Best Web Design Software For Photographers
What better job is there than helping people capture memories and bring smiles to their faces? As a photographer, you are the one who turns reality into long-lasting memories that can be remembered, and you also deserve more clients patronizing your business.
But how can they patronize your business if they cannot find you online? In other words, you need a website that represents your brand, but not any website. You need a website that highlights your past works, has all the features you need to succeed, and is easy to use.
If you've wondered about the best website builder to host your photography website and showcase your proud works, I am here to clear all your doubts.
Let's look at the best web design software for hosting your website: Squarespace!
What is Squarespace
Squarespace is an award-winning website builder designed for small and medium businesses. Its sole aim is to make things easy and ensure every business gets the visibility it deserves. Squarespace is also a drag-and-drop website editor that requires no coding or design background to build your website.
In other words, you can easily drag any elements you love, whether pictures or text, and drop them anywhere you want on the website. Beyond all that, Squarespace is designed for various types of businesses, ranging from e-commerce (a plus if you love to sell digital/physical products) to restaurants, beauty, and photography!
There are many reasons why Squarespace is the best website builder for photographers, and we will explore them soon. However, some of the reasons are its features. It has stunning templates you can get started with; you can drop any size of images, create cute animations, and even rank your website on search engines with its powerful SEO features. Don't worry! We will explore all that soon!
Pros of Squarespace
Wondering why Squarespace is everywhere on the internet? It is about something other than the name but the powerful features and the affordable solutions it has provided.
Therefore, if you're a photographer and want to know why Squarespace suits your type of business, continue reading.
Stunning Photography Templates
Squarespace has been voted repeatedly as the website builder with the best templates. Squarespace templates are always up-to-date, mobile responsive, and modern to catch visitors' attention. The good part is that these templates also come with badass photography templates that you can get started with, even if you have no background in code or design.
Squarespace photography templates were designed with photographers in mind, so they come with every feature you will need to convert visitors into customers. Some templates include a portfolio/work page containing full-sized images to showcase your past works.
They also come with a stunning layout that tells a story and accommodates any type of photography. The last thing that blows our minds with Squarespace is that it accommodates photography styles. Whether you prefer retro and conventional or wild and buzzing, there is a Squarespace template. Good News! Squarespace templates are free and come with your complete package.
Top Squarespace Templates We Love
Porto - Squarespace Photography Template
Porto is a sleek and sophisticated Squarespace 7.1 template, tailor-made for photographers looking to elevate their portfolios. Its modern, minimalist design offers a clean canvas that allows your images to take center stage, ensuring that every detail of your work is highlighted. The template features stunning galleries that seamlessly integrate into the layout, providing a visually captivating experience for visitors.
Porto also excels in functionality, with strategically placed calls to action that guide potential clients through your site, making it easier for them to engage with your services. Whether you specialize in wedding photography, portraits, or any other genre, Porto's flexible design adapts to showcase your unique style.
Isabella - Squarespace Photography Template
Isabella was designed specifically for photographers; you can see it through the layout and portfolio page. Landing on the home page, you can see the numerous uses of images and the step-by-step section to convert your visitors to customers. What blows my mind is the simplicity of the portfolio page, which features full-width photos that you can use to display your past work and walk people through the process. Also, CTA buttons were strategically placed to ensure visitors can act wherever they are. Isabella is clean, modern, and perfect for photographers who want to appear professional and relatable.
Agency - Squarespace Photography Template
The agency screams sophistication and is perfect for photographers who want a feel of luxury or are into sophisticated designs. The choice of colors and element arrangements makes you look like a million bucks. Let's focus on the colors for a minute; the agency uses cool colors to draw attention to the photos, which is the right thing for photography templates. Apart from the homepage and portfolio, it also comes with other functional pages you may need in the future. There is an Instagram page where you can feature your Instagram feed and get people to your page. You also get a blog page to share your knowledge and service page, making booking easier for visitors.
Amelia - Squarespace Photography Template
If you are a wedding photographer, Amelia is for you because it was designed for photographers. Amelia has all the pages you need and the layout that excites new couples to work with you. It comes with a compelling portfolio page to showcase your past works and a service page where they can view your different packages and book your services. You also get a robust About page to discuss yourself and help your customers connect with your personality.
Easy-To-Use Drag & Drop Editor
The Squarespace interface is super easy to use and has enough prompts and guides to help a beginner quickly get the hang of things. The amount of instruction along the way is enough to get you started. Apart from the easy interface, it comes with a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to move elements around and drop them wherever you wish on the page. The drag-and-drop editor is perfect for photographers who want to design websites without restrictions or have no code/design background. All you need to do is select the element you want to add to a page and decide where it should go. Recent developments Squarespace has made include the fluid engine, which allows you to customize your design without restrictions. This gives you enough freedom to design your website however you wish.
