Here Are The Best CMS Platforms to Use When Making a Website for Photographers

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website for photographers

A content management system, or CMS, is an online application that helps you design and manage a website. Everything from online stores to blogs is hosted through CMS applications. 

But not every CMS is the same, especially for specialized needs. Photographers are concerned mainly with presenting visual content, not facilitating discussion or blogging. This means that they will benefit from specific CMS features that aren’t necessarily well-suited to other types of websites. 

Keep reading for four of the best CMS platforms you should consider using when making a website for photographers. 

Squarespace

Squarespace is one of the most popular CMS platforms for photographers, as it offers unlimited bandwidth and storage. This means that you can host a huge amount of your photos without worrying about crashing your site or paying extra. Squarespace also has several beautiful templates that are designed with photographers in mind. 

Squarespace’s paid plans range from $12 to $40, which is relatively affordable as CMS prices go.

Squarespace plug-ins are also developed in-house. This isn’t necessarily a pro or a con. On one hand, you know that everything released has been tested and has a dedicated team ready to help you out if things go wrong. On the other hand, there is a longer lead time for plug-in development, and you may not have the functionality or selection that you would if third-party plug-in development was allowed. 

However, Squarespace is not quite as simple to use as other CMS platforms. This means that it may take a little while for you to get your site looking the way you want it to, or that you may have to hire someone to do the design for you if you don’t have a technical background. 

Further, Squarespace does not offer a free plan like most other CMS platforms do. Instead, you are only able to get a two-week free trial before you have to commit to a paid plan. 

WordPress

WordPress is by far the most common CMS platform in the world, hosting over one-third of the world’s websites. This means that it is worth a mention, even though it was designed with blogging, not photography, in mind. 

This means that WordPress is probably not the best choice if all you want to do is upload a portfolio of photos. However, it is a good choice if you’re thinking about blogging about your photography. 

WordPress is simple to use and set up. In fact, they have a free plan, which means that you can start building a website straight away (though you will have .wordpress at the end of your URL). You can upgrade at a later date to register a unique domain name. 

Upgrades are also relatively affordable, ranging from $5 to $45 a month. Both free and premium plans have access to free themes, while premium plans can also access premium plans that offer a greater degree of customization. However, these themes do not have complete design freedom: there is still a skeleton or frame that your customization has to fit within. 

Unfortunately, unlike Squarespace, there is no way to get unlimited storage on WordPress. You can upgrade to a Business or eCommerce plan to expand your storage to 200 GB, however, which should be more than enough for even the largest portfolio. You just won’t be able to use your website to hold everything you’ve ever shot before. 

Wix

Wix does its best to merge ease of use and customization. The majority of your web design through Wix is done by simply dragging and dropping. This means that it’s super simple to make something truly unique and to structure your portfolio in a way that adds flair to your photos instead of making a simple slideshow. 

However, you don’t have to start with a blank canvas. Like Squarespace, Wix has a number of templates that were designed with photographers in mind. 

Like WordPress, Wix offers a free plan that lets you design your website first. You can then upgrade at a later date to unlock more features, more storage, and removes Wix advertisements and branding from your site. 

Upgrades range in price from $5 to $29 a month. Storage maxes out at 200 GB, which still falls short of Squarespace but is likely more than enough for your needs. 

However, it can be hard to change the overall look of your website after it goes live. You’ll have to take the entire website down if you want to change the template. 

Further, unlike other CMS platforms, you can’t transfer a website to another platform at all. This means that you’ll have to completely recreate your website if you decide you need a feature that Wix does not offer.

SmugMug

Unlike the other CMS applications on this list, SmugMug is specifically designed for photographers to sell their work. Your photos can be sold as prints and on products as soon as you sign up. 

It also has features that other CMS apps don’t have, like enabling right-click protection to keep your photos from being saved. You can also easily and automatically watermark images as you upload them. SmugMug can also sync your website to LightRoom or DropBox so that photos are uploaded as you edit them. 

SmugMug has unlimited storage, so you can upload to your heart’s content. SmugMug only has a 14-day trial, and paid plans range from $4 to $30. 

It’s important to note that SmugMug does not have the functionality or customization of other CMS platforms. Premium plans only have 21 templates to choose from, and some features are just not available. For instance, you can’t put a map showing the location of your studio on your website. 

Building a Website for Photographers Should be Straightforward

While there are always setbacks and headaches with any aspect of web design, building a website for photographers shouldn’t be too complicated. A simple portfolio doesn’t need fancy plug-ins or tons of written content — it just needs to showcase your art. 

For more information about choosing the right CMS platform for your needs, check out our CMS Basics collection!