How to Make a Portfolio Website in 10 Steps

Learning how to make a portfolio website is an important skill if you want to have a space to showcase your work and conquer new career opportunities. Photographers, designers, architects, and many other professionals can enjoy having an online portfolio where people can learn more about your projects, get in contact, and hire you.

If you have been in a job interview where you felt the need to show your previous projects to prove your skills, the portfolio website will help with that. Having a beautiful and well-structured website also adds credibility to your work. Check out the article to learn more. 

10 Steps to How to Make a Portfolio Website#

1. Define Your Goals#

The first step when it comes to how to make a portfolio is setting up what your goals are. For example, do you want to work as a freelancer or to be hired to a permanent position? This will impact how you should present yourself in the About section. 

It's important to have well-defined goals to develop each part of your portfolio website with them in mind. This way you can apply the most effective strategies to reach your career objectives. You will be able to make more assertive choices regarding the design and content of your pages. 

2. Get to Know Your Target Audience#

Who do you want to talk to on your website? What are the main characteristics of your target audience? When you answer these questions, you can identify the type of content and design that will drive the attention of the people who you want to require your work. Understanding their needs will guide you to show how your professional skills and experience are what they are looking for.

3. Plan Your Website#

With your goals and target audience in mind, it's time to plan your website. List domain name ideas, define what sections your portfolio website will have, what you will include in each one of them, and how to structure the content. 

Your website should include at least a home page, an about page, where you tell more about yourself, a contact page with your contact information, and a section to show your work, which can be a gallery with photos of your projects or a blog, for example.

To come up with ideas of how to make a portfolio website, research for references in your area, including competitor websites. Get to know the main trends and strategies used, and look for ways to make your work stand out from the others. 

4. Choose a Website Builder#

Knowing how to make a portfolio website becomes much easier with the help of a website builder. Instead of having to code the pages from scratch, you can use a drag-and-drop editor that is easy to use, and a CMS (content management system) to manage your website with just a few clicks. 

To choose the website builder for you, make a list of the features you need and define your budget, then search for the best options available and enjoy the free trial periods to test them. Also, check the customer reviews. 

5. Create a Domain Name#

To build a website, you need to have a domain name, which is your website address. As you are making a portfolio website, you can use your own name as the domain name, it's unique and, obviously, related to you. Avoid using special characters and numbers, those things make the domain name difficult to spell. 

Once you have defined the domain name, you can register it using the website builder platform of your choice. Some of them even offer this service for free. But, first, you will need to check if the name is available. 

6. Choose a Theme#

One of the great advantages to using a website builder is that you can select a pre-built website template and create your pages based on that. Select the template that suits your needs and enables you to structure every section of your website. It must be mobile-friendly, easy to navigate through and load fast.

7. Customize the Website#

After choosing the template, you have the opportunity to customize it so the portfolio website will have your personality on it. It's important to show the visitors how you differ from others and also to create a personal brand. 

Select the font type, and the color palette, insert text, and images, and position every element as you see fit. Remember to consider how users will feel when accessing your pages, they must be well-organized, and easy to navigate through. Highlight the main information and calls to action by using a bigger font size or a different color, for example.

8. Add Content#

A well-designed website won't be effective if it doesn't have good content on it. Pay close attention to what you are going to include in your pages, and write every section carefully, considering the tone of speech you wish to keep, your target audience and also focusing on providing valuable information. 

9. Implement SEO Best Practices#

SEO, search engine optimization, consists of a set of elements that makes your pages stand out when search engine algorithms analyze them. This way, your pages have more chances to appear on the first search result pages of websites like Google, conquering more visibility and organic traffic. 

Some actions you can implement on your website are:

• Define keywords for your pages
• Use the keyword in the URL
• Write meta descriptions
• Write alt text to the images
• Provide a good user experience

10. Keep Improving Your Website#

After you finish your portfolio website, review all the pages to make sure you didn't forget any detail and avoid mistakes. Once your website is available, use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to analyze your website performance. 

You can identify the most accessed pages, the average time spent on your website, the traffic sources, and much more. Use those data to keep enhancing your website, and reach your goals.

20 Best Website Builders to Make Your Portfolio Website#

1. Wix#

With Wix, you can create your website, manage and develop content to keep enhancing it. You will find hundreds of pre-built templates to choose from, which can be customized using the drag-and-drop editor. 

You can resize, rotate, align, and add new graphic elements. It's possible to have a website with different sections, like a blog, online store, portfolio, and online scheduling. Wix also helps you to make sure your website looks great on desktop and mobile devices by using responsive design. 

