The Why and How of Digital Portfolios

Being a university student myself, I have realized measures taken to gauge a student’s competencies have changed. Standardized testing is considered archaic. Now freshers are expected to do much more to differentiate themselves from other candidates. If you are working in the creative or development sphere, then this blog is for you. This does not mean anyone not directly related to the mentioned fields should just click off, I might inspire you to create a website dedicated to the sphere you are in.

What exactly is an online portfolio?

It is a personal website you create to showcase your work. Creating and sharing have become a part of everyone’s life in today’s digital era. However, sharing is scattered around on a number of different platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, but your website combines everything for you. You select the most impressive information and post it in one place that is designed according to your preferences and taste. This way, people who are interested in hiring you can get all information about you from one place, but this is just a start.

Why and how I made my own digital portfolio?

First, let us focus on all the reasons that pushed me into making my own online portfolio. I started gaining professional and unprofessional experience around the end of freshman year. So now, I basically have a bunch of relevant expertise and achievements but not enough space on my resume, but I want my potential employer to know all that I am capable of doing. Due to this reason, I built my own website. This not only helped me display my most impressive achievements, but it gave me the freedom to display everything in a more creative way. From the layout to visuals, I designed everything so that it reflects my personal style better. Many bloggers I take inspiration from also use humor to make themselves look more approachable. Above all, being an entrepreneur myself, I have a few startups online so creating a personal website amplified my online presence. Now when people search for me on the internet and end up landing on my website, they can know more about me.

Now I shall answer the second and relatively more important part of the question, and that is how to build your digital portfolio?

Choose a website builder

Make sure to buy a domain with your name even if you don't plan to build your website. For example, I bought the domain name www.talalahmad.com months before I actually started building my website. You can buy a domain from GoDaddy or any other platform that you prefer. After you have purchased your domain name, proceed by purchasing your hosting package. You can purchase the hosting from GoDaddy as well. It won't cost you much. After you have the domain and the hosting, choose a platform to build your website. I personally prefer WordPress. It's the easiest Content Management System to build your website on.

Once you install WordPress, you can pick a template from the free templates available and you can edit and add your content. Since I had zero coding or website building experience, I opted for Elementor to build my website. Trust me, you do not need any coding skills to build a website using Elementor. Build your website, add your content such as pictures and videos of your work, your work experience, and client testimonials.

Tip: If your portfolio includes high-resolution images, you can use websites like Squarespace and Pagecloud to ensure that they do not slow down your webpage.

Structuring

Make sure not to skip any of the following pages:

• Introduction
• Projects
• Services offered
• Contact information

Above pages are a must but you can always add more.

Display your work

From my personal experience, I would say that your online portfolio is not supposed to be a timeline of every project you have ever worked on. A more sensible approach would be to display the best projects in a way that speaks to your customers. To make your work more interesting you should provide context for each project; add a name, some description, and what makes it special.

Client Testimonials

Providing social proof plays a key role in customer acquisition. When going through your work, your potential clients will always look for reviews. Collect customer feedback and comments from e-mails, Facebook, etc. You can also ask your clients to give reviews directly on your portfolio. Happy clients are always willing to add helpful comments. If you do not have any testimonials, you can reach out to those clients you had a good experience working for and ask them for their feedback. And if you never had any clients, you can get in touch with your professors or co-workers and ask them to endorse your skills.

Contact Information

This part speaks for itself. Although this sounds obvious, remember, visitors take a few seconds to look for the information they need so if they cannot find the information they are looking for quickly and easily, they will give up on your site. Contact information should be in a conspicuous place. Address, e-mail, and phone number are a must. Adding links to relevant social media platforms can also be beneficial.

Truly Client Focused

Apart from being a very good time-saving tool for your future employer and a site that makes you look more dedicated and professional, it is important that the site displays all the services you can provide. Your website should be a mix of personal sharing and clear communication of what you offer. For example, I am a consultant. I developed my love for startup growth consultancy 3-4 years ago. I have extensively worked with young entrepreneurs. Being 22 years of age, I can better relate to their problems and experiences. I provide them with practical guidance, tools, and resources uniquely tailored for each business.

Instead of being overly focused on yourself, make sure the client knows what you can do for them and the benefit they will drive out of it.

Some Tips

• It should be easy to navigate through your portfolio on different platforms such as desktops, tablets, and cellphone.
• Simplicity is the key. Do not go overboard with designing unless it is necessary.
• Ask your friends or family to test your website. If there are any flaws correct them.
• Try to use high-resolution images. It leaves a good impact.
• You may showcase your work in a way that tells a story. Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with clients.
• Take inspiration from famous bloggers like Ali Abdaal and Gary Vaynerchuk.

Once you publish your website, do share it on all your social channels, and remember that your portfolio grows with you. In fact, after finishing this blog, I will switch over to the other tab and make some improvements to my personal website. I think I have provided some information coupled with my experiences that will at least help you start building your own digital portfolio. Now is the time for you to shine!