Definitive guide
Best Portfolio Websites of 2023 | 58 Examples + Templates
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Hey you, creative artist! I’m so stoked you’re researching portfolio designs. I’m guessing you’re about to make your own. Exciting! Before you dive into these website examples, I’d like to share one thing: make your design unique. Although it’s good to pay attention to what others are doing – make it stand out in your own way 🙂
If you decide to purchase a tool I recommend, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
PS: My name is Ralph de Groot. I’m the founder and author at My Codeless Website. Wake me up for a great web design. I love writing about website examples, too!
Best portfolio examples
- Illo
- Dennis Krawec
- By experience
- Created by Carla
- Web design by Lucia
- Phoyd
- Nine 9 Web Design
- Mary Rohl
- Jonathan Jackson
- Ana Cano
- Yuri Magoori
- Christina Vanessa
- Sophie Britt
- Lena Steinkuhler
- Charles Palacio
- Steve Wolf
- Wendy Ju
- Studio Bagaz
- Shiyuan Ye
- David Milan
- Thai Pham
- Reut Chen
- Michael Schmid
- Keith’s Portfolio
- Pchico
- Simon Daufresne
- Sophie DFK
- Languagre Dept
- Nahel Moussi
- Vault 49
- Michiel de Graaf
- More Air
- Mixd
- Made Together
- Jacky Winter
- Musab Hassan
- Yuta Abe
- Jonas Reymondin
- Alfsalib
- Hugo Prieto
- Andy Hardy
- Lotte Bijlsma
- Muramoto Meguru
- Glenn Catteeuw
- Julio Llorente
- NMBRS
- Richard Ekwonye Portfolio
- DEIDRE DRISCOLL
1. Illo
URL: https://illo.tv/
Oh yes. Looking for a modern portfolio website example? Illo definitely is one to watch! This design studio created a bold portfolio design by using powerful colors combined with big fonts. Love it! Colorful aesthetics and straightforward storytelling. They are a multinational team centered in Italy, and they, of course, enjoy pizza.
- Awesome animations
- Very unique web design
- Lots of whitespace
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
2. Dennis Krawec
Haha oh yes. You definitely want to have a look at this one. Dennis Krawec was actively listening when you asked him to ‘go bold with your portfolio website’. The creativity is everywhere! If you’re into unique web design, bold colors/shapes, and alive vibes, this is the one you should look into.
- Very unique web design
- Bold colors and shapes
- The website feels very much ‘alive’
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
3. By Experience
By Experience is an agency that created its own portfolio website. They used an animated background with bold fonts and fun images. They animated one of the coolest animation effects for websites backgrounds. Background animations should supplement your website’s existing content rather than becoming the focus of the user’s attention. Well done!
- Nice animations
- Bold color scheme
- Incredible images
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
4. Created by Carla
URL: https://createdbycarla.co.uk/
Carla is a freelance marketing consultant with an excellent portfolio website. As you click on the portfolio section of this website, you’ll find a powerful call to action that invites you to get in touch. I’m sure this website converts many visitors into customers! I love the play of colors that she did for her palette. Wow!
- Clear call to actions
- High converting website
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
5. Web design by Lucia
URL: https://webdesignbylucia.com/
Lucia is a web designer based in Spain. Her website features a nice background video that instantly connects you to Lucia. Definitely, an excellent way to engage with your visitors! I suggest visiting this website to learn more about how a superb video background can benefit your website. I also love the simplicity of colors that make it look clean.
- Clear call to actions
- Nice video background
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
6. Phoyd
URL: https://phoyd.nl/
Phoyd is a web designer based in the Netherlands. The font style he chose for the design matches well with everything. I love how he uses fantastic shapes throughout the website to create a funky vibe! Shapes are a powerful tool that may be used in web design. They provide a visual identity for your brand and are visually appealing.
- Clear call to actions
- Funky shapes
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
7. Nine9 Web Design
URL: https://nine9webdesign.co.uk/
Nine9 web design is a web design agency with a cool portfolio website! As you explore the website, scrolling animations are a great way to make the website come ‘alive’! I love the cool tone color palette they used for the design; it makes it stand out more. But not just that, everything looks clean and nice!
