How can SEO copywriting help you build a successful portfolio?

SEO copywriting can be a game-changer in building a successful portfolio, much like a key ingredient that makes a dish stand out. Here's how it adds that special flavor: 1. Drives Traffic to Your Work: Well-optimized content can attract more visitors to your portfolio website, increasing your visibility and credibility. 2. Reflects Market Relevance: By staying updated with SEO trends and integrating them into your writing, you show that you're in tune with current market demands. 3. Builds Trust and Authority: High-ranking content positions you as an authority in your field, helping to build trust with your audience and potential collaborators.

SEO copywriting plays a pivotal role in elevating your portfolio's success by improving its visibility and reach. For instance, if you're a freelance writer, optimizing your portfolio with SEO techniques - such as integrating relevant keywords, crafting engaging meta descriptions, and structuring content effectively—can ensure your portfolio appears higher in search engine results. This means that when potential clients search for services like "content creation for tech blogs" or "SEO-optimized website copy," your portfolio stands a better chance of being discovered, attracting more inquiries and opportunities.

Utilizing SEO copywriting techniques within your portfolio can significantly enhance its visibility and reach. Incorporate relevant keywords and phrases in portfolio descriptions, titles, and project summaries to optimize search engine rankings, increasing the likelihood of potential clients discovering your work organically. Additionally, regularly update and expand your portfolio with fresh content and case studies, aligning your SEO strategy with ongoing trends and industry-specific terms to maintain relevance and attract a wider audience of prospective clients.

In my experience, your portfolio should consist of as many different formats you can work with as possible. Newsletters, advertisements, slogans, titles, articles, blog posts, social media posts, outreach campaigns. You should show how skilled you are. Of course, feel free to share the samples that got engagement, most likes, views, shares, etc. And something that depicts your values, your true self, your story, because people choose to work with someone who isn't scared of being genuine and real.

When choosing work samples for your portfolio, aim for diversity and relevance. Select pieces that showcase your range of skills and resonate with your target audience. For instance, if you're a graphic designer applying for a job in branding, include samples highlighting logo design, packaging, and brand identity. Focus on quality over quantity, choosing a few strong pieces that represent your expertise. Ensure your selections are recent and align with current industry trends. Tailor your portfolio to the specific needs and preferences of the employer or client you're targeting for maximum impact.

Consider contextualizing your work samples within case studies or narratives that highlight your creative process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your writing on specific projects or clients. Additionally, aim for a balanced selection of work samples that showcase your versatility while emphasizing depth and expertise in your chosen niche or specialty. Finally, periodically review and update your portfolio with newer, high-quality samples to reflect your evolving skills and expertise, ensuring your portfolio remains a dynamic and compelling representation of your capabilities to potential clients.

Use keywords in headings and the beginning of your text, but make sure your text isn't overcrowded with them because it simply doesn't sound natural. Lists and bullet points are easier to read and scan with your eyes, so make sure you include them too.

Consider creating a dedicated "Projects" or "Case Studies" section within your portfolio, each with its unique page, allowing for in-depth optimization opportunities for specific keywords and search intents related to your work. Furthermore, leverage storytelling techniques within these sections, incorporating relevant keywords naturally within narratives to boost both SEO value and audience engagement. Additionally, employ schema markup not just for individual projects but also for your portfolio as a whole, enhancing its visibility in search results by providing structured data to search engines about your portfolio's content and purpose.

Remember to apply the F-model to your SEO keyword placement (that is, put keywords in the first and second paragraph, and near the start of subsequent paragraphs). Try to use keywords within HTML elements/tags e.g. in H1 and H2 headers, hyperlink anchor text etc. In your content overall, repeat your primary keywords several times, and include some secondary keywords once or twice too. Finally, if you're on good terms with the people you ask for testimonials, ask if they would be happy to use a certain word or phrase in their comment, for an extra instance of your main keyword on the page.

In my experience, people on LinkedIn are very kind and nice, and are always happy to slap a like button on your portfolio or a post where you are describing what kind of work you are searching for, so don't be scared to engage with your audience and ask them for help. Also, ask for testimonials and reviews, I'm sure your previous employers will be happy to share them with the world.

Think carefully before removing old pages - deleted pages don't generate traffic. Instead, consider updating the content, adding a link to more recent examples or adding a note that the page is not your newest work. If you do delete old portfolio entries, consider implementing a redirect so anyone trying to visit the page automatically lands on a newer, more relevant equivalent. If you can't do that, at least make sure that your 404 'Page Not Found' page is filled out with a search box and/or links to your newer content, so you don't just lose that traffic forever.