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Cheryl 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 can borrow from it.
Why project management tools didn't work for clients
Before Client Portal, Cheryl tried Trello, Asana, and ClickUp. None of them worked for client-facing work. The problems were fairly predictable in hindsight: clients had to create accounts, learn a new interface, and remember how it all worked. Most gave up and went back to email.
There was also a privacy concern - with a tool like ClickUp, there's always a risk that clients wander into dashboards or notes that weren't meant for them. And as a web designer already working in WordPress, adding yet another third-party platform never really made sense.
“All those tools are designed for teams, not for working directly with a client. If they ever lost their login, they'd have to start from scratch - it just creates friction from the very beginning. And with ClickUp, I was always worried clients might see something they shouldn't. Client Portal is just their space - nothing more, nothing less.”
How Cheryl structures her portals
Cheryl uses one portal per project, organised into five phases. Her portals are in Dutch, but here's a translated breakdown of the structure:
Phase 1: Research
- Start here - a short video explaining how the portal works
- Questionnaires - documents for the client to download and complete
- Completed questionnaires - a file upload module for returning them
- Checklist - everything that needs to be delivered before work begins
- Upload your materials - where clients upload photos, copy, and other assets
- SOS writing copy - templates to help clients write their own website content
Phase 2: Design
- Concept design 1 - first design concept, with file upload
- Give feedback, round 1 - feedback on concept 1
- Concept design 2 - second design concept, with file upload
- Give feedback, round 2 - feedback on concept 2
- Website style guide - brand consistency document
- Final design - approved final design, with file upload
Phase 3: Build
- Development - link to the staging site
- Give feedback, round 1
- Give feedback, round 2
Phase 4: Launch
- Delivery - handover documentation
- How-to videos - training recordings for the client
- Leave a review - a gentle nudge at the right moment
Phase 5: Important documents
- Terms and conditions
- Proposal
At the top of each portal, clients can see which phase they're currently in, what's coming next, and the estimated completion date.
There are a few things that’s worth borrowing from this structure:
1) Separate modules for each feedback round
This is the detail that makes the biggest difference. Rather than one generic Feedback module, Cheryl has distinct modules for round one and round two. When round one is done, she closes it off. The client can still see it, but they can't add to it.
“The thing I love most is being able to close off a feedback round. When it was done, I marked it complete and locked the module. That was actually one of the main reasons I bought it.”
No more 'actually, one more thing...' emails arriving after a round is supposed to be finished.
2) A 'Start here' video in the first module
Cheryl includes a short video at the top of every portal explaining how it works - where to find things, how to upload files, what to expect. It's specifically about using the portal itself, not general project onboarding. Clients can figure it out without needing a separate call or a long email from her.
3) Specific upload modules, not one generic one
Rather than a single 'Upload files here' module, Cheryl has separate upload points for questionnaires, photos and copy, and feedback. Clients know exactly what goes where, which means she doesn't have to sort through a pile of mixed files later.
4) Important documents in their own section
Proposals and terms don't fit neatly into any project phase, but clients do need to be able to find them. Keeping them in a separate section at the bottom means they're always accessible without cluttering the main project flow.
Using the inactive status creatively
Most people use inactive modules for 'coming soon' content. Cheryl uses it differently: to formally close off completed work. Once a feedback round is done, that module goes inactive. It's visible, but it's over. Clients can't reopen it, and there's no ambiguity about whether you're still accepting input.
How it works in practice
Cheryl didn't sit down and plan this all out in one go. The structure developed over time, shaped by what clients actually did and what questions they kept asking.
“My structure slowly got better over time. I added and deleted things after projects finished, based on feedback from my clients. Now I have a fixed portal structure for my web design clients.”
So if you're starting out and not sure what your structure should look like: start with something sensible, pay attention to where clients get confused, and adjust. You'll land on your version of this eventually.
She runs one portal per client, with up to seven active at her busiest, and keeps old portals running after projects end so clients can still look things up without having to email her to resend files. As for how clients take to it - there's no onboarding video, no walkthrough call required.
Want to see a web design portal for yourself?
Have a click around our example web design portal, or download the template and import it straight into Client Portal to use as a starting point for your own projects.
Cheryl Porcelijn is the founder of Webdesign Mastery and host of De Podcast voor Webdesigners.