- Nice scrolling animations
- Great color scheme
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
8. Mary Rohl
URL: http://maryrohldesigns.com/
Mary Rohl is a visual designer. I love the color scheme, which is consistent throughout the entire website. Very clean web design! She didn’t fail to make her portfolio look aesthetically pleasing because of how stunning the design looks already. I love how simple yet fun the colors and font go together. Awesome job!
- Clear call to actions
- Great copywriting
- Nice typography
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
9. Jonathan Jackson
URL: https://johnathanjackson.com/
Jonathan Jackson is a UX/UI designer with five years of experience. This website features an inspiring background video and cool shapes throughout the entire website. Definitely check this one out! This is the one if you’re looking for someone to create meaningful experiences that generate high-converting user experiences for web and mobile applications.
- Nice shapes
- Awesome background video
- Clean website design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
10. Ana Cano
URL: https://anacanodesign.com/
Ana Cano is a web designer with a nice portfolio example! I love how Ana blends the outfit she wears in the background image with the rest of her color scheme. Clever! Visit this website to see some awesome color schemes combined with nice images!
- Awesome color scheme
- Nice images
- Greet portfolio design!
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
11. Yuri Magoori
Yuri Magoori is an actor, musician, and multiple other things. His website features a simple and short layout and immensely powerful images, which combine to form an amazing portfolio. Very inspiring! Click the link to see how he did a website that’s clean and simple yet impactful.
- Stunning images
- Clean and simple yet impactful
- Great balanced design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
12. Christina Vanessa
URL: https://www.christinavanessa.com/
Christina Vanessa decided to do things a little bit differently with her portfolio website. She leverages a powerful background video combined with slick typography. Very classy! This dynamic graphic element is being used in an increasing number of designs to provide depth and dimension to their websites. Websites using video backgrounds, when done effectively, may stand out from the crowd.
- Nice background video
- Clean design
- Clear call to action
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
13. Sophie Britt
URL: https://www.sophiebritt.com/
Sophie Britt is a visual designer with a unique portfolio website. She decided to keep things clean and use lots of white space. I love how she uses shiny colors to add playfulness to her portfolio! Keep your portfolio organized just like this one! There’s a lot to learn just by clicking the link.
- Amazing artwork
- Playful colors
- Lots of whitespace
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
14. Lena Steinkühler
URL: https://www.lenasteinkuehler.com/
Lena Steinkühler is an artist based in Hamburg. She definitely knows what she’s doing, and you’ll experience the same after visiting her website for a few seconds. The incredible background images showcase her portfolio projects—and yes—they look incredible!
- Amazing 3D art
- Cool typography
- Very unique design style
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
15. Carles Palacio
URL: http://carlespalacio.com/
Carles Palacio decided to approach his portfolio website a little differently. He chose a minimal website design combined with a clean menu design. Very inspiring! Remember this: a tidy website is an excellent method to highlight the most important material while preserving the user experience.
- Unique web design
- Clean menu
- Epic background image
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
16. Steve Wolf
URL: https://www.stevewolf.co/
Steve Wolf is a design and branding studio from Austin, Texas. I love the approach they took – big and bold images combined with a minimalistic design. In terms of navigation, a sticky header shows on every page of the site, keeping things nice and straightforward. Great portfolio website!
- Nice building blocks
- Powerful images
- Lots of whitespace
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
17. Wendy Ju
URL: https://www.wenxinwendyju.com/
Wendy Ju definitely created a modern portfolio example to showcase her projects. I love the scrolling effects combined with incredible images. I love the clean style she aimed for the homepage. Definitely make sure to check this one out! Wendy has a passion for designing meaningful experiences for people.
- Unique web design style
- Very clean design
- Nice layout dividers
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
18. Studio Bagaz
URL: https://www.studiobgz.com/
Studio Bagaz is an agency based in Israel. This is definitely an inspiring portfolio example. When you check this one out, have a look at the ‘contact’ page. It’s awesome! I also love the different shades of pink all throughout the design, it makes it more welcoming and fun. Well done!
- Love the color scheme
- Clear value proposition
- Great website set up
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
19. Shiyuan Ye
URL: https://www.shiyuandesign.com/
Shiyuan is a graphic designer who built an epic portfolio website. I love the big fonts and the moving objects. Definitely have a look at this inspiring portfolio! This is the one if you’re into clean introductions above the fold combined with nice portfolio images.
