As a freelance writer, there are two words you will hear over and over again: “online portfolio.” This is a key tool that will set you apart from your competitors at any stage of your writing career. While new writers may wonder how to begin, seasoned writers want to know how they will keep the clippings in their online portfolio evergreen.

The good news is that there are “one-size-fits-all” solutions to this. Whether you’re a newbie or a professional, these 5 tips and tricks will help you create a killer portfolio:

Select the most relevant portfolio pieces
As a seasoned writer, you have many projects under your belt. They should help you show off the genres and types of publications that you have written for. But as a newbie, you can put together some samples just to prove your writing ability. Of course, as you earn writing projects, you will adjust your portfolio pieces accordingly. Remember, you always need to show your best and most current writing work.

It’s best to shake off the urge to include everything you’ve ever written in the portfolio. A few statement pieces will get the job done.

Choose a reliable design site
This is the fun part! Portfolio-based sites like Contently, LinkedIn, or Clippings.me make work easy even for the most inexperienced writer. These sites are free, design-ready, and, only require the filling of details like your name, and adding the most relevant pieces of your work. It doesn’t get easier than this!

Organize your work into digestible pieces
No one wants to visit a cluttered portfolio. Your design as well as your organization should be simple. Organize your work by genre, subject matter, publication, or concept. This way, your portfolio visitors will go through the content easily.

Whatever approach you decide on, simplicity is key. Do not accompany the pieces with distractive colors or content. This may put off a visitor before getting into the actual nitty-gritty.

Make your biography short and sweet
One of the best and most common reasons to create an online portfolio is for your author bio that will communicate professionalism and experience to every visitor. A good biography includes these three elements:

• The services that you are offering
• The content that you provide
• Your contact information

Your description of these elements should show your personality and your author biography should evolve as you grow in your writing career.

Promote, promote, promote!
Having your portfolio online does not mean your job is done. After all, your portfolio is a tool that will help you get noticed. First, add links to your portfolio to everything – your email signature, social media profiles, blogs, and any other websites you have.

Additionally, get your portfolio optimized by getting familiar with the basics of SEO. Using tools like the Google Adword Planner will let you know words that are common in search engine searches and that you can include throughout your portfolio. This way, you will enjoy organic visitors who will end up on your portfolio when they make relevant searches. Finally, you should display your portfolio on writer platforms, social media pages, and anywhere else that will get you noticed.

You Now Have Your Killer Portfolio
Building your online portfolio should be a desirable experience. To ensure everything comes together, make early decisions on the type of writing that you want to focus on and the publications that you’ll reach out to. This will enable you to know what you will include in various stages of your portfolio and its progression.

Louisa Eunice is a freelance writer who has experience writing B2B and B2C content for a variety of audiences and publications. She also writes short-form marketing content for an array of unique brands. Some past organizations Louisa has worked with include TapDesk, Captive Network, and many more.