Los Angeles has a huge number of people who work for themselves in creative fields. Photographers, makeup artists, editors, stylists, musicians, trainers, designers and many others build their careers on word of mouth and a good body of work. If that is you, a social profile helps, but a small portfolio site gives you something a profile cannot: a page you control, with an address you own.
Why a profile is not enough
Social platforms change their rules, their layouts and their reach without asking you. A portfolio site stays as you built it. It also gives you a link to put on a business card, in an email signature or in the bio of every profile you have, and that link leads to a place where you decide what visitors see first.
Lead with your best work
Visitors will give you a few seconds. Put your strongest pieces at the top, not everything in the order you made it. If you work in several styles, pick the one you most want to be hired for and let it lead. You can add the rest further down or on separate pages.
Use fewer pieces than you think you need. Ten excellent examples beat forty uneven ones. Each should have a short caption that says what it is, who it was for if you can share that, and what you did on it.
Say what you do in one sentence
A visitor should know within a few seconds what you do, for whom and where. "Portrait and event photographer based in Los Angeles" does that. "Creative visual storyteller" does not. Write it for someone who has never met you, and put it where they will see it first.
Be clear about how to hire you
The most common mistake on a freelancer's site is making it hard to get in touch. Give people a clear next step:
- A contact form or an email address that you actually check.
- A short line about the kinds of jobs you take.
- A note about how far ahead people should book, if that matters.
You may also decide whether to show prices. Some freelancers publish starting rates because it filters out mismatched inquiries. Others prefer to quote each job. Both are reasonable, as long as you decide on purpose and not by default.
Keep the structure small
A portfolio site does not need many pages. A home page with your best work, a page about you, a page describing your services and a contact page cover most needs. More pages mean more to maintain, and a neglected page does more harm than no page.
Include the practical details
Mention the areas you work in. Los Angeles is large, and clients want to know if you will travel to them. If you also work remotely, say that. If you have credits you can name, list them. If you cannot, describe the type of project instead.
Respect your clients and collaborators
Before you show someone's face, home or product, make sure you have permission. If a client asked for privacy, keep the work off the site or describe it without identifying them. Credit the people you worked with where it is appropriate. It is the professional thing to do, and clients in your field notice who treats others well.
Put the link everywhere
A portfolio site only helps when people see it. Add the address to your email signature, your social bios, your invoices and your business card. When someone asks what you do, send the link. Over time that habit does more than any single piece of marketing.
Do not wait until it is perfect
Many freelancers delay launching because the site is not "ready". A simple, honest page that exists is worth more than a flawless one that does not. Publish a small version now, then improve it as you learn what clients actually ask about.
Update it when work changes
A portfolio that stopped growing three years ago tells clients you may have stopped working. Set a reminder to add new pieces and retire older ones every few months. A small site that is current beats a large one that is stale.
If you want to see what your own business site could look like, websiites will build one from a short description and show it to you before you pay anything.