How To Create an Online Portfolio That Attracts Clients and Jobs

Once you know that the portfolio is essential for you, it's time to choose which form will be best for you. You can go to a classic material portfolio or select an online portfolio. So which one should you choose? 

Nowadays, more and more things are done online. Job interviews themselves are increasingly taking place in the online world. Therefore, when deciding to create a portfolio, it is advisable to go for its online version. By creating an online portfolio, you can stand out among other candidates and make a lasting impression on your audience. Additionally, the benefits of building an online portfolio extend beyond mere visibility, offering ease of updates and accessibility from anywhere.

In an age where online presence has become crucial for everyone, having an online portfolio is practically necessary. A website portfolio is one of the best ways to make an excellent first impression on your potential audience. It will allow you to show your best and professional side.
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​ Here are the most significant benefits of creating an online portfolio:

A portfolio website will allow you to easily, quickly, and effectively present your projects to your audience. If you want to send your offer to clients, you don't have to bother collecting materials in PDF form, printing them, or creating complex presentations. Instead, create an online portfolio! It's a huge time saver not only for you but also for your recipients. With a professional online portfolio you will present your best projects and skills to them very honestly. Thanks to this, clients or recruiters can immediately assess your style and thus decide to establish cooperation much faster, without wasting your time!
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​ In BOWWE Online Portfolio Builder, you can create an effective website portfolio in a few minutes. Thanks to the intuitive operation of the tool, building an online portfolio is very fast! You won’t need to do any programming, and no graphic design skills are required to create a free online portfolio!

A portfolio in the form of a website is the most convenient way for your clients to get to know your offer. One-click is enough for them to freely browse your designs on a laptop or mobile device at any time. It takes extra effort to open multiple attachments or unpack directories. Why should the client do this when they receive many such messages from other freelancers or companies every day? You will stand out positively if you send them something easier to use—a professional online portfolio.
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​Too complicated path to your works may lead to rejection at the very beginning! Thanks to creating an online portfolio, you can put everything necessary in one place, where everyone interested can reach without any trouble—simply by navigating down your website.

Everyday people from all over the world surf the web searching for products, services, or new solutions. An SEO-optimized online portfolio is an excellent chance for anyone to reach a wider audience. Thanks to this, potential customers will find their way to your professional online portfolio after entering a keyword related to your brand, industry, services, or location.
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​ The portfolio in the form of a website gives you a chance to increase your visibility on the web. However, you must remember to implement simple SEO rules on your website! When posting content in individual sections of your portfolio, make sure that keywords are relevant to your niche, preferably those that relate to your location or service (London photographer, 360 marketing services, freelance graphic designer London). Consider using Portfolio Maker that allows you to create an online portfolio, which is tailored specifically for maximizing SEO benefits.

If you think that it is enough to paste a few links on the website to present your achievements - don't do it! It doesn't look very professional, and it certainly won't make a good impression on your potential audience. Even with the best projects - presented chaotically - you will not gain the trust of your audience! Your job is to make sure you don't get rejected. A beautifully designed online professional portfolio can serve as your business card and tell others more about your skills, creativity, and experience than many long CVs. Create an online portfolio that showcases your work effectively and stands out!

An online portfolio is a form of self-presentation, which plays a significant role in many industries than a CV. By creating an attractive portfolio in the form of a website, you meet the expectations of your potential recipients.
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​ How to build a unique online portfolio that will attract recipients' attention and convince them to stay with you for long? These are essential features that any professional portfolio should have:

To stand out from the competition, your portfolio should be original! In the portfolio, you express yourself and show your skills. It cannot be boring. Creating an online portfolio that stands out will allow you to attract the attention of recipients. The layout of photos, colors, and graphic elements can't be accidental. The entire portfolio website should be well thought out to highlight your skills and emphasize the value of your work.

Make sure that your works are displayed nicely and aesthetically. Your portfolio must be distinguished by an eye-catching design. Consistent colors and graphic elements should work together to create the perfect background for your works and emphasize their style. It is also crucial that the portfolio's graphic design matches your niche. You can use a professional online portfolio template, you ensure that your work is presented in a manner that is both visually appealing and aligned with industry standards.