- Nice portfolio images
- Clear introduction above the fold
- Nice colors
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
20. David Milan
URL: https://www.davidmilan.com/
David Milan is an art director and lettering artist. I love how he constructed his portfolio around this lettering art. He filled his homepage with portfolio projects and does a great job of showcasing his creativity. Click the link to see what I’m talking about!
- Very powerful images
- Nice logo design
- Lots of portfolio examples
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
21. Thai Pham
URL: https://www.thaiphamphotography.com/
Thai Pham is a photographer based in Vietnam. Her website is so incredibly clean; no fluff can be found. This is a great example to study if you desire to build a minimal yet powerful portfolio website! As you click the link, you’ll immediately understand why simplicity is beauty.
- Powerful bakcground image
- Clean menu design
- Unique website setup
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
22. Reut Chen
URL: https://www.reutchen.com/
Reut Chen is a textile designer based in Israel, working on installations, visual fabrics, silk, and digital printing. What I love about this portfolio website is quite simple, yet so powerful. I love the copy on his website, it immediately tells you what he does. Effective and awesome!
- Great portfolio examples
- Clear value proposition
- Nice shapes
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
23. Michael Schmid
URL: http://workdiary.de/
Michael Schmid is a developer based in Germany, specializing in visual brand identity, UI/UX design, and web development. He created one of the most minimal portfolio websites I’ve ever seen. It contains almost no text, yet it looks awesome. Have a look at the animations on this website!
- Cool animations
- Clean design
- Fun domain name
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
24. Keith’s Portfolio
URL: https://www.keithalva.com/
I love how straight to the point Keith’s Portfolio is by describing who he is and what he does at the beginning. The website is super clean, and the photographs below will leave you in awe. Great work!
- Amazing photographs, illustrations, and visual designs
- Nice animations
- Cool color scheme
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
25. Pchico
URL: https://pchico.es/
Pchico is a visual and creative designer specializing in interaction and branding with +10 years of experience. His website uses slick typography and has a minimalistic design. I’m a big fan of the design of the cursor as you hover over the website. Great job!
- Clean design
- Nice portfolio projects
- Lots of whitespace
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
26. Simon Daufresne
URL: https://simondaufresne.com/
Simon Daufresne is an independent graphic designer based in Paris. This portfolio example is about making an outcome that is as minimalistic as possible. Very inspiring! This is the one if you’re looking for a website with incredible scrolling objects, nice animations, and a great setup.
- Incredible scrolling objects
- Nice animations
- Great website set up
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
27. Sophie DFK
URL: https://www.sophie-dkf.com/
Sophie is a freelance graphic designer from France. I love the website’s scrolling animations because it is a great method to bring website elements like text, graphics, images, and video to life. Definitely make sure to have a look at this portfolio example!
- Minimalistic web design
- Nice scrolling objects
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
28. Language Dept
URL: https://www.languagedept.com/
Language Dept is a portfolio website you should definitely check out. The effects when you scroll down the website—hell yes—are simply amazing! Super inspiring web design! Scroll animations are indeed more likely to capture the attention of a user, making websites appear more dynamic and fascinating.
- Nice images
- Unique design
- Great value proposition
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
29. Nahel Moussi
Nahel Moussi built an amazing portfolio website. The scrolling animations as you explore this portfolio are super inspiring. I love the visual effects as you tap on one of the portfolio projects. Love it! Based on this example, I can truly say that it naturally drawn our eyes to movement. Cool!
- Bold design
- Great scrolling animations
- Cool portfolio reel
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
30. Vault 49
Vault 49 uses a dark color scheme which makes this portfolio example feel high-end and luxurious. The scrolling animations as you explore the website are awesome! It’s difficult to decide whether to utilize strong, dark colors in your web design. Dark colors create a strong statement, but they come at a price.
- Slick menu design
- Bold design
- Nice scrolling animations
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
31. Michiel de Graaf
URL: https://www.michieldegraaf.com/
Michiel de Graaf is a designer based in the Netherlands. I love the way he showcases his portfolio projects in a minimalistic and funky way. Very inspiring portfolio example! Click the link for some awesome and fun copywriting! You won’t be disappointed at all.
- Fun copywriting
- Nice portfolio examples
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
32. More Air
URL: http://moreair.co/
More Air is an agency that designs digital products. I love the typography and the amount of white space which was used in this portfolio. Well done! White space will considerably increase the legibility of your website’s text for individuals viewing it on a larger screen. Make sure to take note of that!
