Whether you simply want a place to show off your portfolio, or you need a professional-looking site where you can sell your prints and services, there's a website builder to suit your needs.
The idea of building a website from scratch can feel daunting - especially if you're not, particularly computer savvy. But fear not, website building sites make it incredibly easy and often operate a drag-and-drop system so you can start adding content blocks to your site. If you've ever eyed up another photographer's site and thought how beautiful it is, chances are they've started off with a simple template and expanded on it to make it their own.
You no longer have to worry about knowing how to code as these website builders do that all behind the scenes for you. If you do want to create it all from scratch, you might be better off looking at the best web hosting sites for photographers so you can have complete control.
Lots of these website-building platforms offer a free trial so you can have a play on different sites before deciding which one is best. Creating a website gives your images a more permanent home and is a great way of coming across as a professional. In this guide, we've rounded up the best website builders to help you get the most out of your images.
For flexible editing and a stunning clean website to display your work on there is nothing better than Squarespace. There is also a suite of optional extras to help run your creative business.
Wix is a great choice for beginners, as it has some of the most affordable plans – and even offers a free website builder so you can get going without the financial commitment. Read more below
Zenfolio is one of the favorite solutions for pro photographers around the globe - and its appeal is its supreme ease of use, all for a very reasonable starting price.
Format is a website builder that we love. It keeps adding new features to its arsenal and is ideal for photographers and videographers looking for an easy way to create beautiful portfolios.
What we love about Weebly is that there is an option to get unlimited storage - so great for those that want to show their complete photographic archive. Read more below
SmugMug is more focused on photographers than most website builders. We particularly like that you can synchronize your website with your Lightroom library and its integrated printing service, which allows you to sell prints. Read more below
Best website builders for photographers in 2024
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(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
Squarespace is one of the most popular website builders around - but it's especially good for image-driven photography websites (which is why I chose it to build my own photography website). You can select a desired template and drag and drop content or you can build it from scratch if you want it to be more unique. It's easy to add text, image galleries, quotes or even import your Instagram grid so you have content that constantly updates itself. I put my site together relatively quickly by using a. mix of templates and my own design.
There is no free tier with Squarespace so if you're just looking to make a website for fun there are better options out there. However, if you are looking to create a website to take your business to the next level, Squarespace offers a user-friendly design interface, competitive pricing and the ability to add an e-commerce section to your site. Squarespace also offers students 50% off their first full year when they sign up with an educational email address.
Squarespace's strength is also perhaps its weakness - as sites can start to look quite similar if you're not careful. You can sign up for a two-week free trial so if you start building a website and decide it's not the platform for you, you can change your mind without spending a penny.
While not aimed specifically at photographers, we couldn't not Wix in a list of the best website builders. One of the most popular website creators around, Wix offers photographers an easy way to create an online home.
Wix's services have been built with the novice in mind, providing everything you need to get started in a simple and accessible way. There's a library of over 500 templates to choose from, 30 of which have been designed for photographers. A simple-to-use drag-and-drop editor enables easy placement of text and images on a page, and in just two clicks, you can access the image upload manager to upload, review, edit, and manage photos as you see fit.
Wix offers all the functions a photographer might want, but if you want your website to operate more than just a bog standard online portfolio, with e-commerce functionality and unlimited storage for example, you'll have to pay more. And if that's the case, one of the other more dedicated photography services on this list might be better suited. Wix's design options are also slightly limited, for example, there's no option to change templates at a later date (unless you want to start from scratch).
The Zenfolio site states it is the number one website builder, as voted by professional photographers. And the deeper we delve into its offerings, we can understand why. One of the biggest pulls for Zenfolio is its clearly well-considered toolset, which looks to really help photography businesses grow. Its features focus not only on the user but their clients too – something other website builders on the market might not.
Zenfolio offers a variety of templates that can be easily customized to suit your brand and make you stand out. It's quick and easy to upload photo galleries and there is an option to password protect them - which is great if you're a wedding photographer. There's a built-in payment system that makes selling your prints a breeze, and unlimited storage, image protection, and image security are guaranteed.
In addition to all that, Zenfolio automatically adjusts image sizes to suit a device and features auto-dim effects and image optimization to make browsing photo collections the best experience they can be. Price plans start at as little as just $5 a month, making this quality website builder an absolute steal.
It's a little more pricey than other platforms, starting at $12 a month for an annual plan, but it does include a wide range of useful services.
