They say that a stranger’s soul is incomprehensible, but we can’t entirely agree with the statement.
Most often we just don’t want to notice the obvious, pretending that it’s a too personal matter or something of the kind.
In fact, the human soul is not as dark as it seems. It is always ready and even willing to reveal its secrets to the confidant. As a rule, web community members having their own websites are open for communication, socialization, and other things like that. Besides, personal websites serve as a kind of virtual CVs for their owners. Most often, if you are as sharp as a needle, seeing a person’s website, you’ll easily tell even more about the site owner than he/she wanted to say.
Note – Also check out the tutorial at the bottom to learn how you can create an awesome personal website like these.
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Remarkable Personal Website Examples I Like
Here's the list of my favorite personal websites. I have recorded the site's main design elements recorded in GIFs so you can have more details. The websites are ordered according to the time I discover them – they are by no means a “ranking” list.
1. Nick Jones
Website: narrowdesign.com
2. Jim Ramsden
Website: jimramsden.com
3. Vladimir Strajnic
Website: strajnic.net
4. Gary Le Masson
Website: garylemasson.com
5. Juliana Rotich
Website: julia.na
6. Pascal van Gemert
Website: pascalvangemert.nl
7. Daryl Thornhill
Website: madebydaryl.co.uk
8. Anthony Wiktor
Website: anthonydesigner.com
9. Adam Hartwig
Website: adamhartwig.co.uk
10. The Beast Is Back
Website: thebeastisback.com
11. Tony D'Orio
Website: tonydorio.com
12. Sean Halpin
Website: seanhalpin.design
13. Todd Henry
Website: toddhenry.com
14. Gary Sheng
Website: garysheng.com
15. Anthony Mychal
Website: anthonymychal.com
16. Joshua Mccartney
Website: joshuamccartney.com
17. Lewis Howes
Website: lewishowes.com
18. Pharrell Williams
Website: pharrellwilliams.com
19. Ali Wong
Website: aliwong.com
20. Albino Tonnina
Website: albinotonnina.com
21. Ellen S Riley
Website: ellensriley.com
22. Simon Sinek
Website: simonsinek.com
How to Create an Awesome Personal Website Yourself
So you are inspired and wanted to build a personal website yourself? Cool! Let's walk through the things you need to do. There are, basically, only 3 steps to start any kind of website –
- Get a domain name and web host.
- Build from scratch or use a site builder.
- Add in content.
1. Get a domain name and web host
On the Internet, your domain is your identity. It's how people find you and the name others pass along. For your personal website – you'll need a good domain name. Most people use their own names as the domain for their personal websites; others might go with something catchy or meaningful. Here are some suggestions and free domain name generators in case you need help.
Next, you need a good web hosting company to host your personal website.
When we talk about web host, we basically refer to the company that leases out computer servers and networks to host your website. There are four types of web hosting services – shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. While all these web hosting services will act as the storage center for your website; they differ in the amount of storage capacity, control, speed, reliability, functions, and features, as well as technical knowledge requirement.
If you are new – just start low and go with an affordable shared hosting provider.
Recommendation
These days I use NameCheap to register and manage all my domain names. For personal website hosting, I recommend using Hostinger Single – mainly because they have the cheapest single website hosting (starts at $1.99/mo) and an easy-to-use website builder.
2. Build from scratch or use a site builder
Once you have the website domain and hosting ready, the next step is to make the website itself.
There are many considerations in web design but as a beginner, my advice is to take a baby step.
WYSIWYG Editor
Try to output something and get it onto the web. Fine-tuning and modification can come later after you have learned your skills. One easy way to design a website is to use a WYSIWYG web editor like Adobe Dreamweaver CC. Such editors work just like a normal word processor and allow you to design your site visually without handling too much technical details.
Website Builders
If HTML and CSS are not your things, or you simply want a simple personal website for your interview, a drag-and-drop website builder is the better choice.
Most web hosting companies provide a drag-and-drop site builder for free. These incredible tools can help you create a functional personal website in half an hour. Hostinger is a brand that comes to mind for this since it offers the Hostinger Website Builder (HWB) on all of its plans (even the cheapest).
Alternatively, you can skip the web design process with a premium all-in-one website builder like Wix or Weebly. The best thing about these options is that they have hundreds of excellent pre-designed templates. You can apply a pro theme to your website in just a few clicks.
Here are some examples of websites built with Wix:
For those who are unfamiliar with a website builder, I recommend reading these tutorials on our site:
- How to build your first website using Wix
- How to build your first website using Weebly
- How to create a personal website using HWB
3. Add personal content
I can't really teach you what kind of content should be added to your personal website but to help you on brainstorming – ask these questions to yourself –
- What is the purpose of your personal website? Define and build your personal brand.
- Who is your target audience? Students, potential clients, shoppers, etc. Get to know them.
- What is the must-have info on the site? Job samples, contact details, product specifications, etc.
- How do you present that info? Gallery styles, point forms, animations, etc. Or even better, tell a story.
Always remember that for personal websites, you are the brand. Make sure you take this seriously and send a consistent message in your branding. This could take the form of your site logo, business cards, or even something that seems as basic as your email signature.
Don’t worry though as these are things that can be easily (and quickly) handled by using any of the good brand-building tools in the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are not many free options to build a website that we recommend. The one that we do is 000Webhost, which is an offshoot of Hostinger. Consider it a starting sandbox that allows you to upgrade to Hostinger's cheap plans if necessary.
Personal websites are not really a necessity but since they are a great place to share more about your passions and likes, there is potential for them to become commercialized and earn you some money.
The best thing about making a website for personal use is that they're yours to do with as you please. Some ideas of what to share are a personal blog, some examples of your work, information about things you're passionate about, or even your personal branding.
Having a well-done, professional profile will help you stand out from competitors on recruitment forums. Aside from the freedom to fully customize it, you are also showing initiative and basic HTML skills in building the site.
This depends on what you aim to use your website for. As a recruitment aid, a CV isn't out of the question but details which are too personal such as addresses and contact numbers should be redacted.
Wrapping up: Which is Your Favorite?
So, do you like my collection? Which one seemed the most creative to you? What do you think is the most important in personal sites?
Please share this post and your opinion on Twitter (tag me at @WebHostingJerry). I hope this compilation will help you to create your own personal website according to all modern tendencies.
