Practical advice on client onboarding, file sharing and looking organised, for freelancers and agencies.
If there was one question we get asked the most here at Client Portal, it’s some version of “I already have a project management tool, can I still benefit from Client Portal?” The answer is a big YES! In fact, Client Portal was built as an addition to project management tools, not a replacement. Here...
Read moreThe hardest part of running a marketing agency is... Clients. Yep, clients. Getting them, working with them, and signing off on the finished project ("juuuust one more thing"). Imagine getting on with your work without dealing with the song-and-dance of project management, keeping clients in the loop, and answering the same questions. One thing that...
Read moreIf you work with web design clients, you've probably got a rough process you follow for every project. The question is whether your clients can actually see it clearly, or whether it's mostly living in your head and a handful of email threads. This post walks through how to structure a client portal for a...
Read moreWhen people first look at Client Portal, some expect it to be a project management tool. Others expect invoicing, time tracking, or built-in messaging. It's none of those things. And that's not an oversight - it's intentional. The problem with all-in-one platforms There's an appealing simplicity to the idea of one tool that does everything....
Read moreClient Portal was built to sit alongside the tools you already use. Keep your project management tool, keep your accounting software, and let the portal be the bit your clients see. (More on that in why I don't recommend all-in-one tools for freelancers.) Files are a good test of that idea. If you already keep...
Read moreThere are lots of what I call "kitchen sink" tools on the market at the moment, all promising to run your whole business. Since AI arrived, more seem to appear every day. They promise you the world: proposals, contracts, invoicing, forms, scheduling, projects and client portals, all for one monthly price that's usually low, at...
Read moreThe template gallery was a big project, so I wanted to use this release to get lots of small but important requests into the product. When I use software myself, it's often the smaller changes that make the biggest difference to my workflow. Hopefully there's something in here that's been on your wish list. I've...
Read moreClient Portal has two ways to build a portal, and we're retiring one of them in 2027. The Classic editor is the original portal builder. You add phases and modules through settings screens, and you only see what the client sees when you preview the portal. The block editor is what Client Portal moved to...
Read moreBack in version 5.8 I said we were going to build a proper template library inside Client Portal, so you wouldn't have to download a file from our website and import it by hand. It's now been released. From version 5.10+ creating a portal happens on a new screen, with your own templates and a...
Read moreIf you've set up Client Portal and then stalled on what to actually put in it, build a client onboarding portal first. It's the portal every client needs, it barely changes between them, and it's the only part of your process that isn't tied to a specific piece of work. It's also the easiest to...
Read moreRunning a freelance business usually means a patchwork of email threads, Google Drive links and the occasional "did you get my invoice?" message. It works, mostly. But once you're juggling more than a handful of clients, you spend a surprising amount of time just finding things and re-sending them. A client portal fixes most of...
Read moreA question we get fairly often: can you collect and manage client feedback inside Client Portal? Yes, in a few ways, depending on what you need. They all use the comments feature on content pages, so that's where we'll start. Collecting feedback with comments on content pages Everything here relies on one feature: comments on...
Read moreQuick one this time. If you let clients register for their own portals, 5.9 adds a small but rather satisfying touch: portals that name themselves using the client's own details. There are also a few fixes underneath, a couple of which are worth knowing about. The new bit: portal titles that fill themselves in Up...
Read moreVersion 5.8 is mostly about notifications and comments. A few new things, an overhaul of the settings page, and the usual round of smaller fixes underneath. 1) New: Notification for comments on content pages Back in version 5.5, we shipped the ability for clients to leave comments on content pages. Up until now, that's been...
Read moreCheryl Porcelijn runs Webdesign Mastery, a six-month coaching programme teaching web designers her 'Master Method' - a streamlined approach to project management for solo web designers. Each student gets their own private portal as a companion to the programme. Less course platform, more resource hub Cheryl's student portals aren't trying to replace a course platform....
Read moreEarly in my freelancing career, I agreed to design a 4-page brochure. Simple enough. The brief was clear, the client was lovely, and I delivered the first draft on time. They loved it. So much so that they wanted "just a couple of extra sections." And then a few more. By the time we were...
Read moreCheryl Porcelijn has been using Client Portal for her web design clients for the last six years. She's also the founder of Webdesign Mastery and host of De Podcast voor Webdesigners, a weekly Dutch podcast for web designers. Her portal setup is one of the more thoughtful ones we've seen, and there's a lot you...
Read moreA couple of weeks ago I posted a "coming soon" preview of a batch of updates we'd been working on. I was expecting another few weeks of testing before it was ready. Turns out it was ready sooner than I thought. Everything in that post is now live. If you haven't updated yet, head to...