I found the website builder really easy to use. There is an option to build each page entirely from scratch, or you can choose from one of the templates provided. You'll be recommended certain themes that are more geared towards photography portfolios but even these can be customized. Format offers a 14-day free trial so you'll have plenty of opportunities to test it out and decide if you like it or not.
There is also an option to include a shop on your website should you want to sell prints. Format isn't the cheapest, but it has many features that are worth paying for. It is especially good for anyone who wants a lot of control over how the site looks.
Another popular name in the website-building world, Weebly is a powerful editor that offers a wide range of features. Weebly's free version is adequate if you are simply looking to quickly get your images online, but it limits space to 500MB and imposes (usually unwanted) ads on your site. If you need and want more from your website, its premium plans offer unlimited storage, custom domain connections and access to many other hugely useful tools to help fully customize your web design
One of Weebly's biggest draws for photographers, in particular, is the above-mentioned unlimited storage. There's also its impressive Weebly App Center, which offers incredible scope to drive your site's functionality. However, this is only available to premium access subscribers, which doesn't come cheap.
Like Wix, Weebly operates as a simple drag-and-drop builder and takes just two clicks to add a gallery and start uploading images, so it's a good option for those new to creating their very own corner of the internet. However, it's worth noting Weebly's auto-optimize function when uploading, which can result in a slight loss in image quality.
Labeled as the 'home for photographers', website builder SmugMug has been developed from the ground up to specifically accommodate the needs of photographers.
At a very basic level, SmugMug provides a quick and easy way to showcase and sell your images online. But what sets the platform apart from other website builders is its photography-focussed features. This includes unlimited photo uploads, backed up by cloud storage, e-commerce optimization, the ability to sync a photo library with Lightroom, add custom watermarks to fully protect your work, and an in-built printing service so visitors can order images directly from the website. SmugMug also supports connection with users' own domain names.
Unlike some of the other options on this list, there's no free version of SmugMug available, however, there is the option to trial the software for 14 days to see if it suits you. If you decide in that time that SmugMug is the website builder for you, there are four different price plans, which meet a range of skill levels and needs, to choose from.
Comes free with Creative Cloud's Photography & All Apps plans
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Stylish designs
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Simple to use
Reasons to avoid
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You need a Creative Cloud subscription
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No ability to host a shop
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Limited design options
If you already have a Creative Cloud subscription, Adobe Portfolio will do the job, but I wouldn't pay for it as a website builder. While it is easy to use you are limited by how much you can customize it. There's no way of making a Home page, for example, and you can't change the layouts of the templates. You can't be particularly creative with the design either so if you want to build a website with a bit of oomph, definitely look elsewhere.
That being said, if you are simply looking for a website that you can use as a portfolio, it is very easy to use, and you can quickly upload a lot of content. You can also import images directly from Lightroom and add photos into grids. There is no option to add a store on the website so if you have any plans to sell prints or services, a different web-building site would be better.
If you take out the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (for around $10 / £10) or the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan (for around $50 / £50), then you'll get free access to Adobe Portfolio.
Even the "Ultra" package doesn't have unlimited storage
Editor X is the new website builder from Wix that promises advanced web design layouts without having to know CSS. The drag-and-drop builder allows you to control the position, size, and design elements when it comes to text, photos, graphics, and headers. Choose the font, font color, and font size, add containers, galleries, and grid layouts, and embed your social media news feed.
It offers a wide range of integrated business solutions, including eCommerce, should you want to sell prints and professional marketing and SEO tools. Price plans start at £15 a month for the most basic package which includes 10GB storage, a free domain for a year, and 24/7 help. The Ultra package is for those after the "VIP" experience and it includes 35GB of storage space, visitor analytics for one year, and up to 10 hours of video content. With Editor X you can create complex, unique websites with ease and without having to know any coding at all.
You will look a lot more professional if you have a unique domain rather than something like yourname.wix.com, but luckily most plans include a free domain. If it doesn't you can buy a domain separately from one of the best web hosting sites for photographers and import it. Some sites will offer a free domain for the first year, but after that, they will charge, so it's best to make sure it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Changing your domain name in the future is possible - but not advisable, as you need to change it in every place you have published the address.
How much storage will I need?
If you have lots of images you want to upload and you want to update it regularly, you'll need a website builder that offers unlimited storage or at least the option to upgrade your storage at a later date. Many of the cheaper plans will give you a set amount of storage which is fine if you just have a few choice images to upload. If you're worried about your images being downloaded and used without your permission, some sites will give you the option to add a watermark or even password protect certain galleries.
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Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. Hannah spent three years working at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant, using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With eight years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.