To keep your website protected, the website builder offers a free SSL certificate, 2-step verification, and 24/7 website security monitoring. As your website grows, if you feel the need to have more storage and bandwidth, you can easily opt for one of the premium plans. Then, you will have the opportunity to enjoy other features, including marketing integrations and email marketing. 

Key features: 

• Pre-built website templates
• Drag-and-drop editor
• SSL certificate
• SEO tools
• Analytics
• Responsive design

2. WordPress#

WordPress is one of the most popular website builders around the world and it also offers a free plan. To start, you can choose among thousands of customizable themes, and have different types of pages, a blog, portfolio, and an ecommerce, for example. It's very easy to publish content, and you can count on a fast and intuitive editor, which saves your work every few seconds. 

Use the drag-and-drop tool to add images and other graphic elements on each page. You can create photo galleries, and upload audio and videos too, using your desktop computer or mobile devices. Share your blog posts on social media by automatically sending them to Facebook, and Twitter, so your followers can check them out when there is new content.

WordPress also helps you to have a search-engine-optimized website, by providing many SEO tools. Use the analytics features to keep track of your website performance, and get to know more about your customers' behavior. 

Key Features: 

• Customizable themes
• Mobile-friendly design
• 24/7 customer support
• Search engine optimized
• SEO tools
• In-depth stats

3. SITE123#

SITE123 is one of the best website builders that offers multiple features such as responsive design, an intuitive website editor, SEO tools, and free hosting. You can also create an online store and sell globally. 

With just a few steps, it's possible to have your website running smoothly. Select a pre-built template, edit it to fit your brand, upload the content, review, and publish. If you have any questions or problems, you can count on the 24/7 customer support offered by the platform. 

You will also have the advantage to use a website builder that creates SEO- friendly pages, so they can be visible and indexed by search engines. 

Key features:

• Intuitive website editor
• Responsive web design
• Free hosting
• SEO tools
• Sell online
• 24/7 customer support

4. HostGator#

With a 45-day free trial, HostGator provides solutions not only to create your website as you wish but also allows you to choose the shared hosting plan that suits your company better. It also offers a much more practical way to develop your website's design.

Instead of using a drag-and-drop editor, you will just need to answer some questions and Gator Builder will automatically make your pages using an optimized layout and industry-specific design. To have your ecommerce all set up, you can count on management tools for inventory, shipping, and taxes. 

HostGator has analytics features as well, which enable you to measure and keep track of important metrics, and better your audience's behavior. Enjoy the SEO tools too, so you can enhance your pages to rank better on search engines. 

Key features: 

• Intelligent builder
• Easy analytics
• Image Library
• Mobile responsiveness
• LogoMaker
• Search optimized
• 24/7 customer support

5. Webnode#

Webnode has a user-friendly website builder, which will turn the task of developing a website and managing it into a much simpler one. Use the predesigned pages and customize them by adding images and videos, changing colors and fonts, and inserting your brand's identity into it.

It's not necessary to download Webnode to your computer, it's possible to set everything up online and edit content using your smartphone. You have the option to create a new domain or use an existing one, as you prefer, the Webnode subdomain is for free. 

You will also rely on safe and stable hosting servers, which enable you to get more space and higher bandwidth as your website traffic grows. Use the backup feature to make regular backups of your website and keep your data safe. 

Key features:

• User-friendly website builder
• Reliable hosting
• SEO tools
• HTTPS for safe browsing
• Edit on any device
• Pre-built templates
• Responsive design

6. GoDaddy#

GoDaddy is a  website builder that allows you to develop your pages by selecting a pre-built template, editing it, then adding your content, in just a few minutes your website is ready to be published. Once it's online, you can manage everything using GoDaddy, including your ecommerce.

You can even integrate your online store with marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and control it all in a single platform. GoDaddy also provides marketing and SEO tools to help you boost your website traffic and sales. 

To prevent any unforeseen problems, you can enjoy the backup feature, so you always have a backup of your site. Monitor your website performance by using GoDaddy web analytics features, you can track your search ranking, email campaigns, and orders, for instance. 

Key features: 

• Customizable themes
• Backup and restore
• Image library
• SEO tools
• Web analytics
• Marketing tools
• Sell on Facebook and Instagram

7. Strikingly#

Strikingly is a famous website builder, which provides an easy-to-use editor that allows you to have your website ready in less than 30 minutes. You can create an online store, and insert tools to cultivate your audience, such as a live chat and sign-up form to register membership.

