Chapter 1 of 8 · 5 checks · 3 min

Opening and structure

The top of the page decides whether a visitor stays. Say who you are, what you do and what you want, then make everything else easy to find.

Show

Say who you are and what you build in the first screenMust
Why it matters and how to check
The first thing a visitor sees should answer three questions: who you are, what kind of developer you are, and what you build. One headline and one supporting sentence are enough, for example "Ayesha Khan, backend developer. I build reliable APIs for payments and logistics."
Avoid opening with a large animation, a quote or "Welcome to my portfolio". To check, open the site on a phone and read only what appears before you scroll. If a stranger could not say what you do from that alone, rewrite it.
Do
Put your name, role and focus in the first screen
Write the supporting line in plain words
Avoid
Opening with a quote, a long animation or a generic welcome
State what you are looking for and whereShould
Why it matters and how to check
Visitors are often deciding whether to contact you about something specific. Tell them: "Open to junior backend roles, remote or in Lahore", "Available for freelance Flutter projects" or "Not looking right now, happy to talk about open source".
Put this near the top or in a short section that is easy to find. Check that it matches your LinkedIn Open to Work preferences and your current situation, and update it when that changes.
Do
Name the type of role or work and your location or remote preference
Avoid
Leaving visitors to guess whether you are available
Keep navigation to a few clear sectionsShould
Why it matters and how to check
Most portfolios need only a few sections: Projects, About, Writing (if you write) and Contact. A single long page with anchor links works well. More than five or six navigation items usually means content should be merged or cut.
Use plain labels that say what is behind them, not clever names. To check, ask someone unfamiliar with the site to find your contact details and your best project. If either takes more than a few seconds, simplify.
Do
Use plain section labels such as Projects, About and Contact
Avoid
Deep menus or creative labels visitors have to decode
Write a short About section with your background and stackShould
Why it matters and how to check
The About section adds context the projects cannot: where you studied or work, how long you have been building, the stack you are strongest in and one or two things you care about in your work. A short paragraph and a list of main technologies is enough.
Keep it consistent with your LinkedIn and GitHub. Check that job titles and dates match across all three, because mismatches look careless.
Do
Keep it to one or two short paragraphs plus your main stack
Avoid
A long life story or a wall of every technology you have touched
Link a current CV as a PDF if you are job huntingNice to have
Why it matters and how to check
Some hiring managers want a CV they can forward. If you are job hunting, link a PDF with a clear file name such as ayesha-khan-backend-developer-cv.pdf. Keep it consistent with the site.
Check the link in a private browser window to make sure it opens and is the latest version. Remove your home address and national ID details from any public CV; a city and email are enough.
Do
Use a descriptive file name
Keep only a city and email as contact details
Avoid
Out-of-date CVs or ones with your full address and ID number