Using Wordpress for my design portfolio

[mikem1986]

Hi guys

Just wanted to put the question out there that what do you guys think of using Wordpress to power your design portfolio?

What are the pros, what are the cons?

Among the obvious are the ease of updating your site and there are some pretty nice layouts out there?

Im moderately successful as a freelancer and will the change affect the number of clients i will receive?

Does anyone have any advice? What do you think?

[bill]

The choice of a CMS platform shouldn't really make much of a difference at all. Although using standard themes might make you look like just another WP site...

[mikem1986]

Im pretty competent when it comes to editing my own themes to make it my own "style" so that shouldnt be a problem

[prhost]

Just my opinion...

If I would be looking for a 'web designer' (when you say designer, that's what I presume you mean) I would be looking for something original from the designer himself...not a wordpress setup (if it's not specifically advertised as a wordpress theme/s)

To offer a parallel to this logic, I wouldn't be attracted to an SEO specialist, who for example has a low PR for their own site, as well as other sites in their portfolio.

Originality is the key....my thoughts.

[Shimrit]

Some people might be specifically interested in using Wordpress, so it's probably useful to show what you can do with it. I wouldn't necessarily use it exclusively to show off your skills, though, unless this is the target audience you were particularly keen to attract.

[Skywarden]

In my opinion, if your web design business' site is done in WordPress it would be fine. Your portfolio page should have screenshots and links to your work, so the content of the page should speak for itself.

If your site is custom-built however, which it probably is, you'd want to make sure the two are consistent with each other. You don't want users to click your "portfolio" link and take them to a completely new page with new navigation etc. That could be confusing.

May I ask how often you are adding new sites to your portfolio?

[mikem1986]

hi skywarden

Im adding new sites to my portfolio about 1 every 7/8 weeks.

I have just bought a reseller account last night so what im thinking of doing is setting up a blog based on the design/marketing/advertising industry with links to my portfolio on my current domain?

If i can get a good PR rank with my blog it would increase traffic to my original portfolio site wouldnt it?

What do you think?

[mikem1986]

1 every 7/8 over the past 9 months or so

I havent been self employed as a designer for very long

[Skywarden]

Sounds like a decent plan to me.... having a blog to drive extra traffic to your design site. The more traffic/links to your site the merrier.

[mikem1986]

trouble is thinking of a domain name

i want it to somehow incorporate my name and a keyword

I enquired about buying the 1st 2 initials of my name and then the keyword afterwards but the company want a ridiculous amount :-(

[edited by: phranque at 5:10 am (utc) on Feb. 25, 2009]
[edit reason] removed specifics [/edit]