How to Create a Portfolio Site on WordPress (in 6 Steps for Beginners)
In this quick guide we will go over how to create your first Portfolio website on WordPress in few easy steps. Even if you are not ready to build it just yet, this guide will give you some ideas what you have to think about it and how long it might take you to actually finish your new portfolio site.
A portfolio site is a perfect platform to showcase your artwork, design and overall design skills to potencial clients or employer. A well design portfolio site will get you more freelance work if you want to become full time or par-time frelancer. In this quick guide for beginners ww will go over some of the important things to consider when building your first portfolio website on WordPress. The reason we pick WordPress is because its the most popular platform on the internet and powers more then 35% of all the websites.
1. WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
So whats the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com? WordPress.org is a self hosting platform which means you will need to buy your own hosting to host your website. WordPress.com is self hosting platform which means they will host your site for you. WordPress.com has a free plan where you can get started and then for around $4-$20/month you can upgrade. WordPress.org hosting is around $3–$6/month depends which hosting provider you pick.
What are the pros and cons of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com? WordPress.org you own everything and are free to use any WordPress theme you like. WordPress.com they host your content and you can only use the themes they provide, so you limited to using what they give you, unless you buy the business plan for $25/month then you can upload other themes.
2. Select a Good WordPress.org Hosting
In this tutorial we will go with WordPress.org as you will be able to use any free or premium portfolio themes you like. When it comes to hosting I would recommend to stick with the two most popular and most recommended by WordPress.org which is Bluehost or SiteGround. Both are great hosting with affordable price. Bluehost is around $2.95/month and SiteGround is around $6.99/month. If you want more details about each hosting you can read our SiteGround review and Bluehost review and decide which hosting privider is more suitable to you.If you still can’t decide read our comparison SiteGround vs Bluehost
3. Choose a Domain Name
If you signup with either SiteGround or Bluehost they both have option to register your domain name. Bluehost will give you a free domain the first year, and then its around $12.99/year. A good domain is something to think about it. A good domain should be short and easy to remember. If you building a personal portfolio site then maybe using your name will work example: MikeCreativePortfolio.com will work well, if you using more branding name then something like MCPortfolio.com will be a good choice. Domain is personal just like a logo, so there is something to think about it before registering your new domain name.
4. Install WordPress with 1-click Install
The best part of picking SiteGround or Bluehost is that they have 1-click WordPress install which is super easy. If you need to see how easy it is we have a guide how to install WordPress on Bluehost and also how to install WordPress on SiteGround easy guide.
5. Pick and Activate a WordPress Portfolio Theme
Once you have your WordPress install, now you are ready to pick and activate any portfolio theme you like. Now the question is if you want to get Free Portfolio Theme or Premium WordPress Portfolio themes. The best think with free portfolio themes is that you might be limited to some features and support but if you feel that you just need quick simple portfolio site then this would be great potion for you. If you need something more complex and unique then premium theme with great support and features is your option.We have a great list of the best portfolio themes for WordPress. You can even install some of the best free portfolio templates.
6. Work on your New Portfolio site
Once you pick your perfect WordPress portfolio theme, now its time to work on it and add your creative artwork. Make sure you have About, Portfolio and Contact pages as those will be your most important pages. I also recommend to have a blog page where you can write about your creative process and show or teach others how you work got done. If you need more in depth tutorial how to create a portfolio site on WordPress you can read our full post.