Vsble - Blog: 5 portfolio mistakes and how to avoid them

No matter which industry you work in—whether you’re a photographer, designer, freelancer, developer, writer, etc.—having a stunning and professional portfolio is extremely important.

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Your personal portfolio site represents you. It is your brand. It is how potential clients, customers, or employers first perceive you, and it can be the deciding factor on whether they’ll want to employ your services. Your portfolio is the first impression you offer to a client or employer, and that first impression needs to be strong, accurate, and persuasive.

When creating your personal portfolio site , there are certain mistakes you should avoid. For example beeing too clunky to not mobile-friendly. We’d like to discuss five of the most common and important pitfalls you should avoid to make your online portfolio site stand out.

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1.Your portfolio website has too much or too little information

1.) The reality is, there is a sweet spot for how much content your portfolio website should have in it. If you have too much content in your portfolio, you run the risk of potential clients or employers getting bored, confused, or losing interesting. If your portfolio is on the sparse side, with little to no graphics or copy, viewers might not get an accurate understanding of your talent and objectives. If you need feedback on whether your portfolio has too much or too little content, consider sharing it with professional peers for their feedback. Peers in the same industry as you can help share their own portfolio tips.

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2. Easy to navigate portfolio design.

Worse than having too much or too little content is having a disorganized and confusing portfolio. This is especially the case if you are a designer, but even if you aren’t, you’ll want a professional-looking portfolio that tells the viewer that A.) You know what you’re doing and B.) You are the best person for the job. If your portfolio is your first chance to make a good impression, and your portfolio is overwhelming to look at, viewers will most likely abandon ship and move on to next candidate. Not sure if your portfolio is a mess? Don’t be afraid to ask your peers for feedback, or check out Vsble’s super easy portfolio builder that helps you create a beautiful free portfolio website in no time. And you don’t have to be tech-savvy either! It has been rated by users among best portfolio website builders, and features customisable website designs. Moreover, the stylish portfolio designs are included for no extra cost. Vsble also has professional features that are included when you create your free online portfolio site.

3.Your portfolio website has no context.

Another important consideration while building your portfolio is to ensure it offers context. For example: Say you are an advertising copywriter and you include photos of advertisements you’ve worked on with no corresponding information. The viewer might want to know when the ads were created and where they were placed, how well they performed, any awards your ads received, or if the stakeholders were happy. Context gives the viewer additional information about your work process and client satisfaction. Now remember: You don’t want too much information cluttering up your portfolio to keep the portfolio design clean and easy to navigate. You need just enough context to tell a compelling story about your work.

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4. Online portfolio websites should be mobile friendly.

Did you know that up to 70 percent of web traffic is done through a cell phone? We live in a mobile world, and there’s a good chance your potential client, customer, or employer will view your portfolio on their cell phone. When building your portfolio, it’s important that you are using a mobile-friendly builder that ensures your portfolio is optimized for mobile viewing. If your portfolio isn’t mobile-responsive and the viewer is looking at it on their phone, chances are it will come across as a disorganized mess and it will be difficult for the viewer to scroll through. Avoid this common pitfall by using a portfolio builder that does the mobile optimization for you. (Hint: Vsble can help.)

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5. Your portfolio isn’t SSL-encrypted:

Did you know that not every portfolio builder offers SSL-encryption or is GDPR-compliant? It’s true. Non-SSL-encrypted portfolio websites can leave personal information vulnerable to hackers. In addition, if your portfolio isn’t SSL-encrypted, the viewer of your portfolio will see an alert that says, “Unsafe page to visit.” This can potentially scare them off. And lastly, per GDPR regulations, all contact forms must be SSL-encrypted, otherwise the site owner can be fined. This is why it’s important to create your portfolio through a builder that takes data security and GDPR regulations seriously.

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At Vsble, we can help you avoid all of these common mistakes and more. Our easy-to-use portfolio-building platform not only helps anyone create a beautiful, clutter-free portfolio, it’s also GDPR-compliant, meaning viewers of your portfolio will know that their information is safe and protected.

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Photo by Alberto Bigoni on Unsplash

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