When you work as a freelancer, it’s essential to attract quality clients. However, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. With so many creative professionals available, you may struggle to land your coveted contracts. 

Creating an online freelance portfolio is an excellent way to showcase your talents and get to the interview stage with new clients. Fortunately, it’s easy to make one with WordPress.com. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss why you should consider using WordPress.com for your online freelance portfolio. Then, we’ll discuss five actionable tips to help you improve your resume website and impress potential clients. Let’s get started!

What an Online Freelance Portfolio Is (And Why You Need One)

An online freelance portfolio replaces a traditional paper resume. It is a website that shows off your skills, experience, and past projects. 

Since you’re a creative worker, your portfolio may showcase anything from graphic designs to professional photography:

As a freelancer, you work in a very competitive market. In the United States alone, there were approximately 59 million people working freelance in 2020. This number increases every year, meaning you’ll need to impress potential clients if you want to stand out. 

An online portfolio enables you to present concrete evidence of your skills in a visually appealing way. You can also update it as you complete new projects or further your education. 

Furthermore, an online portfolio can help you gain clients from all over the world. You could promote it on social media, or share it with potential leads. As such, using a website can help you increase your reach and land more contracts. 

Why You Should Use WordPress.com for Your Online Freelance Portfolio

There are various platforms that enable you to build an online freelance portfolio. However, WordPress.com is one of the most versatile and user-friendly ones. Let’s explore more reasons to choose WordPress.com for your online portfolio. 

No-code website builder

For starters, WordPress.com uses a drag-and-drop website builder. This means that you can build your site without having to write a single line of code.

Stellar Support

If you need help at any point, WordPress.com has a dedicated technical support team to assist you. As such, it is a suitable platform for beginners or individuals who have little technical knowledge. 

Ready-to-customize Portfolio Themes

Furthermore, there are various themes designed for online portfolios that you can use and customize to suit your particular needs:

Plugin Library for Extra Functionality

Some WordPress.com plans give you access to plugins that can enhance your site further. For example, a contact form add-on enables clients to reach you directly from your website. Therefore, you can design a professional portfolio with all of the necessary features. 

Built-in SEO Tools

The platform comes with in-built Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools to boost your rankings on search engines. Paired with a custom domain name, these SEO tools make it easier for clients to find your site and get a sense of your personal brand. 

How to Optimize Your Online Freelance Portfolio with WordPress.com (5 Tips)

Before you can set up your online freelance portfolio, you’ll need to build a new website with WordPress.com. We recommend opting for the Business or eCommerce plan to take full advantage of plugins and other features.

Let’s look at some important tips for creating an impressive online portfolio. 

1. Communicate Who You Are

Many clients will want to get an idea of your personality to see if you will be a good fit for their projects. Using an About page can show potential customers who you are and display your personal brand: 

We recommend that you showcase the following elements on your page:

• An overview of your work and personal history
• Your core brand values
• Your skills, education, and experience
• A list of past projects you have worked on

Investing time in your About page can be one of the most valuable endeavors for your online portfolio. More than half of users go straight to this page after landing on your homepage, so it’s worth putting in the effort to design it well. 

Let’s look at how to add an About page to your online freelance portfolio with WordPress.com. We’re going to work with the Sketch theme because it has a visually striking and user-friendly layout:

In your WordPress.com dashboard, click on Pages > Add New. This will bring up a new window with page options. Select the About menu item and choose a layout:

Once you’ve chosen your design, you can replace the generic information with your own details. When you’re ready, click on Publish to make it part of your online freelance portfolio. 

The About page will be automatically added to your site’s menu. If you need to update it at any point, you can navigate to Pages > All Pages and click on About Me to edit it. 

2. Include a Professional Photo

You may want to consider including a professional photo in your online freelance portfolio. This usually has the following characteristics:

• A headshot framing
• Good lighting
• A smile

Using a high-quality image can show potential clients that you are professional but approachable. Including a smile can also make you seem more trustworthy to your customers and even help you make more money. 

