portfoliobox, are designed specifically for portfolios and portfolios.
Others, like WordPress offer more flexibility.
If you're planning to market your work, the former two options could be best for the situation. If you're trying to move beyond freelance work, the second two options offer more possibilities as well as fewer limitations.
Whatever you choose you'll need to remember that the best method of determining whether the product is suitable for your needs is to try it. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope this post has been helpful.
Your portfolio must be as distinct as you are
There's no single way to build the most effective portfolio. This is just as there's no single way to run a business that is successful.
For a portfolio site to be created that is beneficial to users, it's essential to
Be selective with the work that you display; it must match the project you're planning on completing.
Make a portfolio specifically for your specific work, rather than trying to fit it into an unprofessional template.
Make use of testimonials in order to impress possible customers. You must ensure that your testimonials are representative of the kind of client you are hopingto draw.
It's not an easy task to build your portfolio, which I can appreciate that, however the work is worthwhile. If you are able to get people to view your greatest work more quickly and efficiently, it will be easier to get back to work you're passionate about.
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