Making a portfolio website is a key step in building your freelance career. It’s one of the ways you can show potential clients what you’re capable of, and give them some idea of how your services can help their business succeed.
But if you’re not a website designer by trade, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. (Of course, if you are a web developer, you may want to build your own site as further proof your clients should hire you.)
Do you have to hire someone to put your portfolio site together? The good news is there are several easy tools for making a portfolio website yourself.
Some of the options are free, and some have a small subscription fee. But even when you add in the cost of your domain name (which is about $15/year or so), these are all cost-effective ways to create your own professional, functional, and customized site. Here’s the list of our top recommendations:
1. Squarespace
Squarespace offers some great templates that are all optimized for mobile. Other key features include free custom URLs, drag-and-drop editing, 24/7 customer support, and unlimited storage.
2. Wix
The best thing about Wix is the variety and quality of templates you have to choose from. Wix offers ADI (artificial design intelligence) as well as a drag-and-drop editor. You can even use ADI to get you started, and then convert it to the editor when you want more control.
3. Weebly
Now owned by Square, Weebly markets heavily to ecommerce users. But don’t write it off for your portfolio site: it’s still a great option for freelancers. This builder has a great track record for reliability and lots of happy customers.
4. IMCreator
While it’s not the most intuitive builder on this list, IMCreator allows you to create a super impressive site. The templates are modern and edgy, so if that’s your style, check it out!
5. WordPress
If you already have some experience with building websites, WordPress might be the right option for you. The learning curve can be steep, but it allows you to get hands-on while you’re building your portfolio site. They have several templates available that are designed for portfolios, too.
These are just five options for you to create your online portfolio. More are popping up every day. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, you’re out of excuses to get your portfolio up and running right away!
Your turn! What easy ways to build a freelance portfolio did we miss? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on July 1, 2023.
