Written by Julia Gralki. Photo courtesy of Envato Elements.
It’s summer vacation: a great time to work on your portfolio. Maybe you’ve already uploaded new projects to your website or are still tweaking recent designs. But one thing is for sure: working on your portfolio doesn’t stop with clicking “publish” on your website.
To give your portfolio a life beyond LinkedIn and the occasional employer meeting, let me introduce you to SEO, also known as search engine optimization.
SEO helps your website rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP), so your portfolio appears on page one or two of search results for certain words key, which means that you are more recognizable to potential clients or employers.
Here are the top three things you need to do to optimize your portfolio for SEO:
1. Find your keywords
Keywords are words or phrases that we search for on Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Once we hit the Enter key, we are presented with thousands or billions of website pages that contain these keywords. That means that if your website contains the keywords that people search for, it will appear on the first pages of the results. To get there, you need to determine which keywords are relevant to your website.
For example, if you designed interior spaces for a local Greek restaurant, give posts or photos names that your target audience can discover. Instead of being too specific and using too many location-related keywords, give it titles like “Modern Greek-Inspired Restaurant Interior Design in Savannah, Georgia.”
Now that you have the keywords, where do you put them?
There are several places that are crucial for your audience to be able to find your portfolio, but some of them are more useful than others.
Here is a list, with descending priority:
2. Tell a story
Now fill your portfolio pages or posts with content. The best way to do this is to include not only the final result, but also the “before” and “during”. By adding more text and photos, you also have the opportunity to add more keywords, but don’t add too many because Google penalizes websites that engage in “keyword stuffing”.
You can also add recommendations or customer reviews to boost your design story.
3. Distribute your portfolio
If you’re not already doing so, be sure to share your portfolio on social media like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest. Sharing links online helps you build backlinks, which also improves your website’s performance, but that’s a story for another day.
SEO (or search engine optimization) is the practice of optimizing a website so that it ranks well in search engines. Website design is the design and creation of a website and all of its pages. If you put them together, SEO web design is the design and creation of a website that is optimized for search engines.
What are SEO tools?
SEO tools provide data and alerts on the overall health and success of your website. They help uncover areas of opportunity and identify weaknesses or issues that may prevent you from ranking and gaining visibility in the SERPs. Just as real tools each have a specific function, the same goes for SEO.
What are basic SEO tools? What follows is a list of essential technical SEO tools that every SEO professional should be familiar with.
- Screaming Frog.
- Google search console. …
- Google analytics. …
- Toolbar for web developers. …
- Website test. …
- Google page speed information. …
- Google’s mobile device compatibility testing tool. …
- Google’s Schema.org Structured Data Testing Tool.
What is SEO tool used for?
SEO tools investigate the potential of web pages for a high placement on search engine ranking pages. They provide information on backlinks and keywords, as well as information on the SEO competition on the Internet.
What is SEO analysis tool?
Website SEO analysis involves a review of your website’s content, code, structure, and external authority to provide you with what’s known as an SEO score. Website SEO analysis then takes this score and uses it to compare your web presence to your competitors.
Should I have a portfolio website?
A portfolio website is the fastest and easiest way to showcase your work as a designer. Even if you have a physical portfolio, a website is still an expected extra, and it’s vital that it makes your work sing.
Is a website portfolio good? It connects you with potential employers, clients, and opportunities. And it helps you grow your network, without which you are nothing. Remember, you’re not the only person doing what you do: your portfolio is one of many that the creative director, founder, client, etc. they will see during their search.
Is a portfolio the same as a website?
The most important difference between an artist’s website and an online portfolio is that a home page gives you all the information about the artist, while an online portfolio shows only a specific project or series of artworks.
Should my portfolio be a website?
A portfolio website is the fastest and easiest way to showcase your work as a designer. Even if you have a physical portfolio, a website is still an expected extra, and it’s vital that it makes your work sing.
What type of website is a portfolio?
What is a portfolio website? Let’s start by defining what a portfolio website is. In its most basic form, a portfolio website provides professional information about an individual or company and features a sample of their work.
Why should I make a portfolio website?
The importance of having a professional online presence is more important than ever, and an online portfolio will certainly increase your visibility and presence. Creating your portfolio website allows you to easily share and showcase your work with employers you would like to work for.
Do I really need a portfolio website?
In a nutshell, you need a portfolio website to showcase your work. Whether you’re an individual, a small team of two, or a company of ten people, it’s crucial that you have a unique online focus.
What is the benefit of making portfolio?
The first and most obvious benefit of creating a portfolio is the fact that it will help you showcase your skills and abilities to future employers and other professionals in the field. It’s a great way to highlight your skills and show evidence of the experience you’ve gained throughout your career.
Should my portfolio be a website or PDF?
The ideal format for your UX portfolio is to have a website and a PDF presentation. However, do not create a PDF and a website with the exact content, such as detailed case studies of the same projects. That’s a lot of duplicate work.
Can a website be a portfolio?
As a web designer, it’s essential that you have a portfolio of websites to showcase your best work and give others a means to communicate with you. An up-to-date website portfolio can be used to help you get a job, find new opportunities and become self-employed.
Is it better to have a website or PDF portfolio?
Ideally, you should have both an online and a static portfolio. After all, you’ll be using them at different points in your job application process. However, if you can only create one portfolio, we recommend that you go for an online portfolio.
Do website builders affect SEO?