It's also possible to show your feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter directly on your web pages. To enhance security all websites created by Strikingly get HTTPS automatically for free, and you can also count on SEO and analytics tools. If you have any doubts, 24/7 customer support is at your disposal to help. 

Key features:

• Easy-to-use website editor
• Ecommerce built-in
• Analytics
• HTTPS built-in
• 24/7 customer support

8. Weebly#

Customizable web page design and useful tools that enable you to create and maintain your website: Weebly offers this and much more. It has an intuitive interface, you will just need to create your account, choose the template that has more to do with your brand, edit it, and post your content.

You will count on a step-by-step guide to know how to launch your website, which can include ecommerce as well. It's also possible to integrate your website with other apps to enhance its performance, for example, CRM, live chat, and others.

Your website will be search engine optimized, with a responsive design, and the option to customize URLs, add alt text to images, and write page titles and meta descriptions too. Get to know how you may improve the pages by analyzing real-time stats.

Key features:

• Customizable web page designs
• Responsive themes
• SEO tools
• Reliable and free hosting
• Marketing tools

9. Webflow#

With Webflow, you have the opportunity to create and manage your website without having coding skills and using a free plan. It offers a web design editor where you can style your website pages the way you wish, and publish them directly from the web. 

Through the Content Management System (CMS), it's easy to manage your pages, publish, edit content, and keep track of performance to know how to improve to make your website grow on organic traffic. Enjoy the SEO tools to conquer more visibility.

Key features:

• Website editor
• SEO tools
• CMS
• Fast and reliable hosting
• Create and manage an ecommerce

10. Shopify#

No doubt, Shopify is one of the best website builders for online stores since it was developed focusing on offering the best ecommerce solutions for entrepreneurs. 

With its drag-and-drop store builder, you will easily customize your pages by choosing one template, then inserting images and other graphic elements, such as the brand's logo, to align with your company's visual identity. 

All themes provided are fully responsive, meaning your customers can enjoy a great user experience on your online store whether it's accessed on their desktop computers or mobile devices.  

To facilitate the payment process, Shopify payments enable you to accept credit cards without the need for any third-party account. The system supports over 100 external payment gateways. Besides, the platform offers multiple other benefits, including a comprehensive dashboard where you are going to get a detailed view of your business. 

You can check the number of sales, growth rate, track orders, and have a better understanding of your audience to create more effective sales and marketing campaigns. Sell in different marketplaces and have all your inventory connected to Shopify. 

Key features: 

• Drag-and-drop store builder
• Designed for mobile
• Shopify payments
• Comprehensive dashboard
• Shopify mobile app
• Built-in SEO features
• Inventory management

11. BigCommerce#

With BigCommerce website builder, you can design with freedom, operate with no worry, and enjoy its features to innovate. You will get fully customizable themes with built-in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and be able to edit them using the drag-and-drop editor. 

The platform also allows you to customize the checkout process to make it simpler for your customers, encouraging them to finalize purchases, also you can make your website mobile-friendly. To make sure all the sections are configured properly, use the Stencil CLL tool to test the website. It can be integrated with WordPress as well. 

To boost sales, BigCommerce enables you to provide multiple payment methods and create more than 70 native discounts and promotions, without requiring scripting. The SEO tools, such as creating customizable URLs, enable you to optimize your online store to be found easily on search engines. 

You can also make your products available on multiple sales channels, in marketplaces, and on social media. If you have a B2B company, BigCommerce has specific solutions for that too, including quote management, bulk pricing, and customer groups. 

Key features: 

• Page builder visual editor
• Theme customization
• Checkout customization
• Preview before publishing
• WordPress integration
• SEO tools
• B2B tools 

12. SquareSpace#

With SquareSpace, you are going to see how easy it can be to know how to make a portfolio website. You can start by choosing among their industry-leading templates, then choose the color palette, and fonts to make each page aligned to your brand's visual identity.

If you intend to have an online store, you can count on SquareSpace made for that and also add third-party plugins. Besides, the platform offers tools to create email campaigns and use social media to promote your website. You may create different types of pages, such as a blog, portfolio, curriculum vitae, and online store.

Key features:

• Wide range of templates
• Marketing tools
• Ecommerce tools
• Logo maker
• 24/7 customer support
• Free trial

13.  Duda#

Duda is a website builder focused on the creation of digital marketing agency websites. There is no need to know how to code to use this platform. Enjoy the drag-and-drop tool to customize each page of your website and leave it with your brand's identity. 

You can choose among the pre-designed templates, so you don't have to design everything from scratch. All the websites built through the Duda platform have a responsive design, which means they will perform well on desktop computers and mobile devices. 

