help with website

TLS · 01-13-2015, 03:18 PM

Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice?

I'm definitely a non-techie. Any help is greatly appreciated!
TLS

**jrpower10** · 01-13-2015, 03:29 PM

Don't know these two. Zenfolio is pretty straght-forward. I'm not a techie either and I managed to set one up in a couple of hours, including purchasing a domain name.

godavari · 01-13-2015, 03:57 PM

I have not heard of them. But, If you have budget, then you can try smugmug.com (basic plan costs around $40 per year) which offers customizable website in addition to offering cloud storage for pictures.

**Miguel** · 01-13-2015, 04:07 PM

Originally posted by TLS

Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice?

I'm not familiar with those two sites. There are so many these days.
I've been a Smugmug user for over a decade and think they are pretty darn excellent. Zenfolio is also very good. Smugmug is worth trying for a free 30 trial. If you end up a subscriber use this code and we both will become billionaires.

I think it is very important for you to develop a list of requirements you need to have fulfilled by any online photo hosting service. That way you can compare your priorities and scores for each function offered by competing sites.

Setting up any photo hosting service is relatively easy when compared with the amount of effort to grow a photography biz. A common error is to think that once your site is built, waves of orders will magically appear. That only happens if you are already famous or at least successful and people with money follow you.

M

**jatrax** · 01-13-2015, 04:15 PM

Photocrati is a wordpress plugin. Nice features but you need to self host and handle everything yourself. It is not at all like Zenfolio or Smugmug which are sites that essentially rent you space for your site within their community.

I use Photocrati but not sure if I would have been better off with one of the photo sites like Smugmug.

Depends what you want to achieve. A better way to go about this is make a list of what you want to do then look at vehicles, not the other way round.

old4570 · 01-13-2015, 05:41 PM

Does your internet service include Web space ( for a web site ) , if it does all you need is a domain ...
In fact that is where I would start is with a domain name ... The name of your website / address ( such as yourdomain.com - just an example )
A good domain name will help drive traffic to your site :

Once you have a Domain name , you need to decide on free hosting or payed hosting ... How much information you plan on sharing , and expected traffic ..
Do you have a Studio ? Or is the business going to be web based ?

I prefer the "KISS" principle for a business relates site , give the prospective customer the information they need on the first page , any further pages are there only as supplementary - to help expand on anything briefly described on the first page .
A lot of business is lost I believe by hiding information on back pages , like contact information . I don't know why some businesses hide there contact information ? This is crazy !
Put it on the first page ...

What sort of business were you looking at exactly ? Selling photos , or selling your services ? or both .

mr.b.snowden · 01-13-2015, 05:53 PM

Photocrati user here. The Photocrati them for WordPress is easy to use and looks good when used correctly (I'm due for a revamp). One-time purchase on top of your domain costs. I use DreamHost for my hosting purposes ($120 per year).

Echoing the sentiments about having your own domain (ie www.yournamephotography.com), go for it. It's a life-saver to set yourself apart from others. Plus, think about how nice it'll look in your email footer, on your business cards, etc!

Everything will work out in the end, as once you have the website up and running, you can start to focus on your SEO and help drive traffic in. If you want to track your traffic, then you can always use a tracker and setup some ads on Craigslist to see if everything is working and people are accessing your site.

**sholtzma** · 01-13-2015, 06:43 PM

Zenfolio user here. I have the absolute basic level at only $25/year. If I want to pay more, I can get more. But my cost includes website creation and hosting, so I don't pay two fees. And it is extremely easy to set up and use.

One option is to start with a basic level of Zenfolio or your favorite all-in-one service, and then spend your first year honing your site. What kinds of photos and how many do you end up putting on the site? Do you want a blog? How much traffic can you attract to your site? What kind of comments do you get on it? How easy is it for you to use? Etc. Then, decide if you need a better level of service, or if you want to go with a Wordpress kind of site.

**Miguel** · 01-13-2015, 07:00 PM

Getting your own domain name is important for branding at a minimum. Once you get your own domain, you can directly link your Smugmug or Zen sites to it. Very easy 30 seconds.

M

TLS · 01-13-2015, 07:07 PM

Everyone, thank you so much for your responses!!

I have recently purchased a domain name, so I could market myself locally.

One of the main things I want to achieve is to be able to have client galleries that they can log into and look and order from.
I also wanted to be able to sell and be able to print my own pictures for my own local sales and framing.

