How to Name Your Portfolio Website

Why Portfolio Naming Matters

Portfolio website name is one of the first impressions your visitors receive before they start exploring your works or reading a detailed portfolio bio or case studies. Although the latter part is also crucial, you should start with choosing a proper portfolio name that creates a certain impression of its owner.

Take, for example, the difference between johnsmithdesign.com and johncreatesstuff123.com – the former looks much more professional and gives more information about who this person is.

What's more, coming up with a name is the stage where the majority of people begin pondering over the branding and domain registration.

Choosing the Right Portion of Identity

It's important to be creative, but not before understanding what you want your future clients to remember when they first visit your page.

Let us assume that you are a photographer who specializes in wedding photography. In such cases, it would be beneficial to mention your specialization in your portfolio name since otherwise, people won't understand which niche you belong to.

Names with fewer syllables are easy to pronounce, easier to type and unlikely to get lost. In other words, simpler names are easier for everyone involved to remember and understand.

Name to Fit the Strategy of Your Domain

This is also the stage where many people start thinking about practical steps like branding and even registering a domain name, because the name you choose and the domain you secure are tightly connected. Now let's consider some practical questions of naming a professional profile. The biggest mistake is choosing a beautiful name but realizing after some time that the domain has been occupied long ago. Avoid this problem by being proactive in name research.

Always look for name and domain options simultaneously. The very process of registering a name often significantly influences the final choice. Thus, while having planned to create "Alex Carter Studio," in the end, one might choose "alexcarterstudio.com" or even shorten it even further.

One more important thing to keep in mind is that you should not consider your name and domain as two completely independent processes. Sometimes the best name can be the name that is available.

In fact, experiment with various versions of the name until you find the one that fits both you and your domain. In any case, try to use your full name to avoid problems in the future.

Look Forward Rather Than Backwards

While it may seem like a good idea to include trendy terms such as "creative," "digital" or "studio," keep in mind that trends don't last long. It's much better to come up with a name which will stay relevant for years to come.

What would happen if, down the line, you expanded your service or changed your industry just a little bit? Would your name still reflect your business accurately?

"John Video Editing" might sound pretty clear now but what if John started producing videos himself or switched from editing to brand strategy and creative consulting? In such cases, it would be beneficial to use a name with some extra leeway.

The portfolio name needs to evolve along with you.

Make Sure Your Portfolio Is Not Confusing or Difficult to Type

While not everybody takes this advice into account, having a portfolio name that is easy to speak, spell and write down is very important. How easy would it be for another person to remember and type your name after hearing it only once?

Such complex combinations, an abundance of hyphens, and unusual associations may give birth to the feeling of friction. As you understand, friction prevents memorability and thus leads to failure.

Speak your proposed name aloud. Think about what happens when you recommend such a name to someone else in a conversation. Does it roll off your tongue or requires you to explain why you chose such a strange name every time you use it?

If you feel a bit uncomfortable saying it, you may assume that sharing such a name would not be very comfortable too.

Do Not Be Too Unique

There is a trend towards making the portfolios look extremely unique, which usually includes unusual spellings, extra numbers, letters, or symbols. While such strategies work perfectly for the brand promotion, in case with portfolio, it may spoil its reliability and memorability.

The thing is that you do not have to be different in order to get noticed. Sometimes, simple names consisting of your first/last name and the profession would serve better compared to something unusual.

Also, avoid using words that do not reflect your work because such names are better suited for personal blogs rather than the portfolios.

The Name That Fits You Best

Ultimately, when choosing a name for your portfolio, you should choose one that doesn’t seem like you’ll have to replace it within the next five to ten years due to constant dissatisfaction.

In case of doubt, take a step back and ask yourself a very basic question: is it the name of a genuine professional whom I might actually consider hiring? In this situation, a hesitant yes means that you chose well.

Choosing the proper name for your portfolio is an important process as it is your first chance to shape the image of yourself for future audiences.

What is Fueler Portfolio?

Fueler is a career portfolio platform that helps companies find the best talent for their organization based on their proof of work. You can create your portfolio on Fueler. Thousands of freelancers around the world use Fueler to create their professional-looking portfolios and become financially independent. Discover inspiration for your portfolio

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