- SmugMug: Best overall
- Wix: Best for beginners
- Shopify: Best for online stores
- Squarespace: Best for photography portfolios
- Gator Builder from HostGator: Best for building a website fast
- WordPress.org: Best for website design flexibility
- Format: Best for selling photography services
- Hostinger Website Builder: Best for basic websites
- Weebly: Best free website builder
- GoDaddy: Best for selling on multiple platforms
Updated: May 14, 2024, 10:19pm
The best website builder for photographers depends on what you hope to accomplish with your website. Some website builders excel in letting you create stunning photography portfolios and other platforms shine at helping you promote and sell photography services. There are also website builders that make it easy to set up an online shop to sell your photographs.
Forbes Advisor reviewed dozens of website solutions photographers can use to establish a professional online presence. Each platform featured on this list underwent exhaustive examination to ensure you’re only seeing the best website builders for photographers in terms of ease of use, features offered and value for your investment.
Best Website Builders for Photographers 2024
Forbes Advisor Ratings
Benefits of Having a Website for Photographers
As a photographer, your custom-designed website enhances your credibility far better than merely having an online presence on social channels or photographer groups. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and a professional website is an ideal place to showcase your creative abilities and photography expertise.
Here are the top benefits of launching a professional photography website:
- Be recognized as a professional photographer: One of the easiest ways to differentiate yourself from amateur photographers is to launch a polished professional website.
- Establish your brand identity: Is your photography style whimsical, modern, traditional, earthy, vintage, vibrant, classic, minimalistic or a mix of multiple styles? Your website lets you convey your brand identity visually so site visitors better understand what they can expect from your work.
- Control how your work is showcased: Unlike other online avenues, such as social channels or photographer directories where you have limited design control, you have complete control over how your photography is displayed on your website.
- Sell photography services: If you want to make a living selling photography services, then you need an online presence to explain what you do and how to work with you. Your website is your most important online asset for growing your business.
- Sell photography prints: When you add e-commerce functionality to your website, you can sell prints of your original work.
- Extend your reach: When your website is optimized for search, people searching on Google for photography services can find you. Having a great website is like having a magnet that attracts your ideal clients to you, so you can delight them with your photography.
- Feature customer testimonials: Prospective customers are more likely to buy photography services from photographers with many satisfied clients. Your website is a terrific place to feature rave reviews from highly satisfied customers.
- Make it easy for customers to schedule appointments: You can add a scheduling app to your website, so customers can schedule appointments with you directly, freeing up your time so you can focus on other priorities.
- Provide secure access to client photos: After every photo shoot, you can upload password-protected online galleries for clients so they can review options and purchase prints directly from your website.
- Integrate with social media: Multiply your online effectiveness by integrating your website with your social media platforms. Direct social followers to your website, where they can sample the breadth of your stunning photography portfolio. Encourage website visitors to follow you on social media, so you maintain an ongoing connection to them.
- Sell photography training: Do you enjoy teaching photography skills? Boost your business revenues by selling photography courses via your website.
- Earn money with affiliate marketing: Join affiliate marketing programs where you can earn money from the photography-related equipment and resources you recommend on your website.
When done right, a website will make you look more professional, generate buzz for your work and help you monetize your talents. That’s why top photographers always have a gorgeous website.
How To Choose the Best Website Builder for Photographers
While there are several excellent website builders available today, there isn’t one single solution that’s best for every photographer. To choose the best website builder for you, it’s wise to explore several options based on how well each meets your needs and budget.
Determine Your Needs
To determine what you need for your photography website, ask yourself:
- What are your primary goals for your website?
- Who do you want to visit your website, and what do you want them to do?
- How will you drive visitors to your website?
- Will you sell products or services directly from your website?
- What features are “must haves” versus “nice-to-haves”?
- What’s your ideal budget, and are there any extras you’d be willing to pay more for?
- What do you want your website to automate for you?
- What level of customization do you require regarding design and website functionality?
- Are you looking for a website builder that’s easy to use, or would you be comfortable using a more technically advanced builder?
Once you have a clear idea of what you need, you can evaluate website builders based on features offered, budget and user-friendliness.
Explore Key Features
Not all website builders are the same. Some, such as SmugMug and Format, were developed specifically for creative professionals. These platforms are packed with built-in features that photography businesses frequently use, such as client galleries, file transfers, print order-taking tools and client contracts. Not all platforms offer the same features, so decide which features matter most to you.
Here is a list of top features for photography websites:
- Image portfolios: The ability to create and display stunning portfolios is a must for most photography sites.
- E-commerce functionality: If you plan to sell your photography services or prints on your site, ensure your website builder includes or accommodates e-commerce functionality.
- Design flexibility: Not all web builders are equal when it comes to design flexibility. For example, WordPress.org offers extensive design customization, while builders such as Wix and Weebly, are easier to use but offer less design flexibility.
- File storage and management: High-resolution image files can be huge. Professional photographers often manage these mega-files for multiple clients, which requires significant file storage capabilities. Select software that satisfies your file management needs and can scale as those needs expand.
- Analytics and reporting: To assess how well your website is working, you’ll want to keep track of key performance metrics such as number of page views, top website pages, conversions, shopping cart abandon rates and where your website traffic is coming from.
- Third-party integrations: Some web builders make it easier than others to integrate with third-party applications such as social media feeds, online scheduling tools, client contract management and accounting software.
- Hosting and custom domains: Many website builders include both hosting services and custom domains, but others, such as WordPress.org, do not. If your website builder does not include hosting services or domain registration services, you’ll need to secure those elsewhere.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) tools: You want to optimize your website for search, so prospective buyers searching on Google for the photography services you offer can easily find you online.