What makes it even more compelling is that you can carry out more complicated functions, including animations/motion on your photos, changing shapes, etc, with the same drag-and-drop effect. And whenever you need clarification, the Squarespace site has an entire library of resources you can read. You can also use the forum to ask questions or chat with customer support. Nothing stops you from showcasing your work uniquely with the Squarespace drag-and-drop feature.
Photography-tailored Features
Gallery & Portfolio Page: Who says you cannot get your gallery page already designed for you? With its pre-designed gallery page, Squarespace makes it easy for photographers to get their work online. You can choose between different layouts and animations and adjust accordingly. This was designed specifically for photographers to showcase their works more effectively. Another page you should look out for on Squarespace is the Portfolio page, which is precisely what it sounds like to host your portfolio of work. Trust me, it is super effective, and you don't have to design a works page from scratch.
Exciting Visual Tools: Squarespace goes beyond posting images in full width. You can also adjust the photos you post, use the lightbox feature, tweak the site, and add scrolling animations to keep visitors excited. You also get to edit your images, crop them, and save them for later. There are also other interesting visual features such as photo shapes, photo resizing, etc.
Powerful Blogging Features
One of the ways to grow your website, improve SEO, and get more visitors to your page is through content marketing. Squarespace knows this well and makes adequate provision for it. Millions of bloggers prefer Squarespace, one of the best blogging websites. Squarespace allows you to share your photography knowledge through its blogging features. You can write posts, schedule them, add images, and add more than one author. Also, it comes with SEO features to rank your blog posts on search engines. Getting started is super easy; create a blog page on your Squarespace Editor, and you are ready.
Are you trying to set up your blog on Squarespace? Check this article out.
Powerful Ecommerce Capabilities
You can sell whatever you want on Squarespace, so you don't have to worry about creating a shop with another website. Squarespace has its ecommerce site, where you can sell digital and physical products, services, subscriptions, and even gift cards. You get to choose between hundreds of shop templates.
Setting up your product catalog and managing your inventory is a breeze. The good part is that you can get most of the Squarespace ecommerce features on the regular website plans, which is a game changer. You can host your photography website and sell alongside. So, if you have digital or physical products to sell, Squarespace is your best choice.
Business Marketing Tools
Email Marketing
Do you plan to expand your photography business and reach a larger audience? Then, email marketing may come in handy later, and Squarespace is ready to cater to your needs. Squarespace has its email marketing software, which you can use to grow and send emails to your followers. It is also super easy to brand the email templates to your website's brand colors and manage the growth of your emails.
With Squarespace's form feature, converting your website visitors to email subscribers is easy. All you need to do is create a lead magnet, create a landing page, and get them to exchange their emails for the lead magnet.
There are tons of features that Squarespace Email Campaigns come with. Check out the Email Campaigns to find out more.
SEO
Apart from having a stunning website, the website must be discoverable, and that is where SEO comes in. Your visitors are always online looking for the best photographer for their event, and you want to make sure that it is your website they see first using SEO>
If you play your SEO games right, your website will rank on search engines. Squarespace SEO features make SEO easy, and it comes with enough tutorials to help you along the way. Some of Squarespace's SEO features include a sitemap, which will play a vital role in ranking your website, URL slug, SEO descriptions, etc. You have nothing to lose with Squarespace.
Members Area
If you have premium services/information you want to share with a selected few for a premium price, then you would find Members Area. You can sell access to a newsletter, community, course, or even a service with the member's area. Your customers can create a personal account and be the only ones to see the courses, ebooks, or newsletters they've paid for. Squarespace Members Area is another great way to generate revenue; you shouldn't sleep on it.
Create Courses
Of course! Squarespace has a full-blown course page where you can host your courses without hassle. When I said Squarespace had it all, I meant it. You can create photography courses and sell directly from your website, which makes everything easy for your visitors. Squarespace comes with a robust course page that you can offer video courses and even upload directly to the Squarespace site. Also, the course page comes with various layouts. Your students can track their progress, take quizzes, and even save them for later. This feature is perfect for photographers who also serve as coaches, and it will be the best option if you have a tight budget. Have you already hosted your video courses on another platform? All you need to do is check if Squarespace supports the platform. If it does, you only need to copy the video link, and the videos will appear directly on your Squarespace page. Did I forget to mention you can offer limitless courses? Yes, you can!
Mobile Responsiveness
Most people browse their phones and will find it unpleasant to see a disoriented website on their mobiles, but it looks good on laptops. Therefore, you must choose a website builder with mobile responsiveness, and Squarespace doesn't disappoint. Squarespace is a mobile responsive website builder, which means when you design the website, it automatically adjusts it to a mobile view. With the fluid editor, you have more design freedom, and you can decide to make a few tweaks to the mobile view.
The good part is that when designing, you can preview the website on different screen sizes without publishing it live. Therefore, remember to ensure that every element is well-arranged.
24/7 Customer Support
Squarespace's email support is one of the best out there. Whatever issue you have, all you need to do is send an email, and you'll be attended to within the hour. Even without customer support, Squarespace has a robust resource library where you can get all the information you need and an active forum to ask questions and get answers. You will be fine with where to go when facing challenges.
