Spring Into Cleaning Up Your Portfolio

You can explain your services in micro-detail and hype your staff’s talents and experience on web page after web page, but it is often your portfolio that is the dominant focal point of your website. Photo galleries, case studies, or whatever else you choose to include in your portfolio represent what your company has achieved, and more importantly, what your company can do for someone else. It’s important that the samples you have in your portfolio are not only the best examples of your work, but show the variety of talents you possess. And since many visitors and prospective clients will not make decisions or commitments after a single visit to your website, it’s extremely important to update your portfolio as often as you can. Offering fresh content with frequency is indicative to returning visitors of your level of productivity. It will impress them, give them a crystal clear vision of your products and services, and keep them engaged.

Website maintenance can sometimes fall through the cracks. If it has been a while since you’ve updated your portfolio, why not rely on the universally celebrated “spring cleaning time” as your inspiration? Once a year is great, but a frequent refresher is better. Schedule 4 to 6 dates in your calendar throughout the year to prompt you to add new portfolio items. Encourage others to take photos and jot down information about projects as they occur so you always have a roster of new items to add.

It’s best if you augment your portfolio samples with details that will interest your audience. For example, if you’re in the construction business, include a few lines that outline the scope of a particular project, any challenges that needed to be addressed, specialized equipment that was utilized, and how the project all came together upon completion. Adding the client name and location adds authenticity to the photos. Include multiple photos of each project, if applicable.

And don’t forget to keep it orderly. If you offer a range of services or products, you will want to separate your items into categories. This helps the prospective customer quickly find the items that interest them most. An appealing, identifiable, verifiable, and continually-updated portfolio offers a panoramic view of your company’s capabilities. Make sure that view isn’t impeded by stale content. Keep it clean. Spring clean!