Why Photographers Need Websites To Expand Their Business

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Irvine, California, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 25, 2012 -- When you’re a freelance photographer, the biggest part about it is finding new clients to work with. And, when you’re just beginning and still a no-name photographer, this can be difficult to do. However, there are some channels at your disposal that you can use such as:

- Word of mouth
- Email
- Phone
- Networking

Of course, there is really one channel that works better than any other. This is known as a ‘good old’ website.

A portfolio website is the backbone to all marketing efforts and can target potential clients even while you are asleep. It is the critical client procurement tool for successful freelance photographers. You want to ensure your website works hard for you so make sure it’s five things:

1 – Great subject-related content, which captures search engines attention.
2 – Builds a collection of other photographers’ links.
3 – Effectively informs visitors of your brand.
4 – It looks professional.
5 – Shows off your best work.

How Photographers and Technology Go Hand In Hand

Many freelance photographers love technology and don’t mind spending their evenings on their websites and blogs. For other freelance photographers, the mere knowledge of how to use an image editing software will do.

WordPress, anyone?

WordPress.org is an open source system, which is very popular platform among freelancers. After all, it’s simple to use once it’s been set up and fitted with a template. The biggest advantage with WordPress is that it’s got a boundless supply of extensions and plugins.

Of course, it does have some drawbacks. For example, it can be quite hard for the non-techies to go ahead and publish their own WP based website. This can be somewhat of a hassle and very time-consuming. Still yet, there are easier options at our disposal.

Website Builders

Now, Web 3.0 website builders make sure you don’t have to deal with technical aspects of website design. Thus, there’s no worrying with security breaches or things like hosting or FTP. Sign up with a proper provider and place your energy on producing content and sharing images instead.

In the past, websites built with this program didn’t attract a lot of positive attention. Today, however, the designs are completely professional, which can be adapted the way you see fit. You also have the ability to use CSS and HTML to design your unique website from scratch. You have absolute control over the way your site looks.

The majority of providers have help sections along with email support, which is wonderful for beginners. With that in mind, you might be wondering what the best website alternatives are in the market.

Popular Website Builders To Keep An Eye On

There are lots of website builders who disregarded learning about Web 2.0 and now have to play catch up. Still, photographers can get some real results with two popular website solutions such as:

- Wix
- SiteCooks

Wix

This is another popular tool for photographers due to the sophisticated Flash-based visual options. However, there are disadvantages: Apple’s cell devices still don’t use Flash and search engines don’t like the format either. However, if you like slick designs over SEO rankings and mobile compatibility, Wix may be what you want.

SiteCooks

These guys offer a pretty valuable service.The thing is, if you need your own website, you will need to have it hosted on a server with a certain hosting provider. Of all the providers out there, HostGator would most probably be the best bet for all ‘small time’ freelancers. Anyone who signs up with Hostgator, by using the free coupon code that SiteCooks supplies, will get a premium website within 48 hours, custom built by the SC-team. They offer a great number ofwordpressportfolio templates to choose from And, if you happen to need help with your sitealong the way, their support is on hand to guide you through.

Final words

If you’re a photographer without a website, you’re missing out on all kinds of business and other opportunities. Recent online studies have shown that of all freelance photographers who are advertising their business on classified websites (Craigslist, Backpage etc.), nearly 85% of the bookings go to those freelancer that are able to show of on their own portfolio site.

DA decent website builder will remove the technical nature of website design so you can focus on the more important aspects of your work. Put a portfolio on the site and be found by both search engines and clients. Of course, if you prefer the old method of handing out business cards, include your website so they can check it out. Happy hunting!

SiteCooks