Are you a photographer? If so, you need to be developing the best website for your photography career. This is not an area where you can skimp. If you don't have a high-quality website, potential clients will simply move on to the next photographer in their search. So, how can you create the best website for your photography business? Here are a few tips.
Features of a great photography website host
First off, you're going to need to find a web host to support your photography site and online store. There are a few things you should look for in a web host:
Reliable uptime
This is critical. You don't want your website going down when people are trying to view your portfolio or purchase your prints. A professional photography website should be accessible at all hours of the night, because who knows when your clients will want to visit.
Good customer service
If something does go wrong, you want to be able to quickly get in touch with your host. Some only offer chat support, so if you don't want to deal with that, go somewhere else.
Free website builders
Many hosts come with free website builders for photographers. If this is the only project you're working on, a website builder is the way to go. It'll keep you out of the nitty gritty as you build your photography portfolio.
Unlimited storage
You're going to want to be able to store all of your high-quality photos on your website. Make sure your host doesn't have any storage limits, or else you'll run into problems down the road. Unlimited storage space is essential for you as your business grows.
If you don't have unlimited storage, at least make sure that it's nearly unlimited storage. You won't go through a terabyte very fast. Unlimited storage doesn't have to be the only thing you consider, but certainly, think about it.
Free domain or custom domain
A domain is the URL of your website (ex. example.com). Many hosts will give you a free domain when you sign up, which is great. But if you already have a domain that you want to use, make sure your host supports it. You should be able to point your custom domain to their servers with no problems.
Also watch their renewal fees, because it can add up. Make sure you can transfer your domain name to a new nameserver if you want.
Ecommerce functionality
If you want to sell your photos online, you're going to need a host that supports ecommerce. This means they'll have SSL support and shopping cart software.
Photography templates
It's an added bonus if your web host has website builders for photographers, photography templates, or other resources for building your photography site. If you're only running a photography business, definitely keep an eye out for these bonuses for your photography site.
Keep in mind, too, that the best photography website builder is the one you're motivated to use. So if a dedicated photography website builder calls to you, use it.
Where to host your photography website
If you're interested in website building broadly, then you might consider a traditional web host instead of a website builder. The best web hosting for photographers is budget friendly and can load images fast. Website builders are great, but they can be limiting. So if you need more than photography templates, consider an all around good host, like NameCheap or Cloudways.
But if you want a dedicated website builder for your photography website, then search that out. A great website builder is going to be easy to use and motivating. The best art photography website builder for you will depend – but here's more about that.
What about the best website builders?
The best art photography website builder out there is purely subjective and will depend on your technical expertise. If you're a beginner, then you might want to use Wix or Weebly. If you're more advanced, then you can use Squarespace or WordPress.
But the best website for photographers is the one that's going to help further your career. So if you're just starting out, look for a website builder with photography templates so that you can build your photography portfolio quick and easy.
The best website builder for no-code
On WordPress, I prefer Divi for a no-code general purpose website builder. That being said, it can slow down your site. So if you're looking for something a little quicker, go for Generate Press instead.
The best website builder with a little bit of code
The fastest website builder for WordPress is definitely Oxygen. You may need to code a little bit, but the customization power is worth it.
Professional photographers include these things on their websites
All professional photographers have great websites. As they're doing their website building, they keep certain things in mind. First off, a website should be a place for you to share your images online with clients and prospective customers. Client proofing should also be able to happen on your website. And, you should be able to sell prints.
Finally, most photographers are optimizing for search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) tools are a way for you to make sure that your photography blog is visible to folks in your local area and across the world wide web. This brings you new customers and keeps your existing customers happy.
Final thoughts…
We hope this article has helped you understand how your photography portfolio can be a place to share your professional photography, build your online portfolio, and serve your customers from interest to purchase.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with your fellow photographer friends! And, as always, happy shooting.