They do not offer any SEO advantage. Ultimately, these WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) website builders will severely limit the growth of your business. HTML markup created by any page builder will always be exponentially more bloated than HTML crafted by an expert web developer.
Does website editing affect SEO? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Numerous fractions are modified during the redesign, including the code and the pages. If not handled properly, they can negatively affect the SEO of the website and affect the long-term growth of the site. However, if done correctly, a website redesign can also increase its SEO strength.
Is a custom website better for SEO?
Ranking high in search engine results is a key metric for online success. With a custom website, your developer can incorporate the latest best practices for SEO and give your site the best chance of success in search rankings.
Which type of website is good for SEO purpose?
In short, the top five website builders for SEO are: Wix – Perfect for absolute beginners to SEO. Squarespace – The best for boosting your site’s SEO with a variety of built-in features. WordPress.com – Great for those who want a hands-on SEO experience. Weebly – Dozens of high-quality and useful SEO apps.
Do website builders affect SEO?
They do not offer any SEO advantage. Ultimately, these WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) website builders will severely limit the growth of your business. HTML markup created by any page builder will always be exponentially more bloated than HTML crafted by an expert web developer.
Do web designers know SEO?
To get better at SEO, web designers need to gain a deeper understanding of the business aspects of websites. Aside from creating stunning designs, web designers should always be aware of some basic SEO ideas that can bring about a positive change in their entire approach to web design.
Why is SEO important in web design?
SEO allows you to get a better ranking for your site on the web. When users search for products that are available on your website, they will be able to see them as soon as they type in the keywords. A higher ranking for your website will increase the chance of your site getting more clicks.
Do Web developers need to know SEO?
Therefore, web developers are highly recommended to learn SEO skills and further implement the knowledge in their next projects to make websites worthwhile and more profitable, and to create better user experiences!
Does SEO cost Money?
Technically, SEO is free. You are not paying money for SERP placement. Google ranks content based on a number of factors, including the E-A-T trio: experience, authority, and trust. They will rank high for those that are seen as valuable resources for users.
Is SEO a one-time cost? SEO is not a one-time project; it needs to be constantly updated, analyzed and adjusted to deliver the desired results. The content and links must be continually updated and improved. This is why most business owners will be more than willing to pay a monthly retainer for a quality SEO service.
Is SEO free of cost?
| Write | Cost | Who uses it? |
|---|---|---|
| DIY SEO | Free | entrepreneurs |
| cheap seo | $500 to $3,000 per month | Small companies |
| Mid-range SEO | $3,000 to $15,000 per month | established businesses |
| high end seo | $15,000-$30,000 per month | Websites with high volumes of traffic |
How much does SEO cost per month?
Average SEO costs are $100 to $250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 to $10,000 per month for US agencies. Average SEO costs $2819 per month (per Ahrefs) Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
Is SEO paid or free?
SEO is sometimes used as an umbrella term that includes SEM, but because SEM strictly refers to paid advertising, they are actually separate. SEM is about getting traffic through paid ads, and SEO is more about acquiring, monitoring, and analyzing organic (non-paid) traffic patterns.
How much does SEO cost?
The average SEO cost for small businesses is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller companies that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay between $80 and $200 per hour.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
According to a survey of 1,200 business owners and more than 350 agencies, freelancers, and consultants, the average cost of SEO for small businesses is $501 to $1,000 per month globally. The average cost of SEO for small businesses in the United States is $2,501 to $5,000 per month.
Is it worth paying for SEO?
The short answer is that SEO is very effective, not only in generating traffic, but also leads and sales. Don’t worry. The long answer includes research and data, not just empty statements. Most SEOs get too caught up in search specific metrics like SERP (search engine results page), rankings, and organic traffic.
Can I do SEO on my own?
You can absolutely do SEO yourself or DIY SEO (Do It Yourself SEO). With a little research and a lot of practice, anyone can learn how to do SEO for their business.
Can I do SEO for free? Ubersuggest is a free SEO tool that helps users generate new keywords and content ideas. This tool will give you a high level overview of the keyword you are searching for.
How much does it cost to do SEO yourself?
| Write | Cost |
|---|---|
| cheap seo | $500 to $3,000 per month |
| Mid-range SEO | $3,000 to $15,000 per month |
| high end seo | $15,000-$30,000 per month |
| business seo | $30,000-1 million per month |
How much do freelancers charge for SEO?
Hiring a freelancer or agency with SEO experience by the hour usually costs between $50 and $150 per hour. You can of course find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this SEO hourly rate breakdown found that 6% of SEO providers charge more than $200 per hour.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
According to a survey of 1,200 business owners and more than 350 agencies, freelancers, and consultants, the average cost of SEO for small businesses is $501 to $1,000 per month globally. The average cost of SEO for small businesses in the United States is $2,501 to $5,000 per month.
Is SEO good for beginners?
If you really want to improve search traffic and you are not familiar with SEO, we recommend that you read the Beginner’s Guide to SEO cover to cover. We’ve tried to make it as concise and easy to understand as possible, and learning the basics of SEO is a vital first step in achieving your online business goals.
When should I start doing SEO?
Regardless of whether you’re launching a new website or redesigning an existing website, the short answer to the question “When should I start SEO for my new website?” is the same: before it is released. . Or as an old Chinese proverb says: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
Is SEO easy to learn?
The answer is simple. Learning SEO is difficult because there is so much information to read about search engines and how the optimization process works, and this can be overwhelming at first.