Building a software development portfolio
Portfolio of the website is one of the most important and one of the mostly viewed pages. This is the page which is viewed by IT outsourcing competitors, by potential clients, current customers of an IT outsourcing company. This page brings popularity and for sure more business. Practice shows that portfolio page is viewed in most cases after an introduction call or before selecting a list of candidates with whom customer would like to have a conversation. From the main page users go to the portfolio page, further to pricing or contact form. Or just close the window or tab if the portfolio page was not impressive or if they didn’t find what they were looking for.
Portfolio page of an IT outsourcing company is also frequently checked by potential candidates who are planning to join your team. Portfolio will definitely show niches of company’s expertise and level of complexity of the projects.
5 tips to create an amazing IT outsourcing portfolio
TIP 1
Do not create fake content.
Today it is pretty easy to check if the portfolio is a fake and this will for sure ruin your company’s reputation. No one is willing to work with cheaters.
TIP 2
Add screens or video
Add screenshots or even video content to show the software fully. Some screens with explanation of complexity of the development, or simply with key features. Or a 1-minute video recorded to show the project together with some comments will help you not only to show the portfolio item, but also to build trust between you and your customer. The more you show – the more your clients feel like you have “nothing to hide”.
TIP 3
Add link(s)
If there is such a possibility and the software is live – add a direct link to the website, or to the application which is already uploaded to the App Store or Google play. For a great number of your potential customers an option to check your real works instead of looking at screenshots will suit much better.
TIP 4
Add clients’ reviews
Good reviews are a key to success. Now, when number first keyword in google is “YouTube”, there is nothing better than a video review. However, there are multiple websites which collect your customer’s phone reviews and publish them. Even a little review near the portfolio item is much better than absence of the review.
TIP 5
Go into the details
Describe the project not only from the users’ standpoint and functionality which forms the app. Describe elegant software development solutions, complex third-party integrations. Show you can solve challenging tasks and your customers will be willing to work with your company. And job seekers would be willing to join a team of professionals who solve non-trivial tasks.
These 5 tips can serve well especially for the software which is public, successfully released and uploaded to the App store and Google play for massive usage. But what to do if you are working with sensitive B2B, such as Fintech. Or if your main clients are companies with complex internal CRM, ERP or other business automation tools.
Can you show the software which is not public?
Yes, you can. But before uploading any information about the project to your portfolio follow some instructions:
- Check your NDA and learn what you can and what you cannot show;
- Ask for a written permission of the customer to show the functionality of the private software;
- Hide sensitive information on your screenshots;
- After you have finished description of the item, show it to the customer before publishing and ask them to check if the portfolio item looks well.
The main point here is, do not be afraid to ask. Many customers will be happy to help their tech software development partner especially when they are satisfied with the work done.
The ideal formula of the description of a portfolio item for an IT project is:
It is also a good option to place somewhere on the page the call-to-action button to provide your customers with an option to send you a quick request.
