In a role as a professional web developer, we’re up for just about any website building challenge. But, building a creative website portfolio for our customer services isn’t something we’re accustomed to.
As much as we love web development, we’ve probably never thought of it as being a particularly sexy or creative profession.
The truth is, it’s not all that difficult to put an eye-grabbing portfolio together rather easily when we’re armed with the right tools, and we have a selection of inspiring and relevant concepts to choose from.
8 things that will make our Web Development Portfolio Website Stand Out
1. Owning what we do and Sharing It with Others
Many if not most portfolio websites have something in common. Because of their designs, it takes visitors a few seconds to figure out what the author actually does.
And, the longer it takes a visitor to figure it out what we do, and who we’re doing it for, the more likely it becomes that he or she will leave before even getting a glimpse of our portfolio.
We want to let people know exactly what we do the instant they land on our home page, and here are a few ways to make that happen.
2. Simplicity Is the Ultimate Sophistication
Most website visitors don’t like clutter, and certainly won’t be willing to wade through it to find what we’re offering. Since we take pride in our ability to write clean code, a clean portfolio design should appeal to us as well.
It will certainly appeal to our visitors.
A clean design will attest to your skills and work ethic, and if we feel it’s necessary, we can always use color and texture in a way that will make our personality stand out.
3. Turning a Resume from Blah to Wow
Resumes are so passé. Don’t we agree?
Not when we let our art or products speak for themselves, which is what portfolio websites can do; and spectacularly so if done right.
We can still keep the classic structure of a resume since that is what a reader would lbe expecting.
Just apply a little creativity to make our skills and experience stand out. Add a few catchy visuals and/or interactive elements and watch the resume we’re building suddenly go from Blah or Meh, to Wow.
Now, the readers will want to know more about us, what we do, and what we can offer them.
4. Professional with a Creative Twist
We’re a no-nonsense type when it comes to doing our job, as are most professionals; and we want to be seen that way to be able to land bigger jobs and attract better clients.
It never hurts to “borrow” a bit from the ways top professionals in other industries present themselves online. We’re not talking “copycat” here.
It’s simply a matter of getting an idea or two from lawyers, coaches, consultants, and other professionals on how to make our website look professional, yet not “stuck up”.
5. Leaning on the artistic side
Artists have the most drool-worthy websites. We really wouldn’t expect it to be any other way. Face it; we’d have problems trying to compete with them.
Fortunately, we don’t have to. There are already plenty of web developers out there who’ve successfully created some awesome portfolio websites for themselves, and even for others.
6. Grabbing attention with gamification
Want to know the type of website portfolio that offers the greatest chance of making us famous?
Try turning our online portfolio into a game.
We’ve already gone from Blah to Wow. Why not aim for something even better?
When we turn our portfolio into a game, it’s hard for anyone to pass it by. Almost everyone likes to participate in an entertaining online adventure, and it’s much more enjoyable than going down lists of skills and accomplishments.
7. “Stealing” the Best from Company Websites
When we’re running a company, we’re tasked with finding a way to sell multiple products of services on the same website.
It’s often the same for us as a web developer.
We have multiple skills and services, and we want to show them off in the most attractive way possible. We also need to find a way to present our offers in a crystal-clear fashion, so clients can easily find precisely what they’re looking for.
8. Presenting yourself like a product
Think of how high-converting websites sell tech products.
They adhere to a common architecture designed to attract people and convince them to buy or sign up for a free trial. Use that same architecture to build our website portfolio, and we can expect to attract more potential clients and convince them to hire us.
At the same time, we can demonstrate what we could build for them if they choose to work with us.
