But what is a portfolio website exactly and what benefits does it offer? Besides, how to make one? This blog post is for you if you are interested in making your portfolio!

What is a portfolio website?

A portfolio website is an online space where freelancers or other specialists showcase their work. This type of website is like a personal website, which aims to attract more clients rather than sell physical goods (like e-commerce websites). So, the purpose of a portfolio website is to present you as a specialist and encourage others to use your services.

Having a portfolio website is beneficial to various specialists, especially freelancers. For example, for those who work in the creative sphere (design, photography, marketing, writing, web development). Also, it is important to note that, besides showcasing your work, a portfolio can present your skills, experience, and achievements, therefore, it might be a great solution for you. It is a way to be visible online and expand your opportunities.

How to create a portfolio website?

Firstly, we need to emphasize that you can make your own portfolio by using online portfolio platforms. Even an Instagram account can be a good place to show your work. This way is an easy approach for everyone.

Therefore, if you want to level up your portfolio, you can choose another option – to create a portfolio website. The structure of this website can vary, but there should always be two basic parts: a homepage, where you introduce yourself and provide your contact information, and a portfolio, where you show your work. It can also include testimonials, your CV, additional information, and others.

Like any other website, it requires a theme and templates. And there are some things you need to know when choosing the right theme or template for a portfolio website:

• Choose the design that represents your work best. This means that you do not need fancy elements or decoration. The portfolio is all about your work, and additional features should not distract the visitors. The best option is to choose a minimalistic design with white/neutral colors. You can also add captions, but they should be short;
• Consider the structure of your theme or template. A portfolio website should not include all your work, but just the best examples. So, the structure of a website is also highly important – you need to decide what to show first and maybe create the categories. It is especially important in photography or similar fields;
• Take care of technical aspects. You should not underestimate technical aspects. Things like loading speed, design responsiveness, easy navigation, and others are the keys to a good user experience.

If you are looking to build your portfolio website more easily, check professional templates for your portfolio from Adveits.

Other tips for portfolio

Creating a portfolio is fairly easy, but you need to remember a few simple things. First of all, do not use too many graphical elements, but prefer a simple design that emphasizes your work. Second, carefully plan what to show and in what order. Thirdly, do not ignore technical aspects.

There are many other tips on how to create a portfolio. For example, including an engaging and easy-to-read content might be memorable and fun. Updating your portfolio regularly helps to keep it relevant and interesting, and writing a blog may benefit SEO. Also, a blog is a good way to express and present yourself even more. 

Are you looking for a website template? You should know some tips before purchasing it. Here are our recommendations that may help:

• Determine your website’s purpose. There are a wide variety of website templates online. First of all, you need to decide what template meets your needs. To do that, think of your goals – do you want to showcase your work (portfolio), encourage potential customers to buy a product (e-commerce), or inform the visitors about something (representative website)? In every case, a template should differ;
• Look for functional templates. One of the most important things is functionality. Many templates come with many functions, you should look for one that is easy to navigate, well-structured, and, preferably, SEO-friendly. A template should always be responsive, so it will work on different devices like smartphones. You also may want to purchase a template with the possibility of customizing it. Besides, people from non-tech fields should look for the drag & drop function;
• Prefer quality over cheap price. A cheap template does not mean it is good. A template that is not well-written will cause some problems. We recommend choosing qualitative templates, even if they are more expensive;
• Look for customer support. Customer support is closely related to quality. When you find a trustworthy provider, you can expect good customer support, updates, and overall a good template. Testimonials can help to choose a trustworthy provider.

If you look into our Adveits Store, you will find a variety of templates that are easy to use. Our templates are functional, well-structured, fully-responsive, and visually attractive.

Building a website is a time-consuming process. Luckily, you do not always have to do it from scratch – a website template is exactly what you may need. Find out more about this topic below.

Website template or website custom design?

It is a difficult question, and there is no right or wrong answer – it depends on many factors. So, we can describe both template and design for you, and you can choose from them.

A website template is a pre-design page with all the important elements. It is usually very easy to install a template, so you can save time. Also, money is a key here, because templates are quite affordable. It does not require coding, but the customization process is limited. Still, a website template is a great option for someone who does not need something very unique. You can find more about templates here.

A website custom design is an entirely new customized design that is created by developers and web designers. Different businesses need different websites, and you may want that yours would be unique. So, in this case, you may like custom designs. But remember – it requires time as well as money.