It looks like zenfolio and smugmug both have these. The cost of both of these doesn't seem to bad.

I'll look further into both of these. Any other suggestions?

Thank You!!!!

**roberrl** · 01-14-2015, 03:13 AM

Just a quick thought about promotion ... look at Google Adwords ... you can limit your spend and target a specific audience very easily ... and you only pay when a prospective customer clicks your ad. In my business it's much more effective than print advertising. And you can usually get some kind of try and buy deal to give you a taste for it.

neostyles · 01-14-2015, 06:39 PM

Not for the faint of heart but i actually ended up making my own site from scratch with stuff i learned in the intro to web design class

**Miguel** · 01-14-2015, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by roberrl

Just a quick thought about promotion ... look at Google Adwords ... you can limit your spend and target a specific audience very easily ... and you only pay when a prospective customer clicks your ad. In my business it's much more effective than print advertising. And you can usually get some kind of try and buy deal to give you a taste for it.

That's really good input.
I don't utilize Adwords, but I know others who do.
Smugmug has Google Analytics capabilities.

M

**hjoseph7** · 01-14-2015, 07:53 PM

There are a lot of options like pre-programmed Smugmug, Zenfolio and the like.

If you want something more customizable but relatively easy to create try these guys How to Create a Website - Best Online Site Creator | Easysite

**hjoseph7** · 01-15-2015, 09:52 AM

Originally posted by TLS

Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice?

I'm definitely a non-techie. Any help is greatly appreciated!
TLS

If you plan to sell photos online make sure you get the percentage of each sale these website hosting companies are going to charge you. Companies like Smugmug will usually take a small cut from each sale you manage to make, plus there is the annual Hosting fee which is around $150+(depending on the features) for professional photography .

01-13-2015, 03:18 PM	#1
TLS Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 48	help with website Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice? I'm definitely a non-techie. Any help is greatly appreciated! TLS

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Abstract My Website and Photos on Website	Scootatheschool1990	Photo Critique	11	05-22-2013 01:13 AM
Please help me! Website Photos!	Scootatheschool1990	Photographic Technique	13	04-21-2013 09:25 PM
help with creating a photo website	sholtzma	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	26	02-16-2011 11:55 PM
Found Website to help w/ lenses	Gennatay	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	2	12-29-2010 10:46 PM
Help find a website with funny pictures	vievetrick	General Talk	3	03-02-2007 02:06 PM

01-13-2015, 03:29 PM	#2
jrpower10 Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Richland, Washington, USA Posts: 935	Don't know these two. Zenfolio is pretty straght-forward. I'm not a techie either and I managed to set one up in a couple of hours, including purchasing a domain name.

01-13-2015, 03:57 PM	#3
godavari Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: San Jose, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 230	I have not heard of them. But, If you have budget, then you can try smugmug.com (basic plan costs around $40 per year) which offers customizable website in addition to offering cloud storage for pictures.

01-13-2015, 04:07 PM	#4
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	Originally posted by TLS Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice? I'm not familiar with those two sites. There are so many these days. I've been a Smugmug user for over a decade and think they are pretty darn excellent. Zenfolio is also very good. Smugmug is worth trying for a free 30 trial. If you end up a subscriber use this code and we both will become billionaires. I think it is very important for you to develop a list of requirements you need to have fulfilled by any online photo hosting service. That way you can compare your priorities and scores for each function offered by competing sites. Setting up any photo hosting service is relatively easy when compared with the amount of effort to grow a photography biz. A common error is to think that once your site is built, waves of orders will magically appear. That only happens if you are already famous or at least successful and people with money follow you. M

01-13-2015, 04:15 PM	#5
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Photocrati is a wordpress plugin. Nice features but you need to self host and handle everything yourself. It is not at all like Zenfolio or Smugmug which are sites that essentially rent you space for your site within their community. I use Photocrati but not sure if I would have been better off with one of the photo sites like Smugmug. Depends what you want to achieve. A better way to go about this is make a list of what you want to do then look at vehicles, not the other way round.

