Steps How To Build A Portfolio Website Blog With WordPress

In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to build a portfolio website blog with WordPress.

WordPress is an open-source blogging platform that is free to use and easy to install. It’s the most popular blogging platform in the world, so if you’ve ever been interested in blogging for fun or for your business, chances are you’ve considered WordPress at some point.

But why should you choose it over other platforms? In order to find out more about this option, let’s first learn about what makes it different from other options and why it might be a good fit for your needs.

How to Create a Portfolio Website With WordPress

Takeaways
Building a portfolio website with WordPress can be a great way to showcase your work and attract new clients.
Choosing the right theme and designing your portfolio effectively can help you stand out from the competition.
Including high-quality visuals and engaging content can make a big difference in the user experience for your portfolio website visitors.
Updating your portfolio website regularly with your latest work and skills can help keep it fresh and relevant.
Optimizing your portfolio website for search engines can improve your online visibility and attract more potential clients.

Pick The Best WordPress Hosting Plan

You’ll have many options when it comes to selecting the best WordPress hosting provider for your website. That said, you should only consider companies that specialize in WordPress hosting.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend choosing a web host that is reputable and offers plans starting at $5 per month. This should be enough to get started with building a small blog or business website using WordPress. The benefits of using reliable WordPress hosting providers include:

Support for installing the latest versions of PHP and MySQL
Automatic upgrades to ensure your site is always running the latest version of WordPress
Staging environments that let you test changes before making them live on your site

If you’re looking to showcase your freelance work through a professional and visually appealing website, check out our top 10 recommended WordPress themes for freelancer portfolios that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Select A Domain Name

Selecting a domain name for your portfolio website is as important as selecting a name for your firstborn child.

The domain name is the address of your website and it should reflect what you have on offer. It is the thing that people will be typing into Google to find you, so it needs to be short, memorable, and easy to type. On top of that, it needs to be unique and not infringe on any trademarks or copyrights.

Your portfolio site will be your calling card if you are in a creative industry such as an artist or photographer so the domain name should reflect what you do in some way without being overly specific. For example, if you are a landscape photographer based in Ireland then something like [YourName]PhotosIreland would be clear and descriptive without being overly long or difficult to say out loud.

Set Up Your WordPress Website Blog

Go to the cPanel area of your hosting account and look for the WordPress icon in the Softaculous Apps Installer section of your cPanel.

Click on the Install button in the WordPress section to start installing WordPress on your website blog.

On the next screen, you need to select a protocol and domain name for your new website blog where you would like to install WordPress (for example http://www.example.com/) and enter an admin username and password of your choice for logging into the WordPress dashboard (which will be http://www.example/login).

You can also leave it as default ‘admin’ if you want, but it is recommended that you change it to a secure password and keep a note of it somewhere safe on your computer before proceeding (you will also receive this information via email). Once done, click on ‘Install’ at the bottom of this page:

If you’re planning to hire a freelance web designer for your portfolio website, it’s important to have an idea of how much to budget for the project. Check out our article on how much you should pay your freelance web designer to get an understanding of industry-standard rates and factors that can impact pricing.

Choose A Premium WordPress Theme For Bloggers

Now you need to choose a theme for your portfolio website blog. A premium WordPress theme is a template that you can use on your WordPress site to give it a unique design. Premium themes are often paid, but they’re typically available in packages that include dozens of other themes, so you can use each one for different sites and purposes, should you want to do that.

A premium theme is better than a free one because it allows you more customization features and options, including the ability to add things like slideshows and galleries without any coding knowledge or skills.

When choosing the right premium theme for your portfolio website blog, make sure it comes from a reputable source (like Divi), so that it’s optimized for search engines as well as mobile devices. You might also consider adding extra features like social media integration, which will make sharing easy for your readers.

Ready to take the plunge and start your career as a freelance web designer? Our comprehensive guide on how to start as a freelance web designer will provide you with the necessary tools and knowledge to kickstart your journey towards success.

Add Useful Plugins

Plugins are tools that will make your life easier. You can add new plugins to your website from inside the WordPress dashboard. There are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing and adding plugins to your website.

First, only install the plugin if it is really needed for your website. It’s easy to become convinced that you need every plugin on the internet, but the more you have installed, the slower your site will run, and the higher risk of getting hacked increases with each plugin added to your site portfolio.