Read moreIf you work with web design clients, you've probably got a rough process you follow for every project. The question is whether your clients can actually see it clearly, or whether it's mostly living in your head and a handful of email threads. This post walks through how to structure a client portal for a...
Read moreWe've been heads-down on a batch of updates to Client Portal, and they're nearly ready to go. Nothing has been rebuilt from scratch (your portals will look familiar) but a lot of the small friction points have been ironed out. Here's a quick summary of what's changed: A refreshed portal design The layout is the...
Read moreWhen people first look at Client Portal, some expect it to be a project management tool. Others expect invoicing, time tracking, or built-in messaging. It's none of those things. And that's not an oversight - it's intentional. The problem with all-in-one platforms There's an appealing simplicity to the idea of one tool that does everything....
Read moreClient Portal version 5.5 has been released! When we first launched Client Portal back in 2016, the ability for clients to leave comments in portals was part of our original plan. However, WordPress comment security was somewhat different back then. We couldn't figure out how to do it properly without creating privacy issues between different...
Read moreA client portal is a secure, branded area on your website where clients can access all their project files, timelines, and communications in one organized place—eliminating the constant “can you resend that file?” emails that eat up your day. If you've ever spent 20 minutes hunting down a contract you sent three weeks ago, or found...
Read moreClient Portal version 5.4 has been released! I'm really excited to announce that we have launched the much-requested image slider feature! All about the new Image Slider module Now if you upload images to Client Portal, your clients will be able to preview them in a beautiful slider. Many of you have been asking for this...
Read moreWe’re delighted to announce a special initiative that can turn your software needs into a force of change. We’ve teamed up with Freemius to support Girls Who Code and contribute to a more diverse tech future. Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology. Did you know that in...
Read moreSharing files with clients is a daily necessity for most online businesses. Whether you're running a startup, managing a law firm, or heading up a marketing agency, you're likely dealing with various document types, some of which may contain sensitive information. While email used to be the go-to for file sharing, it's now become a...
Read moreThe hardest part of running a marketing agency is... Clients. Yep, clients. Getting them, working with them, and signing off on the finished project ("juuuust one more thing"). Imagine getting on with your work without dealing with the song-and-dance of project management, keeping clients in the loop, and answering the same questions. One thing that...
Read moreDo you have a WordPress website and are looking for better ways to share files with clients? If so, you may need to use a file-sharing plugin. As the world’s most popular CMS (Content Management System), WordPress has a lot of flexibility when it comes to, well, almost anything! But one place it lacks is...
Read moreWhen you set up a business, customer experience isn't always at the top of your list. Only when you repeatedly start fielding the same support requests do you start thinking about implementing something more official. Portals are a great way to give customers a central place to access everything they need. This prevents them from...
Read moreToday, I want to talk about the Block Editor, what it is, and why we are moving to it for the Client Portal. What is the block editor (also known as Gutenberg) The block editor lets you edit your website by dragging and dropping elements, or blocks, onto your screen and creating layouts in a...
Read moreToday, I wanted to update you on our progress for Client Portal 5.0. While we had high hopes for a full release by the end of January, that sadly didn't happen. We ran into some unexpected roadblocks with integrating the content pages, pushing us back. The good news is I got word from our developer...
Read moreToday, I want to talk about our plans for the next 12 months of Client Portal. It's January, so many of us are thinking ahead, and I've had a lot of questions from those who want to know our next focus after the release of CP 5.0. 2023 was a tough year. With the cost...
Read moreToday, I want to share with you four mini-features that are coming with this release. These may seem small, but they’ve been requested repeatedly and, honestly, are things that should mostly have been doable before now. Mini-feature #1: A fully editable, customizable menu This is something we get asked about all the time. While we...
Read moreToday, I'm going to share an update on the beta program (which is live right now!) and how we're running it. We've opened the beta to a small group of 48 customers. Of those, 21 have created portals with the new block editor via InstaWP. (InstaWP allows us to spin up fresh installs of WordPress...
Read moreThis is the second behind-the-scenes email for Client Portal 5.0. Today, we are talking about something that (IMO) will end up being the favorite feature of Client Portal 5.0. Introducing: Reusable Patterns 🎉 Until now, every portal has needed to be custom for each client. Which, as you know, can take a long time to...
Read moreHere it is: a first look at the new block editor coming in Client Portal 5.0. This is currently in beta and due to be released by mid-January 2024. In this video, we cover: What the new editor looks like from the backend How to style each block Editing the menu Embedding videos Changes to...
Read moreI remember getting my first MacBook. I was 17 and had just started a course in graphic design. Like many people, we didn’t have a lot of money growing up so I never had the latest, well, anything. But my mum was adamant that I needed a laptop for college. And not just any old...
