Setting up a portfolio site with free hosting and email (without Adobe)

Reducing on-going costs as an illustrator

Hi, I’m Libby. I’m trying to find my feet in the world of illustration. I’ve done a load of research and I’m sharing it here, along with my progress on how my illustration journey is going. I’m so glad you could join me on this bumpy ride!

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Hi!

I hope you’re having a good July.

Today I’m sharing a quick post on how I set up my personal portfolio website this week!

This is in no way sponsored. I’m just sharing to help other illustrators or business owners who are looking to manage their ongoing costs.

My simple site

One of my goals has always been to set up a minimal-cost website.

Having set up 4 or 5 different websites in the same number of years, monthly fees start to add up.

A few years ago I vowed to teach myself WordPress. The site-builder seemed unintuitive and I just didn’t have enough time or brain space to get to grips with it.

I want to spend my time illustrating, not setting up or managing a website.

I would describe myself as fairly tech-savvy but only when there’s an intuitive interface or clear instructions.

Many illustrators I’ve spoken to used Adobe Portfolio to set up their personal portfolio sites. This comes ‘free’ with an Adobe subscription.

In light of the Adobe subscription cost per year which I discussed in a previous post, it doesn’t seem like the most generous of freebies.

And with many abandoning Adobe of late due to their AI policy, an alternative may be required.

Cheap Domain

By personal portfolio website, I mean a site that is your own and not attributed to another platform like Behance or an illustrator folio through an association like the AOI.

So people can access it directly, I needed to buy a domain (the website name e.g. www.libbybrewster.com.)

I contemplated creating an Illustration brand but decided using my own name would provide more flexibility in the long term.

If you need help creating a domain name, I like using Name Mesh suggests domain options after entering different keywords.

My go-to domain site is Namecheap, as its name suggests it’s usually cheap but the dashboard you get for managing your domains is straightforward, and the site is popular so it has lots of support articles I can reference if I run into issues.

You need to pay for the registration of a domain which is usually around £10 per year.

£10 is the only outlay I have for this website - the hosting and personalised email are free.

Free Hosting

Someone needs to host the website for you. Hosts usually provide a website builder. Examples of hosts are Squarespace and Wix which have a monthly subscription.

If you don’t require your host to run a shop, Google Sites might be a better and much cheaper option.

Google Sites Homepage

This is the website host I used.

The set-up process was super simple and took me about 1 hour.

I chose a template and simply uploaded my images.

Granted, my website isn’t particularly sexy.

I think I could make it look slicker but I feel like a portfolio site should showcase the work cleanly so the platform fits with my current requirements.

Connecting the domain to the host

To connect the domain to the site, there is an option in Google site settings (the cog icon) which lays out all the steps you need to follow.

In summary, I had to set up something called a CNAME record and TXT record on my Namecheap dashboard.

You sometimes have to wait for the internet to update. I waited and had an error but clear instructions on how to resolve it.

www redirection

The only downside to Google Sites is that it works as a www. and when people miss off the www from your domain like libbybrewster.com, it initially shows up with an error.

I solved this by setting up the following:

A record, URL Redirect record, A record into the Advanced DNS settings on my NameCheap dashboard as per this helpful article on wwwinsights.

The article seems complicated and I don’t understand half of the terminology but ignoring the detail, the instructions work.

It required me to check my site IP address which I did using NS Lookup.

If you have any issues I’d be happy to advise.

Free Email

I’ve set up personalised email for free on three different websites in the past using Zoho Mail.

There are limitations such as email attachment size but you can use file-sharing sites instead of email attachments to get around this.

It’s a little bit hidden on the pricing plan page but you need to scroll right down to ‘Free Forever Plan.’

By following the instructions in Zoho Mail help, I set up two TXT records on my Namecheap dashboard. I also added 3 MX records in the Namecheap Mail Fowarding section.

Once you’ve done this it can take a couple of days to go live.

I like Zoho because it comes with a pretty decent mobile app which I can manage alongside my personal email or you can redirect your Zoho emails to your Gmail if you prefer.

Personally, I like keeping them separate.

Further Development

My site definitely needs more work but for a simple option, to get me started and showcase my work, it feels good to go.

One thing I worried about was that my illustration style isn’t consistent yet.

I do think this is an issue in attracting clients. Clients want to know what they’re getting when they commission work.

But I’m only 6 months into my journey and there’s time for that.

Placing everything on the website helps to see what it looks like in a client’s eyes. It has already helped me to see where the gaps are and where I need to focus.

Other Options

When I put the question out on Substack about portfolio host options I was suggested some of these platforms that you may want to consider:

• Cargo - for something a bit more arty and flexible formatting

• Wix and Squarespace as mentioned, for shop capability

• DeviantArt and ArtStation

• Adobe Portfolio, if you already have the subscription this may be a no brainer

• Cara and Instagram

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Have you already got a personal portfolio website?

Which website host are you using?

Do you plan on sticking with your host in the long term?

If not, were these instructions helpful? As I mentioned, I’m more than happy to help if anyone needs support in getting these set up.

I’d love to hear your experiences and tips too.

Thanks for reading!

Libby