10 Web Developer Portfolio Tips

Over the course of my career, I’ve seen a lot of developer portfolio sites. I’ve had my own, and I’ve reviewed at least 50 sites on behalf of others. I’ve seen some truly great portfolios… and I’ve seen some horrible ones. Getting a job can be difficult at the entry level and having a nice portfolio could make all the difference. With that in mind, here are 10 tips that will improve your web developer portfolio.

1. Clean & Modern Design/UI

The design, user interface, and all around look of your site is the first thing that anyone sees. It’s the all-important first impression. This might seem obvious, but I’ve seen some portfolio sites recently that looked like they were built in the early 2000s. One could argue that as a web developer, your portfolio itself is the most important display of your skill since it’s the only work that a recruiter is guaranteed to see and navigate. It’s imperative to make sure your portfolio site is presentable and functional.

2. Good Hosting & Custom Domain

The second point is twofold: you should have a sufficient hosting plan as well as a custom domain name. Too frequently, I am asked to review a portfolio that is hosted on ‘something.heroku-app.com’ or some other free subdomain. Domains like this, in my opinion, don’t really show…