Factors to consider

As we said, there is no right or wrong answer to what to choose. It depends on a variety of factors. While for some companies template-based website is the right option, others may need a custom design. Here are some factors to consider:

• Budget. A website is not a place to save money. It is one of the most important elements of branding. It sounds pretty in theory, however, not all businesses can afford custom designs. But do not worry – you can choose from a variety of templates. Nowadays, there are a lot of options. So, for small businesses with limited budgets a template is the right choice;
• Time. A custom design requires 2-4 months to build depending on the size. However, a template can be installed very quickly.  So, choose a template if you need to launch a website in less than two months;
• Functionality. A template can be a little inflexible when it comes to functionality. A custom web design can offer you more functions than a template, but it does not mean a template is a bad choice. If you want a very elaborate website, choose a custom design. If template-based is enough for you, make sure a template is fully-responsive.

Some people are confusing these terms as they are quite similar. But they are not the same. In short, a theme is a broader concept that covers all the design of a web page. And a template is a design of one web page. Let’s take a look.

Theme

The core of the website’s complete design is called a theme. It covers all the pages and their functionality. Simply put, how a web page will look is going to be determined by a theme. Themes have all the elements of web design, including color palettes, backgrounds, page layouts, typography, headers, footers, sizing, positioning, and others.

Usually, themes have certain layouts with limited customization. But they can be still customized and used for an entire web page. Some other benefits include:

• Affordability. Themes are extremely affordable compared to building a website from scratch. You can even get free themes;
• Easy to use. You do not need to know web design and programming. Usually, it is based on drag & drop;
• A lot of options. There are a lot of options to choose from. Nowadays themes and templates are developed for different kinds of business.

Template

A template does not cover the entire web page. Simply put, it is a single-page layout that is part of a theme. Some themes even involve multiple variations of templates for different elements. If you want to learn about templates more, you can click here.

Theme vs. template: wrapping up

The most visible difference between a theme and a template is the number of pages. Themes are for the entire website while templates are for single-page design. So, when you are purchasing a theme, you will get a template too.

Another difference is that you can use only one theme at a time. But you can use several templates for different pages, for example, one for the blog, and one for the portfolio. To summarize, the features of a theme are:

• It is a whole design;
• It determines typography and functionality;
• You can have only one theme.

The features of a template are:

• It is designed for a single page;
• You can use multiple templates to customize your website;
• You cannot install a template without a theme.

A website template is a pre-designed web page that contains crucial elements such as a header, footer, menu, contact form, images gallery, stock content, and others. The elements depend on the template itself. It can be said that a website template is an easy way to develop a web page. There are a variety of different types of websites, for example, business, portfolio, blog, and others, so you should choose a website template regarding your activity. Make sure that a website template is fully featured, so it will not require any coding.

Generally, there is no need to change a template (it does not require coding), so anyone can purchase and use it. You only have to swap stock (demo) content and images with your own. Also, if you would like to stand out, you can add some color palettes and fonts. It is especially relevant for online portfolios.

The great thing about website templates is that you can customize them even more. If you know how to code, you can edit it. Website templates use HTML or CSS code. So, even designers can benefit from website templates since a lot of work is already done. Here are some other reasons to purchase a template:

• A website template saves time. To be honest, developing a website takes a lot of time. A template can help both designers and users;
• A website template saves money. If you want to develop your own website from scratch, it can definitely be expensive. You can buy a template for much less money, or you can even find it for free. But free templates have limited features and lack uniqueness, so the best decision would be to purchase one;
• There is a wide choice of website templates. As we said, website templates are adapted to different needs. So, they serve different purposes: business, portfolio, blog, online shop, and others. Looking for a creative and unique template? Check out website templates by Adveits;
• A website template can improve users’ experience. Most users nowadays want to visit a website using their phones. And websites should respond to the phone’s screen, e.g., be adapted to both desktop and phone screens. So, you need to find a template that is responsive (has the ability to respond to both screens);
• A website template has additional features. Often, a website template is SEO-optimized. SEO is required for a page to rank at the top of Google search. So, this feature is a big plus. Besides, templates often come with plugins and updates, and you do not have to worry;
• A website template is supported by providers. If you purchase a template, you can expect proper maintenance and help through live chats, forums, etc.

Why is it worth purchasing a template from Adveits store? Our store not only offers a wide variety of templates for different purposes but also provides excellent support. Besides, our templates are fully featured and responsive.