- Bandwidth: Photography websites are image-heavy, often leading to slower website loading times, which makes for a poor customer experience. Selecting a website builder with adequate bandwidth is essential for ensuring your photography website can handle your content and traffic volume.
- Password-protected client galleries: If you sell photography services, you may want to host password-protected client galleries directly on your site. That way, your customers can view and purchase prints 24/7 online.
- Backup and recovery capabilities: Since your website is such an important asset, it’s vital that files are backed up regularly and files can be recovered relatively easily.
- Customer support: If you experience a problem, you want to feel confident that high-quality, timely support is available via the support modalities (e.g., phone, email, live chat or online knowledge center) you prefer.
- Image protection: You don’t want others to steal your work. Make sure your website builder either watermarks your images or hosts them in a way that prevents unauthorized usage.
Add-Ons
Here are a few popular add-on services:
- Business email: Your website plan may come with a free custom business email, but that service may only be free for one year, and you’ll pay an add-on fee after that. You also may be charged an additional fee if you need more than one business email.
- Premium templates and themes: Many website builders offer both free and premium design themes or templates. Many photographers opt for premium designs, as they feel these upgraded options are better suited for creative websites.
- Custom website design services: If you’re not comfortable designing a website on your own, some website builders offer custom design services where you can hire a professional designer to create a dazzling website for you.
Pricing and Fees
You can launch a website for free or spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on your site. It’s best to choose a website builder that accommodates your budget, preferably one that can grow with you as your needs change and your photography business grows.
The chart below illustrates how much you should pay to design and host your website for the first year.
Service | Cost* | Notes |
---|---|---|
Domain Name | $10 to $50 per year | Some website builders include custom domain registration for free for up to 12 months. Top domain registrars typically charge between $10 and $50 per year. |
Website Builder | $0 to $500 per month | If you’re on a shoestring budget, there are a few good free website builders, but the best website builders charge a fee for creating a professional, e-commerce-enabled website. |
Hosting When Not Included With Builder | $0 to $500 per month | Hosting is often included in website builder plans. When you need to secure hosting separately, the best website hosting services offer a variety of plan tiers to accommodate various needs and budgets. |
SSL Certificate | $0 to $289 | You’ll need to get a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate for your website. Most website builders offer an SSL for free, but the best SSL services offer additional SSL options. |
Expert Design Services | $0 to $3,500 | You may want to contract with a website designer to create your website for you. Design services average $75 to $125 per hour. |
Total | $0 to $4,839 |
*Note that domain registration, hosting service providers and website builders often offer introductory pricing, so fees can rise by 20% to 50% or more when the introductory offer expires.
Ease of Use
You want to select a website builder that’s relatively easy to use and still offers the design customizations you require. If you want extensive design control over your website, you’ll need to go with a more complex builder, such as WordPress.org. If you’re technically proficient, this won’t be a problem. If you need a beginner-friendly builder, even though that means less control over website design, select a platform that focuses on user-friendliness, such as Wix.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor analyzed dozens of website platforms across four primary categories and 16 different metrics to determine the best website builders for photographers and their unique website needs. We considered everything that photographers need around pricing and features as well as what real users of the website builders think of the companies and what our experts determined when taking everything into consideration.
Here are some of the categories we used to rank the providers that made the top of the list.
Pricing
For pricing, we looked at the affordability of a website builder’s lowest and highest price tiers and what users received with each higher-priced tier. We also gave points to those website builders for photographers that offered money-back guarantees.
Features
Being graphics-heavy, certain features are essential to have for website builders for photographers. Among these include offering unlimited bandwidth and storage, drag-and-drop functionality for creating websites and making sure the sites are responsive for visitors using mobile devices. Additionally, having access to social media and email marketing tools are also important to those who need photography-themed website builders.
Third-party Reviews
Taking a close look at popular third-party review websites G2 and Trustpilot, we researched reviews from real users to gauge their opinion of each website builder. We focused on how users viewed each site builder’s level and quality of customer support.
Expert Analysis
Taking all of this information into consideration, we also ranked additional criteria from customer reviews, such as popularity, value for the price, ease of use and stand-out features.
Forbes Advisor managing editor Rob Watts contributed to this article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do photographers need a website?
A professional website is essential for photographers who are thinking about starting a photography business. A website is also a terrific way for photographers to showcase their talent, even if they are not ready to sell their photos or photography services.
How much does it cost to build a photography website?
You can build a photography website for free, using a website builder such as Wix or Weebly. If you want to launch a secure website with a custom domain and e-commerce capabilities, expect to pay between $100 and $4,800.
What’s a cheap website builder for photographers on a budget?
The best cheap website builders for photographers on a budget include Wix, Hostinger and GoDaddy.
How can I create a photography website?
The first thing you need to do to create a photography site is to select a website builder. Top builders for photography websites include SmugMug, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify. Once you’ve selected software, your website builder will guide you through developing and launching your photography website.
What website should I use for my photography business?
There are numerous terrific website builders for creating a website for your photography business. Forbes Advisor’s top pick is SmugMug, although Squarespace, Format and Wix are all excellent choices too.
Is Wix or Squarespace better for photographers?
If you’re a photographer, the decision to go with Wix vs. Squarespace comes down to what you want your website to do and how much money you are willing to spend. Squarespace excels at creating visually stunning websites, though Squarespace plans can get pricey. Wix is extremely beginner-friendly and offers a free plan.
What’s the best free website builder for photographers?
The best free website builder for photographers is Weebly, though GoDaddy and Wix offer free options worth a closer look too.