- Nice images
- Lots of whitespace
- Great value proposition
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
33. Mixd
Mixd is a web design agency based in the United Kingdom. And let’s face it, this color scheme rocks! Definitely have a look at this portfolio if you want to create a professional website. I love everything about it, especially the very Y2K style on the homepage. Awesome!
- Nice images
- Unique design
- Great value proposition
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
34. Made Together
URL: https://www.madetogether.com.au/
Made Together is an agency based in Australia. I like how this portfolio example uses small animations to make the website come ‘alive’. Well designed! Visit his website if you want to learn more about cool animations combined with lots of white spaces!
- Clean design
- Lots of whitespace
- Cool animations
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
35. Jacky Winter
Jacky Winter is an agency based in Collingwood, Australia. This is definitely one of the more unique portfolio websites which will bring you lots of inspiration. The animations are of superb quality and the color scheme never failed to complement each web design element! Love it!
- Epic way to show your creativity
- Cool animations
- Very unique web design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
36. Musab Hassan
An amazing display of an aesthetic picture at the start is very nice. The colorful pointer is amazing to give you a lovely experience of driving over the whole website to discover features. For those interested, Musab Hassan is a web developer from British Columbia, Canada. He specializes in designing and developing web experiences.
- Innovative interface. Quite lovely!
- Smooth scrolling pointer
- Lively choice of colors
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
37. Yuta Abe
The way this website drives us to the starting page is captivating. Added to that, the layouts designed to start having black backgrounds are no exception! Yuta Abe is a front-end developer at a web production company in Tokyo. He liked to think about art, direction, and animation.
- Watery click at pictures
- Adorable background
- Simple and decent interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
38. Jonas Reymondin
URL: https://jonasreymondin.com/
What an amazing eye-catcher! The bold font with a neon and greyish color background is stunning! The headline of the profile running at the left corner of the web is another way of catching attention! What are you waiting for? Explore the website now!
- Lovely choice of colors in layouts
- Simple and sophisticated writeup
- Simple interface with a smooth and plain scrolling
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
38. Alejando Castro
URL: https://alejandrocastro.com/
Alejandro Castro graces every visitor with his green-pink copywriting website! Stylist fonts, color schemes, and shapes never go wrong, as seen in this example! Alejandro says that data is meaningless unless it can conjure up feelings. I also feel like it’s the same with web design. Great work!
- Nice images
- Great color scheme
- Great website setup
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
40. Hugo Prieto
Landing on the page you will get a cute smiling face of a child who is just lost in watching the world go by. Driving down, you will see different layouts with different pictures each one with live changing backgrounds. He never failed to execute such a nice and unique web design. Check it out now!
- Adorable combination of colors in the background
- The scrolling pointer is smooth
- User-friendly and captivating interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
41. Andy Hardy
The picture of mountains gives bold and courageous vibes. Scrolling down gives the nice unwrapping of the layouts of aesthetic pictures. With that, the black background highlights the photography. Click the link to see some aesthetic photography. It’s time to treat your eyes into looking something captivating.
- Aesthetic photography
- Unique captivating web design
- Innovative interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
42. Lotte Bijlsma
URL: https://lottebijlsma.com/
They sophistically designed this web with a white background and light-colored layouts. Highly appealing! Each layout has a different story to tell with a decent write-up. This is the one if you’re into websites with sophisticated designs with a touch of nice color choices.
- Sophisticated web design
- Nice choice of colors
- Very user-friendly interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
43. Muramoto Meguru
The live display of white and black flowers is no exception. The black background is another catcher adding more appeal to this website. Muramoto Meguru is a web designer and developer at Garden Eight and a young Awards judge in 2019 and 2020. This is a temporary version of the portfolio website.
- Unique animations
- Quite an innovative web design
- Interesting interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
44. Glenn Catteeuw
URL: https://glenncatteeuw.com/
The live display of white and black flowers is no exception. The black background is another catcher adding more appeal to this website. I suggest visiting this website to see more of Glenn’s talent and how he did such a great job with his own website.