Second, use a good cache plugin like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache to increase the speed of loading posts/pages on your site portfolio. Also, install and set up a security plugin like iThemes Security or Sucuri Security WordPress Plugin or Wordfence Security to protect against hacks. WPBeginner users can get 20% off the premium version of Sucuri by using the exclusive code “WPB20”.

Third, always use an SEO Plugin (like Yoast SEO) from day one because it is hard to move blog posts from one URL structure to another without losing search engine traffic (SEO).

Having a strong understanding of SEO is crucial for any freelancer looking to build a successful online presence. Check out our complete guide on SEO for freelancers to learn everything you need to know about optimizing your website and standing out in the search results.

Create Amazing Content To Share With The World

Another easy way to get traffic to your website is by publishing great content. As you continue working on your blog, you will want to create great content that people would want to read and share.

But how can you write amazing content?

You can start by using a tool like Grammarly which will automatically check for grammatical errors in your writing. This helps improve the quality of your content so that it’s easier for readers to read and understand.

Another tool I use often is Hemingway App which highlights any sentences that are difficult to read or too long. It also gives you a grade-level score so that you know if your writing is comprehensible enough for the general public (which it should be).

You may also want to try this free headline analyzer from CoSchedule. It helps improve the quality of headlines so that they are more search engine friendly as well as interesting enough for people to click through and read them!

Determining the right price for your web design services can be a tricky task. Our article on the shocking truth about pricing your web design services will provide you with valuable insights and tips on how to charge what you’re worth as a freelancer.

Final Thought

You can build a portfolio website blog with WordPress using the steps above. And it’s really not that hard! By setting up your site through WordPress, you have access to an intuitive dashboard, the ability to use custom themes and plugins, and a large community of users who can help you along the way.

And if you’re concerned about whether your site will be secure, WordPress offers additional security features as well. So feel free to go ahead and get started today!

FAQs

How do I choose the right theme for my portfolio website?

When choosing a theme for your portfolio website, consider factors such as the design style, layout options, and customization options. Look for themes that showcase your work effectively and align with your brand.

What type of content should I include in my portfolio?

Your portfolio should include your best work samples, along with a brief description of each project and your role in it. You may also want to include testimonials, case studies, and other supporting materials.

How do I optimize my portfolio website for search engines?

To optimize your portfolio website for search engines, use relevant keywords in your content and meta tags, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, and build high-quality backlinks to your site.

How can I make my portfolio website stand out from the competition?

To make your portfolio website stand out, focus on showcasing your unique skills and strengths, using high-quality visuals and engaging content, and providing a great user experience for your visitors.

How often should I update my portfolio website?

It’s a good idea to update your portfolio website regularly with new projects and content to showcase your latest work and skills. Aim to update your portfolio at least once every few months to keep it fresh and relevant.

How Can I Create A Blog Website?

You can create a blog website in a multitude of ways, but the best way is to use WordPress. This is because it is simple, easy to use, and user-friendly. It has a lot of customizable options so you can build exactly the site that you want.

Use a hosting service such as Bluehost to build your site with WordPress. There are many options out there, but Bluehost is great for beginners because it’s easy to use and affordable. They’ll even walk you through the process!

How Do I Start A Blog For Free?

There are many ways to start a blog for free, but remember that “free” usually means that you get what you pay for: bad quality and high risk of privacy issues. However, if you’re just looking to put some stuff out there and don’t care about how professional it looks, then WordPress might be your best option. It’s completely free and has all the same features as any other platform would offer at an additional cost and it’s super easy to use!

What Is The Best Blogging Site?

Obviously, we love WordPress. It’s a great choice for any aspiring blogger who just needs to create a beautiful portfolio website blog. But if you don’t need a portfolio or if you’re just looking for somewhere to publish your thoughts and ideas, there are tons of free options out there. Some of the most popular include Tumblr and Blogger.

How Do I Start A Blog And Make Money?

There are three things you need to do to monetize your blog: create content, build an audience, and figure out how to make money from that audience. Sounds easy enough, right? Just kidding it’s not easy at all! But it is possible. And sometimes the most important thing is just getting started. So go ahead set up your blog, pick a topic you’re passionate about, and start writing!

What Should I Blog About?

Whatever makes you happy! It doesn’t matter how niche it is or how many people will read it you should write about whatever sets your soul on fire. If you can’t think of anything that does that for you… well, maybe give up on being a professional blogger before you even get started 😉

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.