01-13-2015, 05:41 PM	#6
old4570 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 2,551	Does your internet service include Web space ( for a web site ) , if it does all you need is a domain ... In fact that is where I would start is with a domain name ... The name of your website / address ( such as yourdomain.com - just an example ) A good domain name will help drive traffic to your site : Once you have a Domain name , you need to decide on free hosting or payed hosting ... How much information you plan on sharing , and expected traffic .. Do you have a Studio ? Or is the business going to be web based ? I prefer the "KISS" principle for a business relates site , give the prospective customer the information they need on the first page , any further pages are there only as supplementary - to help expand on anything briefly described on the first page . A lot of business is lost I believe by hiding information on back pages , like contact information . I don't know why some businesses hide there contact information ? This is crazy ! Put it on the first page ... What sort of business were you looking at exactly ? Selling photos , or selling your services ? or both .

01-13-2015, 05:53 PM	#7
mr.b.snowden Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 683	Photocrati user here. The Photocrati them for WordPress is easy to use and looks good when used correctly (I'm due for a revamp). One-time purchase on top of your domain costs. I use DreamHost for my hosting purposes ($120 per year). Echoing the sentiments about having your own domain (ie www.yournamephotography.com), go for it. It's a life-saver to set yourself apart from others. Plus, think about how nice it'll look in your email footer, on your business cards, etc! Everything will work out in the end, as once you have the website up and running, you can start to focus on your SEO and help drive traffic in. If you want to track your traffic, then you can always use a tracker and setup some ads on Craigslist to see if everything is working and people are accessing your site.

01-13-2015, 06:43 PM	#8
sholtzma Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Salisbury, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,043	Zenfolio user here. I have the absolute basic level at only $25/year. If I want to pay more, I can get more. But my cost includes website creation and hosting, so I don't pay two fees. And it is extremely easy to set up and use. One option is to start with a basic level of Zenfolio or your favorite all-in-one service, and then spend your first year honing your site. What kinds of photos and how many do you end up putting on the site? Do you want a blog? How much traffic can you attract to your site? What kind of comments do you get on it? How easy is it for you to use? Etc. Then, decide if you need a better level of service, or if you want to go with a Wordpress kind of site.

01-13-2015, 07:00 PM	#9
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	Getting your own domain name is important for branding at a minimum. Once you get your own domain, you can directly link your Smugmug or Zen sites to it. Very easy 30 seconds. M

01-13-2015, 07:07 PM	#10
TLS Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 48 Original Poster	Everyone, thank you so much for your responses!! I have recently purchased a domain name, so I could market myself locally. One of the main things I want to achieve is to be able to have client galleries that they can log into and look and order from. I also wanted to be able to sell and be able to print my own pictures for my own local sales and framing. It looks like zenfolio and smugmug both have these. The cost of both of these doesn't seem to bad. I'll look further into both of these. Any other suggestions? Thank You!!!!

01-14-2015, 03:13 AM	#11
roberrl Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 346	Just a quick thought about promotion ... look at Google Adwords ... you can limit your spend and target a specific audience very easily ... and you only pay when a prospective customer clicks your ad. In my business it's much more effective than print advertising. And you can usually get some kind of try and buy deal to give you a taste for it.

01-14-2015, 06:39 PM	#12
neostyles Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 445	Not for the faint of heart but i actually ended up making my own site from scratch with stuff i learned in the intro to web design class

01-14-2015, 06:51 PM	#13
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	Originally posted by roberrl Just a quick thought about promotion ... look at Google Adwords ... you can limit your spend and target a specific audience very easily ... and you only pay when a prospective customer clicks your ad. In my business it's much more effective than print advertising. And you can usually get some kind of try and buy deal to give you a taste for it. That's really good input. I don't utilize Adwords, but I know others who do. Smugmug has Google Analytics capabilities. M

01-14-2015, 07:53 PM	#14
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047	There are a lot of options like pre-programmed Smugmug, Zenfolio and the like. If you want something more customizable but relatively easy to create try these guys How to Create a Website - Best Online Site Creator \| Easysite

01-15-2015, 09:52 AM	#15
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047	Originally posted by TLS Does anyone have any advice on starting a website? My situation is I'm trying to start a local photography business and am looking into using photocrati or fotomerchant. Has anyone used either of these? or have any better advice? I'm definitely a non-techie. Any help is greatly appreciated! TLS If you plan to sell photos online make sure you get the percentage of each sale these website hosting companies are going to charge you. Companies like Smugmug will usually take a small cut from each sale you manage to make, plus there is the annual Hosting fee which is around $150+(depending on the features) for professional photography .