- Unique animations
- Quite an innovative web design
- Interesting interface
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
45. Julio Llorente
URL: https://juliollorente.com/
Simple but powerful! This website nailed it by keeping a clean web design. On its one-pager homepage, displayed is a creative text with an overlaid heart-stopping video. Clicking on it redirects you to a portfolio page that features their commercials, films, and music videos. The classic black background and white text really work well with this type of web design.
What we love about this web design
- Unique web design
- Nice background video behind the logo
- Clean design
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
46. NMBRS
URL: https://www.nmbrs.studio/
“Cool” is an understatement to describe this website. NMBRS surely knows how to captivate visitors because their animation never disappoints. For those interested, they work for internationally renowned companies, startups, and artists on creating a visual narrative enjoyed by the masses. Well done!
What we love about this web design
- Very unique web design
- Unique approach to portfolio website
- Responsive site
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
47. Richard Ekwonye Portfolio
URL: https://www.richardekwonye.com/
Richard Ekwonye nailed the gray-black combination website. I love how simple the design is with a unique “drag me” cursor for the photos. Also, there’s only one font for every page. Neat and original! Richard is a creative developer with years of expertise in creating beautiful web experiences and products.
What we love about this web design
- Neat and balanced design
- Stunning images
- Unique cursor
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
48. DEIDRE DRISCOLL
URL: https://deidredriscoll.com/
The placement of images on this website is such an innovative idea. As the visitor, who wouldn’t scroll down to see what’s up? Overall, the website perfectly embodies her passion for art and design. For those interested, Deidre Driscoll is a multidisciplinary designer and art director.
What we love about this web design
- Unique animation
- Clean web design
- Responsive site
Click the blue & white buttons to get started, or find a web designer 🚀
These are my favourites.
Copywriter Portolio Template
- Compelling design which will turn visitors into customers
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
DJ Portfolio Template
- This design is made for a DJ portfolio originally, but works great for other portfolios
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Makeup Portfolio Template
- Lots of space for images with a great focus on getting new customers
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Fashion Portolio Template
- Great styling and awesome color scheme
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Design Portfolio Template
- Playful design with many possibilities to customize
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Author Portfolio Template
- I love how this template features one main product with an enticing call to actio button
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Graphic Illustrator Portolio Template
- Smooth design with a focus on converting visitors to clients
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Actor / Model Portfolio Template
- Clean design with powerful call to actions
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
Webdesign Freelancer Portfolio Template
- Powerful and elegant template which is perfect for showcasing online projects
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
BONUS – Here is my favorite template
URL: https://mycodelesswebsite.com/try-theme/actor-cv
Why this is such a great template
- Clean design, great to turn visitors into customers
- Wordpress compatible, easy to customize
- Free download if you’re a Divi member
BONUS: Elegant Themes
URL: https://elegantthemes.com/
Although this one officially shouldn't be in this list - I couldn't keep this one from you. Elegant themes has amazing website themes and leads by example. Their own homepage looks stunning.
What you can learn from this great website
- Playful design
- Clear call to actions
- Great user experience
Modern Examples
More website examples
Startup Examples
Wix Examples
3 Award Winning Web Designers I recommend
I highly recommend you to have a look at their portfolios!
WORDPRESS EXPERT
HIGH-END
CONVERTING WEB DESIGN
Kegan Quimby
keganquimby.com
Kegan is a freelance WordPress designer/developer. He works with businesses of all sizes to share their story. He builds websites that are fast, mobile & SEO friendly, and built to last!
✓ He specializes in WordPress design and development. From branding to e-commerce, to mobile, and everything in between.
✓ He has a focus on small to medium size businesses but also has enterprise clients.
✓ Clients include Level Up Digital Media, Center for Human Insights by User Testing.
Vrrb
vrrb.com
Vrrb is an award-winning creative agency based in Los Angeles. 14+ years of experience building extraordinary websites, applications, and digital solutions for the world's most recognizable brands.
✓ Our core services include branding, website design/development, mobile apps, digital strategy, and ongoing support
✓ We engage with established companies (50+ employees), as well as funded startups looking to turbocharge their growth.
✓ Clients include Ferrari, Visa, HP, UCLA, and Behr Paint.
Lovepixel Agency
lovepixelagency.com
We Build Highly Converting Funnels / Brands / Websites that people fall in Love with. Personal Brands, Authors, Speakers, Influencers, Coaches, Consultants. Check my video to see how we work 👋
✓ This web design agency specializes in custom websites using WordPress.
