As more people turn to freelancing to find a better work-life balance or enjoy the benefits of remote working, many are left wondering how to build a portfolio that positions them to encounter exciting and lucrative opportunities. In this article, we’ve detailed everything you should keep in mind when creating your online portfolio, from personal branding to search engine optimisation.
Read on to learn our tips and tricks on how to build a successful portfolio to secure more and better freelance work.
Create A Personal Brand
What sets you apart from your competition? Do you have a beautiful turn of phrase that compels people to buy? Has your unique background provided you with a distinct artistic or creative style? Whatever it is – this is your unique value proposition (UVP). Write a concise tagline that captures what makes your freelance offerings special and will immediately grab the attention of anyone who clicks on your portfolio.
Next, use a free logo creator to create a visual asset that aligns with your UVP – such as a sans-serif font and brightly coloured imagery to represent the bold designer or a classic black-and-white logo for the thoughtful writer. A logo is a part of your company’s identity; it should capture the essence of your branding as simply as possible, so think carefully about the colours, font style and imagery to opt for. This logo should crop up across your website, on all your social media platforms and every branded item to ensure consistency. That way, people will get to recognise your brand by just your logo through continued exposure.
Understand Your Niche
No matter your field, it’s imperative to understand which kind of clients you want to attract, as well as learn what they’re after as they’re seeking your services. When getting your portfolio up and running, look into how successful freelancers in the industry have built their own.
Take notes on which approaches would appeal to your ideal client, which portfolios inspire you, and which design styles you’d like to avoid. As you read through the tips below, envision your future portfolio through the eyes of your target client. Choose visual assets and writing that align with this identity to maintain brand consistency; it’s important to appeal to your audience as much as it is to develop a portfolio that looks good to you.
Showcase Your Best Work
Portfolios are all about showing off what you can do! Whether you’re a graphic designer or a journalist, your portfolio signals to potential clients through freelance platforms that you are capable of taking on the job and completing it to a high standard – namely, higher than any other freelancer for the price you’ve advertised.
However, you should not necessarily post every project you’ve ever completed. Rather, you should choose your best work from a diverse range of clients to demonstrate your skill and versatility. Start with 5 – 10 high-quality projects, each with a description that includes your objectives, working method and outcomes.
If you are a new freelancer, you’ll have to start by showcasing any work you’ve completed – academically or professionally. Add more detailed descriptions to justify your approach and build client confidence in your knowledge and skill set. You might initially need to offer to complete some work for free or at a reduced rate to put some meat on your portfolio.
Highlight Client Testimonials & Case Studies
Testimonials or case studies from past projects can significantly increase your chances of being hired for your next freelancing gig. Prospective clients will feel more compelled to select you because of past clients’ praise, thanks to social proof – a psychological phenomenon that makes people more likely to copy others when decision-making.
If you have previous experience, reach out to satisfied clients and ask them for feedback. Incorporate brief, specific quotes across your portfolio. To write a powerful case study, choose work you are especially proud of, then write about the client’s problem, your approach, and the results in greater detail. If you’re just getting started, don’t worry. Just remember to add these sections to your portfolio once you can.
Web Design With The Viewer In Mind
Your website must be easy to navigate and content-focused. Unless you are a freelance website designer (and designing the website yourself), flashy themes will distract the viewer from your work. Instead, choose a clean, professional, premade layout with simple colours and fonts, or work with a graphic designer to help design a website that is easily navigable while authentically you – and in line with your branding.
Create a unique web page for your ‘About Me’ section, one for contact information, one for testimonials, another for work, and another for separate achievements. Any important information you’d like clients to know should be easy to find, as well as visually appealing. Ensure your logo is visible in each section, especially your portfolio’s landing page.
Optimise For Search Engines
Employing best practices for search engine optimisation (SEO) can give your portfolio a competitive edge. Search Google Trends to find relevant keywords or phrases that you can strategically include in your ‘About Me’ section and throughout your website to generate more traffic. Successful SEO efforts mean that people typing in these phrases related to your freelancing services are more likely to see your portfolio show up in the results pages.
Adding alt-text on images can also boost your portfolio’s SEO ranking. If you choose to host your portfolio on a compatible website, SEO plug-ins can guide you through this process. Additionally, you can share your portfolio on LinkedIn and other professional platforms to extend its reach even further.
Keep Your Portfolio Up to Date
As you evolve professionally, it is essential to ensure your portfolio reflects your current style, skills, availability, and achievements. By updating your portfolio every quarter, you’ll be taking proactive steps to maintain a current and appealing professional image. Even minor updates can signal to prospective clients that you are still actively freelancing.
You don’t need to replace your work with each new project. Try to maintain a diverse array of work to display, and keep the most significant clients or achievements on your portfolio, alongside what you’re currently working on or have most recently completed.
Successful Freelancer Portfolios: In Summary
You can realistically build a successful freelancer portfolio within weeks. Let’s recap the tips we’ve covered in this article.
- Research your target clients and top competitors to determine how you’ll elevate yourself above the rest.
- Leverage your unique value proposition to create a memorable personal brand and logo that clients won’t soon forget.
- Showcase your best work by considering quality over quantity and incorporate flattering testimonials alongside it.
- Ensure your hosting website is professional and navigable.
- Maintain traffic to your portfolio by using SEO best practices.
- Update your portfolio regularly with recent projects and new achievements.
With these design tricks, your next big freelancing opportunity will surely come your way. And with a better portfolio, you’ll attract better prospective clients, meaning you can afford to be more picky with the scope of work you take on – resulting in a positive feedback loop which will keep propelling your portfolio to new heights.