A welcoming first page for your portfolio

A visitor decides in a few seconds whether your site is for them. The first page does not need to show everything. It needs to say who you help, what you make and what they can do next.

Open with one clear sentence

Describe your work in plain words that a client would use. “I design calm websites for small studios” says more than a list of skills. Place it above the fold with a single action beside it.

Show two or three pieces of work

Choose projects that match the work you want more of. Give each one a short caption covering the problem, your role and the outcome. Link to a fuller page for visitors who want detail.

Make the next step easy

• A visible contact link in the header and at the bottom of the page

• A short note on how you work and how long projects usually take

• An email address people can copy without hunting for it

Read it as a stranger

Ask someone outside your field to look at the page for ten seconds, then tell you what you do. Where their answer differs from yours, adjust the words before you adjust the design.