Creative professionals like you must promote their work with a free online portfolio website. Having your own online portfolio guarantees that you get identified and headhunted for your successes. Continue reading to locate the top online portfolio sites for you!
11 factors to consider while selecting an online portfolio website
When creating a selection of the finest portfolio platforms, consider the following:
- Your goals: First and foremost, determine your portfolio’s needs and goals. What will you show in your portfolio?
- Templates: After deciding what you’ll post on your web portfolio, look into a platform’s templates. Does it provide a selection of templates to enhance your personal brand?
- User-friendliness: Select websites for your portfolio that you will actually utilize. Is their UI user-friendly for novices or experienced coders?
- Mobile-friendliness: Ensure that the online portfolio sites you select have responsive websites. This ensures that your online portfolio looks great on any device, including a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop.
- SEO-friendly: The top portfolio platforms allow you to rank in search engines, making it easy for potential clients and headhunters to find you. Nevertheless, they must be SEO-friendly.
- Social media integration: To increase your personal brand’s exposure through your portfolio, seek for online portfolio platforms that can connect to your social network accounts.
- Custom domains: If you want to utilize a custom domain for your online portfolio, check sure the platforms you’re considering offer custom domains.
- Storage: Make sure you choose a free online portfolio with adequate storage for your data and content.
- Analytics: To track and optimize the success of your online portfolio, you’ll need a visitor analytics and insights platform. Look for websites that provide this tool.
- Contact form: Would you like to accept queries via your online portfolio? Shortlist online portfolio sites that allow you to generate or incorporate contact forms from other websites.
- Customer Support: Finally, investigate the customer service options. If you get stuck, does the portfolio site include a live chat or support page that can assist you with troubleshooting?
9 Best Free Online Portfolio Websites to Use in 2024
Are you ready to develop your own online portfolio for the world to see? The following are the top free portfolio websites for authors, designers, painters, and photographers:
The top free portfolio sites for authors and journalists
These free portfolio sites allow writers to showcase their work and provide links to their published work. While most of them start off free, you may upgrade your subscription to acquire more file storage and extra features. Let’s go through each one.
1. Clippings
Clippings.me allows writers and journalists to simply establish an online portfolio of their work from numerous newspapers. It provides a free version that allows you to display clips with links to the websites where they were released. Getting started is simple. Write your bio, tweak your portfolio’s appearance, and upload your work! You may also include YouTube videos in your portfolio and collect emails using a contact form. Integrate your social media accounts to keep connected with prospects!
2. WordPress
WordPress’s reputation greatly outstrips those of its competitors in terms of website development and hosting. It openly declares domination by stating that 43% of the internet utilizes it. If you’re a blogger or writer, this is for you. WordPress allows you to create any type of website content. Create a blog, post your images, and showcase your online portfolio to the world. Signing up is quick and simple. WordPress offers a variety of pricing plans to fit your budget, ranging from free to enterprise, based on your demands.
3. Wix
Wix is one of the most popular free portfolio platforms available. It appears high in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and is utilized worldwide by amateur web creators to post content such as portfolios.
Some of its primary features are:
- There is a big selection of website template designs in several categories to choose from.
- Unlimited access to free websites, with the option of upgrading to premium for additional perks.
- Create a site from scratch or use a template to help.
- As a premium user, you can expand your business’s payment choices.
When you first start, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot asks you what website you want to build and what you want to highlight in your online portfolio.
4. WebFlow
Webflow allows you to create your own portfolio website without having to write any code. Webflow makes it simple to create a free portfolio website.
To get started, click the link in the upper right corner, and you’ll have access to your dashboard whenever you need to make adjustments. Begin by using their tools to create a new template or prepopulate one.
5. Odoo
Odoo’s simplicity will appeal to you from the first time you visit the site. Its clean, modern, white-space layout is pleasing to the eye, and the introductory video on making a website is engaging and simple. What distinguishes it from other sites is that your free portfolio website includes hosting and a domain name, which are typically expensive to purchase. Here are some other amazing available features for building your website:
- An artificial intelligence designer who configures your website based on its intended purpose.
- Drag & drop content between customizable blocks.
- Colorful gradients.
- Exciting animations and effects will help bring your material to life.
- HTML5 capabilities are mobile-friendly.
- There are no limits on photographs that are copyright free.
The most effective portfolio platforms for artists and designers
Artists and designers can create an online portfolio of their creative endeavors using free platforms that are user-friendly and provide file storage. Let’s look at the top free websites for them.
6. Behance
Behance features one of the most comprehensive collections of portfolio design templates. When you visit the site, you’re treated with a plethora of examples that get right to the point without fluff and frills. These samples demonstrate your abilities and serve as inspiration for what you may include in your own portfolio. To build one, click the Explore Adobe Portfolio tile and follow the prompts.
7. Crevada
Crevado is a free online portfolio creator that allows you to present your work using just a web browser. It does not require coding knowledge, so getting started is simple. If you’re selling your artwork online, you can also link your PayPal account.
Top Online Portfolio Sites for Photographers
When creating an online portfolio, photographers should choose a platform that offers storage and customized themes or layouts that reflect their style. Here are the top online portfolio sites for photographers:
8. Journalist Portfolio
Journo Portfolio’s customizable portfolio options are ideal for creatives. Its unique selling point is the ability to add diverse multimedia assets into your portfolio for a totally customized experience.
Although the free plan only allows for 10 portfolio items, the Pro and Unlimited plans provide more options. Some of the benefits you’ll experience are:
- Access to the content builder, which allows you to showcase your skills in a variety of formats.
- You may access backups at any time, ensuring that you never lose your online content.
- To increase security, set password protection and hide your portfolio so that it is not discovered by unwelcome visitors, such as your current employer.
- Send updates to potential subscribers by posting new weekly material.
- Examine your site’s performance for trends.
- Sell your products and services and boost purchases on your website.
Journo is a comprehensive portfolio management website that may be used to its maximum capacity.
9. Canva
Canva is a great, free online portfolio platform. You can start creating your portfolio with Canva’s free or premium templates. You may then quickly personalize each page with its drag-and-drop editing capabilities. Once you’ve completed your design, click the “Publish Website” button. The free plan allows you to produce an online portfolio using a Canva domain. You can also buy your own domain using Canva.
Highlight your creative portfolio using Digi Tech Resource Group
Free online portfolio websites allow creatives to promote their previous projects and talents to potential clients and headhunters. Consider Digi Tech Resource Group, LLC if you need experienced website design services. We are a full-service digital marketing business with 15 years of expertise developing websites that generate results and income. Contact us online or by phone at 855-880-5222 to speak with a strategist about our website design services!