A potential customer should easily find what he is looking for in your portfolio in a few seconds. It is crucial to create an online portfolio that displays only the most essential information about you and showcases your best projects prominently at first glance.
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​ An excellent online portfolio should be dynamic and smooth, and flawless browsing. Users should be able to move smoothly between sections and also be able to reach your projects quickly. The gallery with projects is the most crucial part, which is the axis of each portfolio - therefore, access to it should be accessible and visible. Overly long descriptions or unnecessary sections shouldn't dominate the portfolio website - this can effectively discourage visitors from staying on the site.

Your online portfolio must always be up-to-date and only contain the latest information and the latest projects! By posting your projects from years ago, you are giving potential recipients a signal that nothing interesting has recently happened in your career. Surely your audience will take this as a minus. To maintain relevance and engage visitors, it’s essential to update your online portfolio regularly, which not only refreshes your content but also helps in making an online portfolio that reflects your current professional status.

Having an online portfolio is the best way to attract new clients. Even the most beautiful portfolio website will not fulfill its function if no one knows about its existence. Therefore, it is worth taking care of online visibility and reaching the largest possible audience.
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​ By creating a portfolio with BOWWE, you gain access to SEO tools that help build an online portfolio with enhanced search engine visibility. Thanks to these features, potential customers will quickly discover your services—simply by entering keywords related to your work in a search engine.

Most of your audience will be browsing your portfolio on smartphones. Therefore, the portfolio website must be adapted to mobile devices. A responsive portfolio will ensure that the graphics or photos will not lose their quality regardless of the type of device on which they are displayed. 

• What is your experience - do you have commercial projects to show off, or are you just beginning your career?
• Do you specialize in one industry, or are you versatile and take on various challenges? The way you want to develop your business will depend on how your achievements are presented in your portfolio.
• What do you ultimately want to achieve? Get the first customer or increase the number of monthly orders? Provide specific numbers and the time you want to accomplish it.

Don’t include 100 photos in your portfolio. The potential client will not have the time (possibly also patience) to browse through too many works. So it's better not to share everything at once but only to arouse interest. By making an online portfolio that strategically showcases your best work, you encourage customers to contact you, making it much easier to convince them of your talents!

It is essential to plan your entire portfolio structure well. It is extremely important in terms of UX (User Experience). Thanks to proper navigation, users will guide through the portfolio website smoothly. Create a detailed plan for each section and subpage to direct your users through all the essential elements properly. Guide visitors to build their trust and encourage them to take a specific action (e.g. fill out a contact form). So make sure your call-to-action (CTA) buttons are prominently displayed.
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​ Here are some things to include in your portfolio:

In this section, visitors have the chance to get to know you a little closer and learn more about your work, goals, values, or interests. This is the most personal part where you can introduce yourself. You can add your photo here, showing that your passion is what you are doing. Then create a description that will interest your audience and be easy to remember. Think about how you want to be seen by your audience and customers. Make your description sound like that! You can share the story of how your business started or your inspiration.
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​Remember, a sentence or two about who you are and what you do is all it takes. Building an online portfolio that reflects your professional identity and personal brand can significantly enhance your visibility and appeal.

The most important element in each portfolio. After a short introductory part, visitors should visit the gallery with your works. They shouldn't waste time wading through other sections or descriptions that are too long. Remember about a clear layout and presentation of photos, videos, etc. When displayed together, they should harmonize and reflect high quality, embodying the essence of your professional online portfolio.

Don't just show viewers the result - show them what you've achieved as well. Present your projects in the form of success stories or case studies. Tell the story behind the project. What has the client gained thanks to your work? Maybe, for example, it contributed to the increase in sales of a given company? After all, one customer's success achieved thanks to you may persuade others - who are in a similar situation - to use your services!
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​Nothing will convince a client to cooperate with you more than concrete results. By posting the results in the form of statistics, graphs, or a simple description, you not only enhance your online professional portfolio but also quickly increase your credibility and gain the trust of potential clients.

