The Internet is a vast and wonderful place, filled with tweets, longreads and all the GIFs and cat videos you could ever hope to see. And with so much of life – and networking – happening online, more and more whippersnappers are making portfolio websites to show off their stuff. Maybe you’re thinking about making one, but aren’t sure where to start? If so, read on. We have all the tricks!
Decide where you want your site to be hosted.
It can be a blogging platform like WordPress or Tumblr, or a design-your-own website service like Weebly, Squarespace or Wix (which is partnering with Ed and sponsoring his next panel!), which all have varying degrees of pricing and offer a variety of features. Do your research and see what works best for your needs – and if you’re not sure, check out other personal/portfolio sites that you like and see what they’re using.
Choose a name for your site. Yes, people can find your site by Googling your name, and that’s probably the best option for your domain name too, but in some cases it might not be available so come up with a backup just in case. You can purchase a domain name from sites like GoDaddy, and some hosting platforms also include a custom domain name when you pay for their services.
Time to design your site. The folks at Wix suggest outlining a plan and establishing a clear goal for your website before you begin. For example, if you want to get more freelance work, make it very easy to contact you and to see samples of your work. Your website should be a tool, so be sure to use it effectively. From there, make it your own. Sites like Wix and Squarespace let you play with templates, color palettes and fonts without using HTML or writing lines of code, so you can feel like a fancypants web designer even if you’re not.
Get the word out! Send a link to your mom, post it in your Twitter bio and on your Google+ profile, add it to LinkedIn, or where ever else your little whippersnapper heart desires.
Interesting in learning more about Wix? Check them out here!
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