Alternatively, you can use the photo to show off your personal brand and identity. If you’re a photographer or graphic designer, you may like to stylize your image according to your professional aesthetic.

For example, Tobias van Schneider, the designer behind House of van Schneider, uses a photo that reflects his edgy design aesthetic:

You might want to employ a professional photographer to ensure that you get the best quality image for your portfolio. Then, you can choose the best place for your photo. 

We recommend putting it on your About page so that clients can put a face to your name and description:

If you choose an About page layout with a profile photo, you can replace the stock image with your own by clicking on it and selecting Replace:

You can switch out the image for one from your media library, or just upload a new one.

When you’re happy with your changes, click on Update to save them. 

3. Add Client Testimonials

Testimonials and reviews can lend credibility to your online freelance portfolio. They serve a similar function as references do on a standard resume: they give your potential clients a way to verify that you are who you say you are.

For example, here are some client testimonials for designer Brook Perryman:

Up to 91 percent of people are more likely to use a business with positive online reviews. As such, displaying detailed testimonials from your previous clients can go a long way to landing new ones.

You can add customer testimonials to your portfolio by using the built-in Testimonials feature from WordPress.com. You can activate it by navigating to Settings > Writing > Content Types.

Once you’ve activated the feature, follow the remaining steps to add, manage, and display the testimonials on your page.

4. Showcase Your Best Content

As a freelancer, you want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to see examples of your work. If your past projects are accessible, clients can get a good idea of your capabilities, style, and techniques. 

As such, you’ll probably want to show at least part of your portfolio on your home page. Therefore, users will see your past work immediately when they arrive on your website.

The portfolio feature should already be enabled if you’re using one of the portfolio-specific themes. If not, you’ll need to activate it by clicking on Settings > Writing > Content Types and enabling Portfolio Projects:

Next, head to Portfolio > Add New. This will bring up a blank page where you can enter all the information for your portfolio project, including images, tags, and descriptions:

Add as many portfolio projects as you want to showcase. You can embed them on a page by going to it and adding a Shortcode block. Type “[portfolio]” into the block. This will automatically add them to the page:

There are a couple more ways to display your portfolio projects. For example, any projects you make will automatically form a new page that you can find at yoursite.wordpress.com/portfolio. 

Alternatively, you can add a Portfolio gallery block to your page. Simply type in its name and select it. You can then replace the images with your own:

Finally, you can add a dedicated portfolio page to your site. Go to Pages > Add New and choose one from the Portfolio category:

Then, you can customize it to display your content. If you would like to use this page as your homepage, you can navigate to Pages > All Pages and click on the three dots next to the title:

Then, select the Set as Homepage option. This will reconfigure your portfolio site. 

5. Make It Easy for Clients to Contact You

Finally, potential clients need a way to contact you through your portfolio site. You can either provide your contact details or a form that customers can fill in. You may also like to link out to your social media profiles.

Let’s look at how you can create a Contact page on your website. Head to Pages > Add New and select a layout from the Contact menu. You should now be able to see the generic version and customize it with your information:

If you click on each social media icon, you can enter links to your pages, such as your Twitter and Facebook accounts. You can also control where client messages go. To do this, click on Name and then Select Form:

Next, select the pencil icon to open up the block settings:

Here, you can enter your email address and choose how messages show up in your inbox. Once you’re done, click on Publish. 

That’s it! Clients can now contact you easily through your site. 

Create Your Portfolio Now

Creating an online portfolio is an excellent way to impress potential clients. Fortunately, WordPress.com makes this super easy with its user-friendly interface and customizable design options. 

In summary, you can optimize your online freelance portfolio with WordPress.com by:

1. Communicating who you are with an About page
2. Including a professional photo of yourself
3. Adding client reviews to boost your credibility
4. Showcasing your best work
5. Making it easy for clients to contact you

Create your portfolio website now.