✓ They focus on a personal touch that allows the visitor to connect with the website. Great for personal brands!
✓ Clients include Oto Gomes, Laura Dawn, Sigrid Tasies.
1
Explore inspiring website templates
Epic website templates you install and customize.
2
Select the right page builder.
Using a page builder allows you to build a website without using code.
Here is the one I recommend.
About the author
My name is Ralph de Groot. I love excellent web design. In fact, you can wake me up at night if you find an inspiring website. Besides writing on My Codeless Website I also love to read and travel.
PS: If you decide to purchase a tool I recommend, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Checklist: 5 ways to make your portfolio website beautiful and highly converting
1. Don’t break the 5-second rule
The moment a visitor lands on your website you only have 5 seconds to make a good impression.
That’s 5 short seconds to convince your visitor to stay on your website – and don’t hit the ‘back’ button.
Make sure the text on your website is appealing and gets your visitor excited. Don’t waste the first 5 seconds of somebody’s visit with unnecessary fluff.
2. Don’t confuse your visitor with too many call to actions
Great call to actions draw the attention of your visitors.
That said, you don’t want your call to action buttons fighting for the attention of your visitor. Pick the most important call to action for that page, and go with it.
In case you want to show multiple call to actions anyway, make sure to give them a different design, with your primary call to action being the most notable one.
3. Design mobile first
Last year over 52% of all the website traffic worldwide came from mobile devices.
More than half of the website visits are on a mobile device.
This percentage will only increase in the coming years, therefore the mobile design of your website is crucial for the success of your portfolio website.
When designing your website, think about mobile design before you build your desktop website.
4. Watch people using your website without telling them what to do
Once your website is ready it’s time to launch. Well, almost.
Invite some friends or colleagues and put them in front of a computer. Ask them to pretend to be a potential customer and have them visit your website.
Now sit next to them, and don’t say anything (this will be harder than you think).
Do this with at least 5 people and learn from their behavior:
- Did they follow the steps you expected them to?
- Did your website load fast enough?
- Was everything clear to them?
5. Collect real testimonials from real members
By now you probably realized social proof is extremely important when it comes to building a great website. Take it to the next level, and add testimonials from your members.
Don’t write them yourself, don’t ask your friends to write them. Everybody will feel something is off.
Want to go for the perfect score? Include video testimonials. Trust me, this will turn your website into a conversion machine.
Growth hacking: 3 powerful strategies to promote your portfolio website
1. Go viral with a viral give-away
Imagine.
You send your website to 5 friends. Who each send it to 5 friends.
Now, these friends also send it to 5 friends. Oeh la la! Continue this loop for a while, and your website is actually going viral.
Viral Loops is a referral marketing tool that helps you to explode your website with new visitors.
We’ve used Viral Loops to create virality with multiple websites. It allows you to build a sustainable referral scheme that helps you to grow your website rapidly.
2. Use local SEO
SEO is a great way to attract local clients. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and helps you to get free website traffic through search engines.
Check out these articles about local SEO if you want to learn more about this:
3. Do a press release
Yikes! A press release? That’s not for your website, right?
Well. It is actually. Journalists LOVE small businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them. It makes sense – if you’re at a birthday party, friends are probably always asking how your business is doing.
Everybody loves entrepreneurs.
Write a press release about a milestone your company achieved. It doesn’t really matter what it is your company did, just make it juicy and interesting.
Create a list of journalists and reach out to them. The key in this process is the follow-up. If you’re just sending them just one email you’re probably not going to have a lot of success. Remind them at least once within a period of 7 days.
Being featured by local news outlets actually is good for your SEO. The more websites mention you on their website, the higher you’ll rank in the search engine.
FAQ
What makes a good portfolio website?
A great portfolio website should have a clean design, be easy to navigate and include a lot of social proof. Have a look at this page for great example websites.
How to create a portfolio website?
1. Analyze the best portfolio websites on this page
2. Make notes of what you like – and what you don’t like
3. Design your own site with this drag & drop website builder (includes free themes)
4. Publish your website with a cheap hosting plan (includes free domain + SSL)
How much does a portfolio website cost?
A portfolio website will cost you anywhere between $1200 and $5000. Of course, it’s cheaper to do it yourself. Have a look at the tools I recommend in this article to get started for under $100.