An online portfolio should enable customers to contact you quickly. So don't forget to put your phone number or e-mail address in a prominent place. And if you visit social media frequently, link to the channels where you can be contacted the fastest.
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​ You can also place a contact form on the portfolio site, which will allow all people interested in cooperation to contact you directly. When creating a portfolio in BOWWE Portfolio Maker, you can easily add a contact form without installing special plugins - use a ready-made portfolio template or add a form using the tool!

Ask your customers for feedback and include it in your portfolio. There is no better way to confirm your skills than by posting a section with Testimonials (recommendations from satisfied customers). The fact that others are willing to recommend you will surely inspire the trust of your audience. Make sure your opinions are authentic and add photos or names of customers (of course, after obtaining their consent). Remember, however, that all opinions have to be true! Customers will quickly sense a falsehood, and then they will certainly not cooperate with you! Showcasing real customer testimonials effectively demonstrates the reliability of your professional online portfolio.

Using infographics on your portfolio site will help your customers capture and remember the most important information. With the help of timeline infographics, you will dynamically present your CV or the process of how you work. The charts will serve you as a visualization of your results. It is an accessible way to present numerical data in case studies that you can include in your portfolio. Attractive icons will catch the eye and interest your audience - so use them to highlight your strengths or show off your knowledge of languages or programs.

Integrating the portfolio website with social media has a massive impact on positioning. It is also an effective way to reach new customers and establish direct contact with them. So you need to ensure that your online portfolio is integrated with the social channels that are crucial to you. Icons referring to social media channels should be nicely designed and visible on the homepage of your portfolio.

​You can do a portfolio in two ways: starting from scratch or using a template.
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​The first solution does not necessarily mean you have a long way to the goal. At BOWWE, even people without IT knowledge can easily and quickly build an online portfolio for free from start to end. Thanks to the drag-and-drop method and ready-made widgets, you can swiftly create a professional online portfolio with excellent SEO capabilities.
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​ Alternatively, using a portfolio template is ideal for those who want to have a high-quality free portfolio without spending a lot of time. BOWWE portfolio templates are designed with the needs of people from many industries in mind. Are you afraid that the ready-made templates will prevent your portfolio from distinguishing from the others? Nothing could be more wrong! In BOWWE, you can always easily modify the portfolio structure and decide on the layout or the number of photos, which guarantees you a unique style. By using ready-made portfolio templates adapted to various industries, you can create an impressive online portfolio in no time!

A subdued portfolio in which you will present your skills and projects in an accessible way. The percentage chart will clearly show to what extent you are using certain skills and how much you have left to master them completely. Also, thanks to a neat gallery with your projects, you will save your recipients from looking for the effects of your work in the depths of the Internet. In this online portfolio, you will find everything you need to effectively convince the recipient that you are a master in your profession.

An example of an expressive portfolio that will allow you to present the most important information to the recipient step by step. From a numerical representation of the results of your work to the individual stages of your educational and professional path. Easily connect with any audience with conspicuous call-to-action buttons and accessible contact information. Show off your best side with this portfolio template!

Your portfolio can remain invisible to potential employers and clients without proper promotion. Fortunately, there are several simple strategies that you can use to help promote your online portfolio and get the attention it deserves.   

You should also include a link to your portfolio in your email signature and in any professional profiles that you may have. This will ensure that potential employers and clients can easily access your portfolio.   

Share your portfolio on your personal accounts and industry-related groups. You can also create dedicated social accounts to share your portfolio and interact with potential employers and clients.   

Find industry-related blogs and websites and offer to write content for them. Make sure to include a link back to your portfolio in your bio. This will help to drive traffic to your portfolio and get you noticed.   

You can link to your portfolio page on platforms like useme, upwork, freelancer etc. Thanks to this, your portfolio will go directly to the principals present on the websites.

Creating an online portfolio is a fantastic way to showcase your work and talents to the world. With just a few simple steps, you can create an impressive online portfolio for free and start using it to network, make contacts, and land the job of your dreams. So, what are you waiting for? Get started today and build an online portfolio that will help you stand out from the crowd!
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​ Take advantage of platforms like BOWWE Portfolio Maker, which offer user-friendly tools and portfolio templates to create a free online portfolio quickly and easily. By doing so, you'll ensure that your professional online portfolio not only looks great but also reaches a wide audience effectively.