How to Start a Photography Business: Choosing a Website Host
If you followed the steps in the previous post, Choosing a Photography Business Name, you should be ready to get your photography website up and running! This part of the Photography Business Setup Process can be intimidating, but once it’s done, you’ll have your own corner of the internet where your clients can find you. It’s totally worth the slight overwhelm!
Consider Ease of Setting Up Your Website
One thing you want to consider when it comes to choosing a website host is how easy the website builder is. Nowadays, WordPress websites (hosted on places like BlueHost—what I use for this website—or Siteground) are easier to set up than they once were, but they still take a little more effort than popular drag-and-drop website builders.
If you want to build a website completely from scratch without using a website theme, you may want to consider a few popular drag-and-drop hosting options, such as Showit (what I personally use for my photography website) or Squarespace.
Consider Pricing: More Expensive isn’t Always Better
Next, you’ll need to consider what your business (or personal bank account if you’re just starting your photography business) can afford and what you’re willing to pay. If ease of use is most important for you, Showit might be your best option. Showit starts at $259/year, but if you’re running a photography business, you want their second-tier option, which includes a blog (super IMPORTANT for SEO), which costs $326/year.
If you want to have more than one website and start with a more affordable price, you might consider BlueHost, which has a promotion for $3.99/month for the first 36 months. That’s $143.64 for 3 years of hosting (less than $50/year to start). This also includes up to 10 different websites if you want to grow your brand or start a new one.
Consider Other Website Features You May Want
Do you eventually want to sell your presets or templates on your website? If so, you’ll want to take into account what it costs to upgrade to website hosting that allows e-commerce. This can often add $100+/year to your web hosting subscription.
Another feature to consider is having more options for your blog. Some web hosting tiers only allow for basic plugins to be added to your blog/website, while others offer whatever plugins you want. When starting out, having all of these plugins isn’t a big deal, but down the line, you might want them to improve your website.
Popular Website Hosting Services for Photographers
Which Hosting I Recommend (from current and past use):
BlueHost
BlueHost is by far one of the most affordable and user-friendly options out there (depending on whether or not you get a WordPress theme). It offers you a free domain when you purchase hosting, the ability to host multiple websites under one account at no additional cost, and has great customer service.
If you’re just starting, I can’t recommend BlueHost enough.
Showit
Showit is one of the most beautiful website builders out there. If you see a stunning photography website, it’s most likely hosted by Showit. The ease of use is what really sells this website host, but the higher price point can be an issue when just starting out.
Also, the availability of STUNNING website themes makes Showit a great contender when considering building a website. NOTE: quality Showit themes are often $500-1500.
SiteGround
SiteGround is another website host like BlueHost. It’s affordable and works with WordPress. I switched from SiteGround to BlueHost because I found the hosting on BlueHost to be higher quality, along with their customer service.
Other Popular Website Hosts:
There are many other website hosts that I haven’t used, so I can’t recommend them based on experience. However, there are two hosts I can recommend based on the experience of friends and fellow photographers.
Squarespace
Squarespace is another popular drag-and-drop website builder, much like Showit. It starts at $14.99/month and goes all the way up to $99/month depending on your needs.
Pixieset
If you want a subscription where everything is included—website, client galleries, a studio manager (CRM), a print store, and gallery apps for your clients—Pixieset might be for you. The full business suite is available for $28/month. I recommend going with the second-tier option, where you can remove Pixieset branding, which costs $38/month. This gives you a professional look along with some other great features.
NOTE: Pixieset is a great place to start, especially if you want to keep the cost of doing business down. However, most photographers find that they outgrow their Pixieset websites and CRM within the first couple years of business. It’s a great place to start though!
Website Hosts I Don’t Recommend:
When it comes to your website host, you want to make sure you can optimize your website for SEO. SEO is what brings in clients from Google and can make a huge difference in your marketing strategy. Some websites don’t allow for good SEO, such as the following “website host.”
Canva
Canva offers “websites” to its pro users, but I don’t recommend them for use as a professional website. They lack in the SEO department, which you may think is alright at first, but will become more of a hassle later on than you’ll likely want to deal with.
However, they do still have their place, such as for Wedding Website alternatives to Zola or The Knot.
What Website Host to Choose?
At the end of the day, choose the website host that fits your budget along with the desires you have for your website. Getting your website up and running is the most important part to bringing in clients from Google, so the sooner you get one running, the better off you’ll be.
