Robert Morris's Digital Mash design portfolio
Whether you’re a web guru or not, it may be time to brand yourself online— andoutside the realm of social media. Scooping up a domain name and creating a portfolio Website is highly encouraged for students like ourselves, so what does it take to get started?
- Brainstorm a website name, and keep it short, sweet and memorable. A good domain name will let people know what to expect from the site. More often than not, it’s best to use your own name or your brand name for a portfolio site. However, if you have a popular name or a really complicated name spelling, you might want to think twice about using it.
- Don’t fear the “com”; in fact, you should befriend it. A .com Website will be more successful because most people think in .com terms. A .net or .me domain can also be used, but avoid .org unless it’s actually an organizational site.
- The more, the merrier. Take advantage of an opportunity to buy multiple domain names. This will help with traffic stealing if another person has a domain name similar to yours, and can account for misspellings on the user’s part.
- Scope out what’s available. GoDaddy’s bulk upload feature allows you to see what domain names are up for grabs. It’s quick and easy. The nameboy search is also a good time saver.
- Decide where you want to purchase your domain name. There are tons of registrars online, and prices vary.
- Choose a host. The Site Wizard has a good list of what to look for while selecting one.
Purchasing a domain name doesn’t mean you have to launch a website overnight, but it lets you have some control over what comes up when you Google yourself. It’s a way of self-branding, displaying best works and putting your information out there for potential employers.
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