5 Tips to unlock the power of your online portfolio

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Follow these 5 tips to help you turn the power of an online portfolio in your favour.

Turn your domain into a hook

Your portfolio website starts with a domain name. It’s the first thing that people will type in the address bar or will notice in search results. Don’t miss the chance to impress people before they even opened your page.

Your domain name choice can determine the perception of your work. If you put your name and/or surname into your domain it looks direct and professional. It’s just like Sir Elton John did with eltonjohn.com. Or you can play with domain extensions and create more one-of-a-kind address like performance artist Marina Abramović with mai.art.

Web design is canvas only

When working on a portfolio website design, think of it as a canvas. Your works and ideas are the main attraction. Avoid distracting people with chaotic design. You should create it in a light manner so your works would grab all the attention.

In a Forbes article, content strategist Mario Medina says, “The concept of "clean" design has been popular for years, but clean has recently reached new depths, with many sites bordering on minimalism.” Minimalism fits perfectly in portfolio cases. It puts your work in the spotlight.

Serve your best work first

The phrase “save the best for last” might work with desserts, but when creating a portfolio do the exact opposite. You worked a lot and therefore you improved. So don’t compromise and present yourself in the best way right away. According to a study by Therese Fessenden, a user experience specialist, 74% of the viewing time was spent in the first two screenfuls.



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If you put your works into the chronological order it might show your progress. But you can’t be sure rather people will scroll down till the end. This way there is a big chance that your best works can be left unseen. Random order is an even bigger gamble. Pick the works that make you proud and put them in the spotlight of your website.

Better load it fast

You might have the most astonishing works, but they are pointless if your website fails to load them. Balys Kriksciunas, CEO of web hosting company Hostinger, suggests taking good care of pictures.

“You might want to show your work in the best possible quality. But remember that every big image adds up to your website load time. First of all, keep in mind the overall number of pictures. A few of the best ones can represent you better than the never-ending gallery of mediocre ones. And then reduce the size of your chosen pictures so they would load in a fast manner.” - says B. Kriksciunas.

Leave your contact deatails

Your portfolio is a lovely thing to look at. But it’s not the main reason why it’s online. Your portfolio should grab people's attention and generate orders and sales. So don’t forget to be visible for people and leave your contacts in a prominent place.

To be one-step-further you should have a messaging feature on your website. This way people can connect to you directly from the website, without even opening the e-mail or calling the phone.

Your ideas are unique. Share them with the world. But do it in such a way that people would like to buy more of them.

An attractive online portfolio can shape your image as an artist and boost your earnings with new orders.

To unlock the power of the internet, follow these tips and create a website that sells.