What to Put in a Portfolio Website: 10 Sections That Matter
Visitors decide in seconds whether to keep reading your portfolio. A clear structure helps them find the proof they came for. These ten sections cover almost every profession; include the ones that help your goal and skip the rest.
The essentials
- Hero: your name, what you do and who you do it for, in one line
- About: a short, human paragraph and a photo
- Projects: your best three to six pieces, each with an image, a summary and links
- Experience: roles, companies and dates — a short timeline is enough
- Skills: grouped and relevant, not a list of everything you've touched
- Contact: email, LinkedIn and one clear call to action
Sections that set you apart
- Case studies: the problem, your process, the outcome — the strongest section for designers and product people
- Testimonials: two or three short quotes from managers, clients or professors
- Certifications and awards: especially useful early in a career
- Writing or talks: articles, conference talks, publications
What to leave out
- Every project you have ever done — curate
- Skill-level bars and percentages
- Long walls of text; use short paragraphs and headings
- Broken links and placeholder text
- Contact forms that are not connected to anything — show your email instead
Make each project tell a story
For each project, answer four questions in a few lines: what was the problem, what did you do, what tools did you use, and what happened. Lead with the outcome. Add an image or a live link — people trust what they can see.
Templates that suit this
- Folio — Calm editorial pages on warm paper, with elegant serif type.
- Clean Starter · Free — Simple, clean and professional — and free.
- Bento Grid Pro — Tidy card grid that reads beautifully on phones.
- Velvet Observatory — Night-sky elegance with gold accents and serif type.
Frequently asked questions
How many projects should a portfolio have?
Three to six strong projects is ideal. Quality matters far more than quantity.
Should my portfolio include my resume?
Yes — include your experience on the site and offer a downloadable PDF resume for recruiters who want one.
Build a portfolio with all the right sections
Every CV2Portfolio template includes hero, about, projects, experience, skills and contact sections, ready to fill from your resume.