Last week we reviewed some of the best ways to create an online visual portfolio, but what if you’re a writer who creates with words instead of images? Don’t feel left out! You should have an online portfolio, too.

An online portfolio boosts your Google-ability, raises credibility with editors, and makes it easy to share and organize writing clips. Instead of sending huge, space-consuming files via email (most editors don’t appreciate that–ahem), send a link to your organized, well-thought-out site!

What to include

Your portfolio should contain three to seven writing samples demonstrating a range of styles. Include:

• a how-to article
• a review
• an interview
• a personal experience essay
• an article based on research
• an article that demonstrates your knowledge in your area of expertise.

Organize your clips and samples

Make sure you have permission to post published clips, and organize your clips by subject or type of publication (i.e. magazine, website, custom publication, etc.).

Show off your ancillary skills

Take a few lines to explain your contribution to each sample (editing, writing, layout), and the tools and software you used to create them (Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe InDesign, HTML).

Post the clip in context

Allow editors to see the clip in the context it was published. You can do this by linking to the site on which the clip appeared, or by the scanning the hard copy. If you choose to scan, save the clips as PDFs instead of JPEGs–you can always include a link to the PDF on your site, or upload it to a site like Scribd, DocStoc, or issuu if you wish to embed it directly into the page.

Keep your clips updated

Sometimes links change once an article gets archived, so check them frequently. If you’re concerned about a website removing your article, take a screenshot and save it for your portfolio. Searching Google’s cached pages is another way to retrieve “dead” articles.

Creating the portfolio

Now that you’ve gathered everything you need, it’s time to set up your portfolio. Some options include:

Writer’s Residence

For $8.99/month, Writers Residence helps you create your own website and easily edit pages, add writing samples, and create a writing resume/CV–all with no need for HTML.

Big Black Bag

With Big Black Bag, you get a free domain name, multiple templates to choose from, Paypal integration for sending invoices, an e-commerce feature, and custom form creation for $8.99/month.

MediaBistro Profile

Your MediaBistro profile features a customized display of your professional background and experiences, provides you with disk space to upload your work samples and writing clips, and is searchable by the 100,000+ editors and managers in mediabistro.com’s member database for $21/month or $145/year.

Book style

Set up a “clip book” by inserting  your clips into a document or page layout program, then creating a PDF to upload to a site like issuu or Yudu. If you need PDF creation software, you can do it online at Adobe.com, or try a free PDF creator like CutePDF.

Your Blog

If you blog about more than your writing (and really, who doesn’t?), create a separate page for your writing portfolio. Develop categories for the major writing areas or topics you cover, and tag them for greater refinement. Add a link to your sidebar or main navigation to take visitors to a page dedicated to your work.