Read moreWhen it comes to high-value client projects, getting the documents and deliverables right is crucial. You don’t want to go overboard with too much information (and you don’t want to include fluff documents), but you do need to give your client everything they need to trust that you’ve got this. High-value projects are often fairly...
Read moreIn this article, we are going to delve into one of the most effective strategies to attract potential clients: creating educational content (also known as lead magnets) to showcase your expertise and build credibility with your clients – or potential clients. We’re also going to go through how you can use Client Portal to deliver...
Read moreOne of the best things about Client Portal is that it forces you to really think about your process and the deliverables you're giving clients. Most business owners have a process, but it lives mostly in their heads. They go through roughly the same steps with each new client and give roughly the same deliverables,...
Read moreLast month, I (Laura 👋) spoke at WordCamp EU – the biggest WordPress conference in Europe (and, some argue, the world.) Going into it, I was terrified on the morning of my talk. Whenever I’m asked to speak at conferences, I seem to always go through the same five emotions: Elation. ”OMG I’m speaking at...
Read moreIn the previous article (check out “Do I still need Client Portal if I have a project management tool” if you missed it) we talked about why project management tools are better to use internally with your team and not with your clients (that’s what Client Portal is for!) But another question cropped up a...
Read moreIf there was one question we get asked the most here at Client Portal, it’s some version of “I already have a project management tool, can I still benefit from Client Portal?” The answer is a big YES! In fact, Client Portal was built as an addition to project management tools, not a replacement. Here...
Read moreOur Client Portal customers are often amazed at how many different use cases there are for it. Once you get what Client Portal does, you start to see infinite possibilities for its uses. "I am so glad I found Client Portal. It is very flexible and will help me grow from being a freelancer to...
Read moreToday's update to Client Portal will be a game-changer to those of you who sell products using WooCommerce. From today, you can now use WooCommerce to sell access to any of your portals. Here's how it works: 1) Set up any Client Portal templates that you'd like to sell. These could be services, courses, a...
Read moreAs a digital agency, there are many different ways you can use Client Portal in your business. You can of course use it to keep your client projects organised but there are also a few other use cases that add tremendous value to both yours and your clients businesses. In this article, we are going...
Read moreClient Portal version v.4.12 has been released! Today's update is the single most requested feature we get, so as you can imagine, I'm pretty pumped to have it released 💪. Automatic Portal Creation and Self Signup: All you need to know This new update comes in two parts. First is the automatic portal creation which was stealthily released...
Read moreClient Portal version v.10 has been released! Today's update has been consistently requested from the very beginning and, despite it not being the sexiest update, we think it's going to be really useful. Custom slugs: All you need to know Now in Client Portal you can have the option to change the slug to whatever...
Read moreAnnouncement: If you are currently on version 4.9.0 or 4.9.1 of Client Portal, we need you to manually update the plugin to continue getting updates. More info at the end of this post. We're so excited to have officially released the much anticipated Notifications feature! It's been a long road to get here but we...
Read moreWhen you consider WordPress for your website, a few things probably go through your mind: The ease of managing content and features the site will have. How WordPress can help deliver that using the design they have in mind. Where the site will be hosted. How security of the site will be implemented and managed....
Read moreChristian van ‘t Hof is the marketing manager at accounting firm Contajul Contabilidade and the owner of Brightsol, a web design agency. Christian has been using Client Portal with Contajul since around September 2019. Since Contajul provides everything from accounting, consulting, audits and paralegal services to over 400 businesses, they have a lot of assets...
Read moreWe've just released a new version of Client Portal with a big new feature: Client uploads! We know that many of you have been waiting for this so we are absolutely thrilled to have it ready. Now you can choose "Client Uploads" in the "Module Type" dropdown... ...and your clients will see an "Add files" link on that module. This is where they can upload their files which you will be able to download either from the backend or frontend of Client Portal.
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The template gallery was a big project, so I wanted to use this release to get lots of small but important requests into the product. When I use software myself, it's often the smaller changes that make the biggest difference to my workflow. Hopefully there's something in here that's been on your wish list. I've...
Read moreBack in version 5.8 I said we were going to build a proper template library inside Client Portal, so you wouldn't have to download a file from our website and import it by hand. It's now been released. From version 5.10+ creating a portal happens on a new screen, with your own templates and a...
Read moreQuick one this time. If you let clients register for their own portals, 5.9 adds a small but rather satisfying touch: portals that name themselves using the client's own details. There are also a few fixes underneath, a couple of which are worth knowing about. The new bit: portal titles that fill themselves in Up...
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