WWWhat?
Some photographers might let you know that you don't need a website but in today's in a big way connected world you are not going to go far without one. If you don't understand how to design a site, don't have the money to pay someone other than you, or don't know anyone who wants to help you out, there are alternatives. Sites like SmugMug, Zenfolio, or even a Wordpress platforms photo blog allow a budding photographer a great way to start in the meeting photography business.
What do you need from your first site?
You'll need something proven to grow with you, something that is SEO (search hood optimized) compliant, something that keeps customers on your site, and something that allows your existing customers to find pictures. A combination of options can do that, for example:
• Website with a link for your modernized clients to Zenfolio or simply a SmugMug
• Blog with a connection for your existing buyers without realizing it to Zenfolio or SmugMug
• Just a SmugMug account
I personally down to SmugMug and then developed my own site. Now I look at Blog/HTML/Flash site mix. I use SmugMug like a gallery site for my personal existing customers and a website to add new content for those fly. You can start by a website but I'd suggest you start with SmugMug, Zenfolio, or a Weblog.
Don't Be so Smug About it!
SmugMug is an amazing way of new and existing photography enthusiasts alike. It's customizable interface will be second only to the amount of help found in the ideas forums. It will financially impact you $149. 95 for a pro observe the year but to be honest it's a small price to pay to get your wedding photography business off the ground. It's features include infinite storage, the ability to put in public and secure recreational, customizable pricing, professional guns, protection from downloading inside your prints, SEO tools, and the ability to evolve the look and types of the interface for your needs.
As I said before it comes with a great forum with lots of tips on how to customize the interface. If you're going to try and customize you'll need expertise of style sheets plus some HTML knowledge wouldn't impairment either. However, if you just want to go with SmugMug themes then don't worry about that. It also allows you to use SEO tools that can help to drive customers aimed at your website. I'll cover this in detail in my marketing taken a look at.
While some photographers use SmugMug as their sole site and online portfolio tend to be truly want to drive customers aimed at your website at some point you will need to move to a website and may modify every aspect from the design and SEO compliance. However, SmugMug will work great for you all the while and once you've designed your website you'll still want to slip a gallery service up wards for your existing a human being.
Find your inner Zen
Zenfolio is a service similar to SmugMug for the reason that it provides galleries and at ordering capabilities. It has a cool interface that is intuitive and extremely simple to use for novice internet people. Everything about the service is quite easy. It doesn't have as much flexibility when it comes to modifying the overall mother nature as SmugMug so what you see is what you grown to be, but to be honest it's an exotic site. It also has many tracking ability within the site to help you get the most out of your respective orders and to know that ordering what.
The premium service costs about $100. 00 per year for unlimited storage. In my opinion Zenfolio is not a good service in its own right. It works great like a customer gallery where interested parties can order their prints from but pops up as a primary specific marketplace. If you want to use Zenfolio whenever you start up but shouldn't design a website I'd say find the WordPress photoblog that links to Zen for your private galleries.
WordPress Blog
I've just come my photoblog and can it for different reasons than a brand new photographer would do just. I have done it because it adds more links pointing back in my main photography site thus increasing my ranking in Search engine online. It also allows me to display new work without changing my main site a great deal. For a new photographer it would be your primary online collection. To show people what you're doing and to meet SEO needs. The reason I say use a WordPress PhotoBlog is due to WordPress is easily indexed by Google. I'll go into that covering the marketing article. A PhotoBlog is nothing more than a template placed onto a blog that lets you have images as much of your purpose rather than keywords.
There are lots at the rear of photoblog templates out there but let's face it my favorite is the only I chose. I am using a pro Photo Blog template allowing for extreme customization without the hassle of knowing html benefit flash. The cost is $199 so its not cheap, but it come with professional. Feel free to find out my site for scenario. Whatever template you chose you'll still need a gallery in order for your clients. If you'd like you can also purchase branding similar, go around SmugMug. If you simply want dead simple, go around Zenfolio.
Read On
Make sure to appear at my next review of marketing which goes into some things I've learned along the route. I won't be preparing cover everything because after all the subject could interact with books but I'll cover some highlights to start.
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