If you’re a college student looking to showcase your skills, achievements, and allow future employers to see some of your best work, then a student portfolio website is your best bet. While a personal portfolio website isn’t super complicated to make, there are some steps you need to follow to avoid getting confused in the process.
In this article, we’re going to look at how to purchase a domain name, set up hosting, and choose a website builder; decide on the best color scheme for your website, and show you some portfolio example websites.
Step 1 – Choosing a Domain Name
A domain name is a URL that appears in the search bar when people visit your website.
When choosing a domain name, there are some important things to consider if you want a great looking website.
Firstly, you want to ensure the domain you select doesn’t contain any numbers or strange sequences of letters. Otherwise, people won’t be able to remember your website.
In addition, to have the best chance of ranking on Google, choose a .com domain. Google tends to see .com domains as more authoritative and rewards them the most.
In conclusion, if you’re still struggling to choose a domain name, sticking with your first and last name is a great option.
Step 2 – Setting Up Hosting
Hosting is a server where your website is stored on the internet. In simple terms, hosting is like an office building that hosts a business. Without an office building, your customers won’t be able to locate and do business with you.
It’s the same with website hosting. Without it, your website won’t show up on Google or any other search engines.
Step 3 – Choosing the Best Website Builder
There are many different website builders out there. In this section, we’re going to talk about three of the user-friendly website builders you can find in 2021. Each of them provides hosting and domain services, so you can get all the necessary tools for creating your website in one place.
Boxmode
If you’re looking for one of the easiest to use website builders on the market, then Boxmode won’t let you down.
It offers pre-built templates that can be customized using the drag and drop feature. This feature allows you to bring your personal website ideas to life easily and quickly. Drag the required elements into your website, change the text, images, colors, and you’re good to go.
The great thing about Boxmode is you don’t need any coding experience to set up a beautiful portfolio website that will attract future employers.
Weblium
When you sign up for Weblium, you will have the option to choose from either a free or paid plan. We recommend sticking with the paid plan as it offers the option to connect your custom domain, which you created previously.
Similar to Boxmode, Weblium offers a drag and drop feature, allowing you to create the perfect website in a matter of hours.
Duda
Duda is a reputable company that gives you a range of different options for customizing your student portfolio website.
It also allows you to copy and paste different elements within your website. For example, if you create a banner on your homepage and want to put it on your contact page as well, you can use the copy and paste function, saving you time.
Step 4 – Adding a Contact Page
If you want work opportunities to come to you, then it’s important to add a contact page to your website. Otherwise, you’ll have people falling in love with your work but with no way to get in contact.
If you’re going to be using one of the three website builders we discussed earlier, then you can easily load up a website template and have the contact page already installed.
However, you’re not done yet.
Here’s how to make sure customer inquiries get sent to your email. We’re going to use Boxmode for this example.
First, head over to the contact page on your newly built website. From here, you can edit the page to your preference using the drag and drop builder; however, we want to focus on the contact form settings, as seen below.
Once you’ve clicked on the ‘Settings’ option, head over to the ‘Send data to’ tab. On the right, you’ll be able to insert the email you want contact form requests to be sent to.
Step 5 – Adding a Color Scheme
People who are new to creating websites tend to fall into the trap of using multiple colors on different pages of their website. This is a quick way to make potential employers lose trust in you.
To make your website look more trustworthy, you need to choose 2-3 colors that stand out and stick with them throughout the website.
Should You Add a Blog to Your Personal Website Page?
If you’re serious about positioning yourself as an expert in a specific niche, then a blog is the perfect addition to your portfolio website.
Not only will you look more trustworthy, but you could also end up building a following and monetizing your blog.
Here Are Some Examples of Portfolio Websites
While these aren’t student website examples, they resemble the type of website you’re looking to build. Check them out below.
Conclusion
While you may think creating a student portfolio website isn’t going to make a difference in the hiring process. You’d be wrong.
Employers like to see that you’re passionate about what you’re doing, and there’s no better way to show it than creating a portfolio website around your niche.
