10 Web Developer Portfolio Tips

Over the course of my career, I’ve seen a lot of developer portfolio sites. I’ve had my own, and I’ve reviewed at least 50 sites on behalf of others. I’ve seen some truly great portfolios… and I’ve seen some horrible ones. Getting a job can be difficult at the entry level and having a nice portfolio could make all the difference. With that in mind, here are 10 tips that will improve your web developer portfolio.

The design, user interface, and all around look of your site is the first thing that anyone sees. It’s the all-important first impression. This might seem obvious, but I’ve seen some portfolio sites recently that looked like they were built in the early 2000s. One could argue that as a web developer, your portfolio itself is the most important display of your skill since it’s the only work that a recruiter is guaranteed to see and navigate. It’s imperative to make sure your portfolio site is presentable and functional.

The second point is twofold: you should have a sufficient hosting plan as well as a custom domain name. Too frequently, I am asked to review a portfolio that is hosted on ‘something.heroku-app.com’ or some other free subdomain. Domains like this, in my opinion, don’t really show professionalism if they’re hosting your main portfolio. They can be fine for one-off projects and displays of skill, but not your portfolio. It’s easy enough to purchase a $12 domain name and host it cheaply on any one of the multitude of shared hosting options. Otherwise, as a candidate for web work, a low effort domain gives the impression that you don’t care too much.

You should also use a SSL certificate and put some thought into the infrastructure of your site. Find something that’s effective, loads your pages quickly, and looks professional. If you’re insistent on keeping costs down, there are services like Github Pages that allow you to bring your own domain and SSL certificate and host a webpage for free. If your site is static with some links and images, this could be a good option.

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