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How to Build a WordPress Portfolio Website (5 Tips)

Image of open acer laptop sitting on a table next to a cup.

If you don’t have a professional portfolio, you might find it difficult to attract clients and promote your freelance business. However, if you’ve never built a site before, the process may seem a little daunting. 

Fortunately, WordPress makes it easy to create an online portfolio. You can choose a creative theme, display client testimonials, and use galleries to exhibit your work and achievements. This can help you gain leads from potential clients.

In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of creating a WordPress portfolio website. Then, we’ll provide a list of tips and best practices for getting started. Let’s get to it!

Why You Might Consider Creating a WordPress Portfolio 

If you’re a freelancer or run a small business, having an online portfolio enables you to showcase your work to potential clients. Portfolios can be used for a variety of services, including photography, graphic design, web development, and content writing:

Screenshot of Paul Barton portfolio website with images of a Rolls Royce and two animals.

WordPress is a great option if you’re on a budget. This Content Management System (CMS) is free, and there are plenty of low-cost hosting services to choose from.

With WordPress, you get full control over the content you want to display. Additionally, you’ll get access to thousands of themes and plugins. This means you can create a fully customized portfolio.

There are many important elements to include in your portfolio. For instance, you’ll want to make sure that you display your contact details:

Screenshot of Tara Pixley portfolio website featuring the Contact Me page containing a contact form

Having a contact page on your website makes it easy for users to reach out and ask questions about your services. You can add a contact form and provide your email address and phone number.

You’ll also want to showcase some of your projects. Promoting the work you have produced for past clients will show users what you have to offer. This way, they can decide whether or not they like your style:

Screenshot of ERP portfolio website with link to selected writing clips

Additionally, you might want to display testimonials from satisfied clients. This can be an effective way to promote your work and gain new customers. Positive reviews are proof that you produce good work: 

Screenshot of Casey's Head portfolio website featuring a section with testimonials

There are many other things you can add to your portfolio website. You can experiment with different pages and elements to see what works best for you. 

How to Build a WordPress Portfolio Website (5 Tips) 

As we have seen, building an online portfolio can be a powerful way to showcase your work and reach new customers. Fortunately, WordPress makes the process easy. Let’s look at some tips to help you get started.

1. Choose Your Best Work

The first step is deciding what content you want to include in your portfolio. Ideally, you’ll want to showcase your best work. You can think of your site as a one-page resume which highlights your greatest accomplishments.

For example, if you have a photo published in a widely recognized publication such as National Geographic or the New York Times, you might want to mention it in your portfolio:

Screenshot of Jonathan Malesic portfolio website that features links to his published work.

Similarly, if you’ve ever won any awards, you’ll want to highlight them on your site. Creating a list of projects and awards that you want to add to your portfolio can help you stay organized. It will also help you design your pages more effectively. 

2. Select a Stunning Portfolio Theme

As mentioned earlier, WordPress comes with a broad range of themes that you can use to design your portfolio. You can visit the WordPress Theme Directory to select a free option for your site:

Screenshot of WordPress theme selector interface

You can even use the Feature Filter to browse through themes designed specifically for portfolios:

Screenshot of WordPress theme selector with filter of Portfolio themes applied

There are some important things to consider when choosing a WordPress theme. While a clean design is always a safe bet, you might be looking to show off your creative side. Therefore, a theme with bold colors and fonts might be a better choice for you. 

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your theme is responsive. This means it can adjust to different screen sizes. If you’ve found a theme that you like, you can tinker with it to make it more mobile-friendly. 

If you can’t find the right theme in WordPress, there are thousands of other options available on third-party marketplaces. 

3. Customize Your Content with a Page Builder

A page builder gives you full control over the design of your portfolio. It enables you to build and customize your site without touching a line of code. This also means that you won’t have to rely solely on the customization options available with your theme.   

With a page builder, you are able to choose different elements, place them on your page, and customize them to fit your needs. For instance, Beaver Builder makes it easy to add and edit important sections on your portfolio, such as client testimonials and photo galleries:

Image of Beaver Builder marketing website with the text Focus on Creating not Coding

The Beaver Builder page builder lets you design all aspects of your WordPress portfolio site. To get started, download the plugin and go to Pages > Add New in your WordPress dashboard. From here, you can launch Beaver Builder to start creating your portfolio page. 

The plugin comes with a broad selection of modules that you can use. These include galleries, audio, testimonials, Call to Action (CTA) buttons, and more: 

Screenshot of Beaver Builder page builder interface

You can simply drag and drop different modules onto the page to build your portfolio. Additionally, you can customize each element by changing the color, layout, typography, and more.

Using a page builder will help you add more features and functionality to your pages. It will also enable you to tweak the design of your site to make it look more professional. 

4. Create an Interactive Project Gallery

Whether you’re a photographer, interior designer, or make-up artist, the project gallery will be the essence of your WordPress portfolio. This is the place where clients can scroll through a display of your projects and best pieces:

screenshot of Jennifer Fernandex gallery portfolio website with two rows of four images featuring upscale homes


Choosing a neat layout will help you present your work in a more professional manner. Some WordPress themes come with custom post types which enable you to easily add photos or projects.

If you’re using the Beaver Builder page builder, you have the option to add a Gallery module to your page:

screenshot of the Beaver Builder gallery module

You can then choose a layout and select the images you want to display. This module includes settings to help make your gallery more interactive. For instance, you can add captions and animations.

Additionally, you have different options when it comes to displaying your photos. For example, you can present them in a lightbox with navigation aids, or display a full-sized image on its own page. 

5. Include Eye-Catching Visuals

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Even if you’re not selling visual content, it’s important to have high-quality images on your site. 

According to a scientific study, 90 percent of information that the brain processes is visual. If you can provide stunning images for your portfolio, your clients will be more likely to stay engaged. It can also help make your brand more memorable

This may seem easy if you’re a talented photographer or artist. However, even if you write articles for a living, you can still include eye-catching visuals in your portfolio. 

Your banner image is an excellent way to catch the attention of your visitors. It can also help you make a good first impression:

screenshot of portfolio website with text of Office Erik Andersson overlaying an image of a snowy bridge over a river

Another important place to use visuals is your About Me page. A professional headshot can help you build trust with your visitors:

Screenshot of Melanie Davied portfolio website with image of woman and text of her bio

This photo should align with your brand. For example, if you design websites for financial firms, you might want to choose a more serious image. Meanwhile, if you’re a pet photographer or tattoo artist, you can portray your quirky side and use a more casual photo. 

High-quality images can make your content more visually appealing. This can help you attract more clients and increase user engagement on your site. 

Conclusion

A clean and creative WordPress portfolio can help you show off your work and stand out from the crowd. It also shows potential clients that you are able to produce high-quality results, whether you’re a web designer, photographer, or artist.

To recap, here are five tips to help you create a professional WordPress portfolio:

  1. Consider what accomplishments and projects you want to highlight on your site. 
  2. Choose a beautiful and responsive portfolio theme. 
  3. Use a page builder that lets you customize your portfolio to suit your needs. 
  4. Create an interactive project gallery so that clients can easily skim through your work. 
  5. Use high-quality images and visuals to improve user engagement. 

If you need help in creating your portfolio, look no further. Here at GoWP, we’ll help you take your WordPress website to the next level. Learn more about our expert designers!

Author

Will Morris

Will Morris

Will Morris is a staff writer at WordCandy. When he's not writing about WordPress, he likes to gig his stand-up comedy routine on the local circuit.

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