Key features:

• Drag-and-drop tool
• Dudaflex editor
• Responsive design
• Pre-designed templates
• Showcase your portfolio

14. Jimdo#

With Jimdo, you can have your own portfolio website for free. Use the built-in design features to personalize every detail of your site web pages. Add the images, logo, and text, and position every element to make it easy for users to navigate through. You can choose your domain name through the platform too.

All the websites are developed with a responsive design, so the user can enjoy them whether they are on their mobile devices or desktop computer. Count on Jimdo's free image bank to use high-quality photos that will make your website more appealing. 

Key features:

• Built-in design features
• Responsive design
• Copyright-free photos
• Connect with social media
• SEO tools

15. Dorik#

"Build beautiful websites in minutes, without code", that's what Dorik proposes to its users. You will have a single platform to not only build your pages but also maintain them always up to date. For example, by inserting new articles and features as you see necessary.

The platform offers more than 60 professional templates and over 250 UI blocks. You will have a free SSL certificate, and the website will be hosted on AWS and Digital Ocean. If you plan to build an ecommerce, there is the option to integrate PayPal, Stripe, and Gumroad. You also can add subscription forms to your website.

Key features:

• More than 60 templates
• Over 250 blocks
• Free SSL
• Payment integration
• Custom domain
• Export code

16. Simvoly#

Simvoly allows you to create your own customized website using the drag-and-drop tool. It offers several assets to become even simpler to design the pages the way you wish, which includes more than 200 templates, custom blocks, and elements. Choose the fonts, color palette, add images, and make A/B tests too. The design is fully responsive.

If you intend to make an ecommerce, tools like sales funnels and custom checkout will be very useful. You have the option to customize the buyer journey. Besides, you will have access to detailed analytics to get to know your target audience better and understand how to improve the website.

Key features:

• Page builder
• Drag-and-drop tool
• More than 200 templates
• A/B test
• Responsive design
• Sales funnels
• Custom checkouts
• AI assistant

17. Volusion#

Volusion is a platform focused on enabling you to create your own portfolio website. You will find beautiful themes for different types of stores. All you have to do is choose the one that suits you best and start customizing it. 

To help you make your website stand out, you can count on a team of experts, including SEO experts, web designers, and marketing professionals. To enhance the user experience when browsing through your website, Volusion offers several options to personalize the layout, you have different types of displays to showcase your products. 

Key features:

• Ecommerce website themes
• Responsive design
• Customize layout
• Product display options
• Home page slideshow
• SEO tools
• Fast loading

18. HubSpot Website Builder#

With HubSpot, you count on a free drag-and-drop website builder. You can create your website without any coding or technical skills.  The editor is easy-to-use and enables you to personalize all the pages. 

To facilitate this task, you can choose a pre-built template. As you build every page, enjoy the preview tool to make sure the website is exactly as you want it to be. HubSpot also provides you with a free SSL certificate.

Key features: 

• Drag-and-drop website builder
• Intuitive editor
• Pre-built themes
• SSL certificate
• Free blog maker

19. Ionos#

With Ionos, you can build your portfolio website the way you want. It's possible to make one with just three steps, first choose a design, then add your content, and just click publish. In each one of those steps, you are going to count on several tools to help you customize every page, and get a high-performance website. 

Ionos provides multiple industry-specific templates, for example, to online stores, restaurants, real estate businesses, travel agencies, and much more. You also can edit the images and texts as you prefer, and enjoy the free image bank that contains more than 17,000 photos. 

Key features:

• Professional templates
• Customization tools
• SEO tools
• Free SSL certificate
• Responsive design
• Easy analytics
• Built-in privacy tools

20. Web.Com#

Web.Com has an intuitive interface, so it becomes easy to learn how to make a portfolio website. Use the drag-and-drop tool to customize every detail of your pages, including the text, photos, and where you will put every button. 

If you have any doubts, you can even count on one free hour of web design support. Web.Com provides you with more than 150 professionally designed templates,  and ready-made content blocks too. They have multiple website plans, so you can choose the one that fits your needs and budget. 

Key features:

• Customizable templates
• Easy drag-and-drop technology
• Built-in web hosting
• SSL certificate
• Expert support 
• User-friendly marketing tools

Start  Making Your Portfolio Website#

Now that you have learned how to make a portfolio website, enjoy this opportunity to create yours. Choose a website builder, and show your work to the world. With well-designed pages and good content, you can highlight your projects and reach the right audience to promote your career.