You built a portfolio. You're proud of it. But when you search for yourself, nothing comes up.
This is frustratingly common. Portfolios are designed to impress visitors, but they're rarely built to attract them. SEO feels technical and intimidating, so most people skip it entirely.
That's a mistake. Basic SEO isn't complicated, and it can mean the difference between being discovered and being invisible.
Here's what actually matters for portfolio SEO.
Why portfolio SEO is different
Most SEO advice is written for businesses trying to rank for competitive keywords. That's not your situation.
You don't need to outrank major publications. You need to:
- Show up when someone searches your name
- Appear in results for your job title + location
- Be discoverable when someone searches for your specific skills
This is achievable without becoming an SEO expert. You're competing with LinkedIn profiles and outdated directories, not massive websites with dedicated SEO teams.
The basics: what every portfolio needs
A clear page title
Your page title appears in search results and browser tabs. Make it count.
Good: "Alex Chen – Product Designer in London"
Bad: "Portfolio" or "Home" or "Alex's Site"
Include your name, what you do, and optionally your location. This helps you rank for the searches that matter: people looking for you specifically, or for professionals like you in their area.
A meta description
The meta description is the snippet that appears under your title in search results. If you don't set one, Google will pull random text from your page.
Write a concise summary (under 160 characters) that describes who you are and what you do. Think of it as a pitch to get people to click.
Example: "Product designer specialising in fintech and B2B SaaS. Based in London. Available for full-time roles and consulting."
Heading structure
Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content. Search engines use these to understand what your page is about.
Your H1 should be your name or a clear statement of who you are. H2s can be section titles like "Projects", "About", "Contact". Project titles work well as H3s.
Don't skip levels or use headings just for styling.
Image alt text
Every image on your portfolio should have alt text—a brief description of what the image shows.
This helps search engines understand your visual content. It also makes your site accessible to people using screen readers.
Good alt text: "Dashboard design showing user analytics for a fintech app"
Bad alt text: "image1" or leaving it blank
Fast loading
Page speed is a ranking factor. More importantly, slow sites drive visitors away before they even see your work.
Keep images optimised. Use modern formats like WebP. Avoid loading dozens of fonts or heavy JavaScript frameworks if you don't need them.
Test your site with Google's PageSpeed Insights. Aim for a score above 80 on mobile.
Beyond the basics
Once you've covered the fundamentals, these tactics can help:
Claim your name across platforms
Search engines love consistency. If your name appears the same way on your portfolio, LinkedIn, GitHub, and other profiles, you're more likely to rank for it.
Use the same photo, the same bio, and link everything back to your portfolio.
Get linked from credible sources
Links from other websites signal to search engines that your site is legitimate.
You don't need hundreds of backlinks. A few quality ones help: your company's team page, a guest post, a mention in a newsletter, a case study on a client's site.
Add structured data
Structured data helps search engines understand your content better. For portfolios, the most useful type is "Person" schema.
This can enable rich results—like showing your photo, job title, or social links directly in search results.
If you're using a platform like Curvit, this is handled automatically. If you're building custom, look into JSON-LD markup.
Create some content
A single-page portfolio can rank, but pages with more content tend to do better.
Consider adding:
- A short bio page with more detail about your background
- Case studies that go deeper on your projects
- A blog post or two about your craft
You don't need to become a content machine. A few well-written pieces can significantly improve your discoverability.
What not to worry about
Some SEO advice is overkill for portfolios:
Keyword density: Don't stuff your pages with keywords. Write naturally. Search engines are smart enough to understand context.
Perfect technical setup: You don't need a sitemap or complex redirects for a simple portfolio. Focus on content and structure first.
Constant updates: Unlike news sites, portfolios don't need fresh content constantly. Update when your work changes, not to game algorithms.
Paid tools: Free tools like Google Search Console give you everything you need to track your portfolio's performance.
Tracking your progress
Set up Google Search Console (it's free) and connect it to your portfolio. After a few weeks, you'll see:
- Which searches are bringing people to your site
- How often you appear in results
- Your average position for different queries
Check it monthly. You'll learn what's working and where to focus.
The bottom line
Portfolio SEO isn't about gaming algorithms. It's about making sure people can find you when they're looking.
Cover the basics—good titles, descriptions, alt text, fast loading—and you'll be ahead of most portfolios. Add a few pieces of content over time, and you'll build lasting discoverability.
With Curvit, technical SEO is handled for you. Clean markup, fast pages, proper structure—all built in. You focus on your work. We make sure people can find it.