Did I get your attention? My hope is that this advice on your website portfolio page resonates with anyone who feels like they don’t have a big enough portfolio, and the businesses that have a huge portfolio! It applies to both types of businesses and everything in between.

Okay, let’s get into the nitty gritty of it.

WHAT TYPES OF BUSINESSES DOES A WEBSITE PORTFOLIO APPLY TO?

This one applies to both portfolio-based businesses as well as strictly service-based businesses.

A PORTFOLIO based business shares images of their before and afters, designs, etc. as well as reviews.

A strictly SERVICE-based business would present things like reviews, client testimonials, etc.

SO, let’s get to the point I want to make, and I will explain why I am offering this advice. It’s to help you put your best foot forward! Here I go…

STOP SHARING EVERYTHING!!

Sharing too much can be really overwhelming for the user who comes to your website. They want to see your best work, and the work that aligns with them. If you have a strong branding strategy in place, and know your ideal clients, then your portfolio should reflect this.

So, even if you are just starting a business and don’t have a huge portfolio, create passion projects that speak to the person you want to work with. Profile your top work and keep it to a reasonable number of projects.

Check out my portfolio here!

HOW MANY WEBSITE PORTFOLIO PROJECTS SHOULD YOU PRESENT?

6-10 projects in your portfolio are plenty!

I lean to the lower end of the scale and if you have 4 strong designs, that is enough for a potential client to see your talents.

WHAT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PORTFOLIO, BUT HAVE REVIEWS?

If you work based on reviews, I recommend 3-4 solid reviews on your website and then have a link to more reviews on your Google reviews, etc. Wherever you send the bulk of your reviews. That way if someone feels they need to see more (which they really shouldn’t) they can go there and read them all!

It is a lot to expect someone to read through 10-15 reviews on one page of your website, and it’s not great for UX (User Experience) ranking when it comes to your business page.

Click here to see an example of a review-based portfolio!

BUT I HAVE SO MANY PROJECTS I LOVE. I WANT TO SHARE THEM ALL!!

STOP IT! Hahaha. But seriously, it’s not necessary and people have short attention spans when they are online. Show them what you offer them, show them some examples, and have a strong call to action.

What do you think? Was this helpful and will you try to have a refined portfolio on your website.

I promise it will make your life a whole lot easier, while still displaying your incredible talents.

Jess is a custom website designer and story-driven branding designer based on Vancouver Island, Canada. She is the owner of Hanbury Design Company. If you are interested in design services or learning more about her story, CLICK HERE!