Photo by PSD (Flickr)

This is Day 9 of the Freelance in 40 Days series where you’ll learn to freelance just by taking it one day and one task at a time. Today we’ll take your work samples and create an online portfolio.

In Day 8 we gathered work samples together for your portfolio. So today we’ll continue the portfolio and put all those together online. Well, for starters, it is an absolute must that your portfolio reside online so a potential client can have easy access to it. There are two methods you can decide on to tackle this.

Method 1: Your Own Website

Since (hopefully) you have your own domain name for your business, there is no better way to utilize it than by creating a website with your portfolio. If you are a graphic designer or web developer, this can be a great way of showing off your style and your work samples in the process.

In Day 28, I’ll cover creating a website for your freelance business.

If creating a website presents a challenge to you then don’t worry. There is always the option to spend some cash and hire a designer, of course, but if this isn’t in your budget then you can try another affordable alternative online.

Method 2: Use An Online Portfolio Service

Using an online portfolio service is a quick and effective solution to posting a portfolio online and is preferred in case time or budget constraints are holding you back in your own website.

Some advantages of using these services is that they provide a direct link to your own portfolio page, have a professional appearance (without all the work ) and won’t break your bank. There are two online services that come highly recommended:

• Carbonmade: Primarily for designers and developers. Cost is free for up to five project for your postings and $12/month for up to 50 projects.
• Writer’s Residence: Geared to the writers and the service is free for 30 days and $8.29/month and allow an unlimited number of writing samples.

Your Homework For Today

Take all those work samples from Day 8 and get underway on your website or try out one of the above online services. Creating your own website is very time intensive so sometimes it is preferred to use an online service as a temporary placeholder for your portfolio while you chip away at the website.

Related posts:

• Freelance In 40 Days [Day 8]: Assembling The Portfolio
• Freelance In 40 Days [Day 28]: Now Is About Time For That Website
• Freelance In 40 Days [Day 10]: Shameless Self Promotion