Creating an online portfolio can be stressful and overwhelming. Everyone tells you that once something is online it is forever, so that means no mistakes, right? Eep!
Wipe that drop of sweat away because we, with the help of PRSSA, have you covered. Professor Erika Lee shared some tips about her very best tips and tricks when you sit down to make your online portfolio
Keep your intro short and sweet. Don’t be too wordy.
Make a logo. Whether it is your name, initials, something you design, you need a prominent graphic on your website to draw people in.
Have a tagline. Keep it short, snappy and a summary.
Use key words. Don’t get too creative when it comes to creating menus on your website. Having something named “awesomeness” will not work in your favor. A potential employer may think it will be too awesome for them to handle.
Avoid multiple navigation systems. Having 50 different ways to get to a page will only confuse people. Keep it simple and straightforward.
Keep your contact information as text, not an image. If someone is looking at your portfolio on their phone, and your contact information is an image, they are not going to be able to click on it to call you. You, my friend, are losing business.
Keep your work recent and the best work you have done. It is about quality, not quantity. Also, be sure to keep it up to date.
Avoid saying, “click here” with links. Describe what the person is going to click on. It is a good idea to make the headline into the link.
Choose a responsive design so that it changes to fit the device the person is looking at it on. So, it will fit into the screen on an iPhone, iPad, and a laptop.
Check your spelling and AP style. Ask a friend to read over your portfolio. Make sure all of the links work, it is user friendly and that there are no typos.
Easy enough? Get started! Lee recommended some website builders to help you get started.
Clippings.me (made with writers in mind)
Pressfolios
About.me
Also, use Google analytics to see what people are clicking on when they get to your website. It will show you how long they stay and what they are looking at. Good Luck!
Ed at Indiana 