As a photographer, you need to have a website because it’s an excellent way to build your brand, gain visibility, and get clients.
Best overall: Squarespace
If you’re looking for a website builder where you can create a professional, modern, and well-designed website, Squarespace is the best choice.
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Squarespace makes it easy for you to design the perfect website because it offers templates created for photographers.
You can create a beautiful portfolio, set up an amazing about page, ways to contact or connect with you, and a blog.
One of the biggest downsides to using Squarespace is that you may want the ability to customize more than what they allow.
Website builders have limitations to the customizations. If you want to do more, look into other options, such as a content management system (CMS).
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For example, WordPress is a CMS that’s much more powerful and flexible. However, that also requires more time. It can also require more knowledge when it comes to making technical changes.
In the website builder world, Squarespace is number one. Even though there are limitations, website builders make it easy to create and customize a website.
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They also have 24/7 support available, a great blog, webinars, and help guides to ensure you have the best possible experience.
Compared to other website builders, Squarespace may seem expensive, but the benefits are well worth it. The pricing plans for Squarespace are as follows:
- Personal: $16 monthly or $12 per month when paid annually.
- Business: $26 monthly or $18 per month when paid annually.
- Basic Commerce: $30 monthly or $26 per month when paid annually.
- Advanced Commerce: $46 monthly or $40 per month when paid annually.
As a photographer, the Personal or Business plans are sufficient and will give you everything you need to build a great website.
Do the free trial that they offer and if you like it, get the annual plan because you’ll save on the total amount and get a free domain.
Start your 14-day free trial with Squarespace (opens in a new tab).
Other website builders
Squarespace may be the most well-known and powerful website builder, but there are other options.
The following is an overview of three other website builders that you can build your photography website with.
Format
Format is a website builder that’s geared towards photographers.
It offers a similar experience to Squarespace. However, Squarespace has an edge when it comes to the design of its templates.
With Format, you can build a professional-looking website and be ready for client inquiries within minutes.
If you need assistance, Format offers 24/7 help and support. It also has resources and training to help your photography business succeed.
The pricing plans for Format are as follows:
- Pro: $16.99 monthly or $12 per month when paid annually.
- Pro Plus: $25.99 monthly or $18 per month when paid annually.
- Premium: $32.99 monthly or $25 per month when paid annually.
If you’re a new photographer, go with the Pro plan because it offers many of the same features.
As you grow, you can upgrade as the other plans allow you to upload an unlimited number of images, videos, get an email list builder and monetize your website.
Wix
Wix used to be the best budget-friendly option. However, it has raised its prices to be competitive and is similar to other website builders.
With an increase in prices, it has also made many positive changes, such as better templates and great tools to help with search engine optimization (SEO).
Regardless of the type of photography you do, there’s a great template that you’ll be able to personalize.
Wix offers a free plan, but it’s not recommended. You won’t get a custom domain, customer support, and your site will be full of ads. You’ll also be limited with storage.
With Wix, it’s best to upgrade from the free plan. The following is Wix’s pricing options:
- Combo: $14 per month.
- Unlimited: $18 per month.
- Pro: $23 per month.
- VIP: $39 per month.
The Combo plan is sufficient for most photographers. However, you can upgrade if you need more space, videos, or want to use the built-in apps.
SmugMug
If you want a simple website that’s mainly a collection of images, SmugMug is a great choice.
It’s easy to use, and you can also use your site to monetize your photos by selling prints.
SmugMug’s pricing is lower than other website builders, which is perfect if you don’t want to spend much starting or maintaining a website.
You can quickly build a beautiful and mobile-friendly website. However, there aren’t as many templates as other website builders.
The following are the plans that SmugMug offers:
- Basic: $7 per month or $55 billed annually.
- Power: $11 per month or $85 billed annually.
- Portfolio: $27 per month or $200 billed annually.
- Pro: $41.99 per month or $360 billed annually.
The Basic plan is perfect if you want a place to showcase your photos, and upgrading to the Pro plan is best if you’re a professional photographer looking for a robust workflow and access to client tools.
Start your 14-day free trial with SmugMug (opens in a new tab).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website for my photography?
If you want to build a career doing photography, you need to have a website. It sets you apart as a professional, builds your brand, gains visibility, and can lead to more clients.
What makes a good photography website?
A good photography website has a portfolio with your best images, a compelling about page, reviews for social proof, and a way to book a photoshoot or contact you.
Do I need a website if I have an Instagram account?
Yes, you need to have a website as your main hub. Social media should be used to grow your brand and market your business.
Conclusion
Website builders are excellent for creating beautifully-designed and professional websites for photographers. They don’t require much time, technical knowledge, and you can easily customize them to match your brand.
Featured image courtesy of Pexels.