Squarespace comes with other features that you would find thrilling. For example, you get a free domain name when you make a payment, an SSL certificate without an extra dime, and advanced website analytics
Cons of Squarespace
Pricing Plans
Squarespace has different planning structures to cater to various needs and may not be suitable for photographers who don't want to offer courses or products. The personal website, which is also the least package, only comes with a shop if you opt-in for the business plan, which may be considered unaffordable for photographers with a tight budget. However, if you plan to sell, you can quickly start with the personal plan and upgrade to the business plan whenever you are ready.
Ecommerce Transaction Fee
Squarespace has two plans specifically for ecommerce stores, and they come with all the powerful tools and a 0% transaction fee. However, the business plan, which also comes with a shop, isn't free in terms of transaction fees. You must pay a 3% transaction fee on each sale, which can become problematic if you sell large quantities. However, it may be fine if you only have sales occasionally.
Best Squarespace Photography templates to get started with - Free & Paid
Squarespace has hundreds of stunning and contemporary website templates you can get started with. There are also premium photography templates that other Squarespace designers offer. So, whatever you go for, you will surely get a professional website.
The cons of the free Squarespace template are not the design but the frequent use and lack of customization for photographers who want specific features. This is where premium templates come in. You can purchase a template designed specifically for photographers or one designed for a type of photography, such as portraits, weddings, babies, etc.
For the best free Squarespace templates, you can check the first part of this article.
How To Create A Photography Website on Squarespace
Creating a photography website on Squarespace is super straightforward. The first thing to do is to go to Squarespace.com. Once on the page, sign up using your email, Google, or Apple sign-in. Squarespace will ask you what type of website you want to build. Once you choose photography, you can make it with AI or select a template.
If you are building with AI, you need to answer some questions, and Squarespace will create a website for you. If you are using a template, Squarespace will take you to the template gallery, and you can choose your preferred template. You can preview each template and see how it will look before you choose it.
You can edit with the Squarespace editor once you've loaded your new template. There are two types of editors: classic and fluid. The classic was the old editor, which is still active because some Squarespace designers are used to it.
If you are new to Squarespace, continue using the fluid editor. All you need to do now is edit your template to make it look like your website. You can change texts and images and add new blocks as well. The Squarespace editor requires a slight learning curve, and there are enough prompts and YouTube videos to help you.
Quick Comparison
Squarespace Vs. Wix: Which one is better?
You may consider other website builders, which we will address in this article. The next big competitor is Wix, which comes with robust website features that you can use. However, Squarespace is the best option in terms of visuals, website features, and ease of use. Suppose you are a photographer without design knowledge and want to get your website online. In that case, you don't have to worry because
Squarespace has an extensive resource library and YouTube channel where you can get information on anything you want. Also, it comes with built-in features where you can access anything, including email marketing, members area, and ecommerce features. It is also necessary to acknowledge Squarespace's elegant and modern template design.
Squarespace Vs. Hostinger
Hostinger, also hosting software, comes with a website builder. It is best for novices who are not tech-savvy and need a simple website. It also comes with more affordable plans. However, Squarespace comes with everything you need without the hassle. It has built-in features that you don't need to find elsewhere, and you also get a free domain and SSL certificate at no extra cost. Squarespace is the best choice for a photographer who wants visuals and functionality.
Squarespace Pricing Plan
Squarespace comes with four pricing structures, the first two for small business owners and the last two for ecommerce owners.
Personal - $16/month (annual payment)
The personal plan comes with all the basic website features. You get a free domain, SSL certificate, templates, blogging features, and invoice for free. The features absent from the personal pricing plan are ecommerce features, advanced website analytics, etc.
This plan is perfect for bloggers, freelancers, and those wanting an online presence for their brands.
Business - $23/month (annual payment)
The business plan is perfect for photographers because it includes everything on the personal plan, including advanced website analytics, professional Gmail, promotional pop-ups, ecommerce features, checkout on the domain, etc. However, as said, it comes with a 3% transaction fee.
Ecommerce Plans - From $28/month to $52/month
There are two e-commerce plans, the basic and the advanced. These plans are perfect for ecommerce shop owners, and they all come with a 0% transaction fee. It also comes with every ecommerce feature you need, including abandoned cart recovery, shipping, POS, etc.
Best Plan For Photographers: Business Plan
FAQ:
Can you sell as a photographer on Squarespace?
Absolutely yes. You can sell on Squarespace without paying for their ecommerce plan. A shop is integrated into their business plan, and you can upload your digital or physical products. Also, managing your inventory is super easy. You can view the remaining product in stock, put it out of stock, and integrate it with different payment plans. For business plans, there is a 3% transaction fee attached to each sale.
Is Squarespace Easy to Use?
The Squarespace editor is straightforward for beginners, and if you need help, Squarespace has a resource library where you can find solutions. The forum is also open for members to ask other Squarespace members. If these two options still don't provide an answer, you can check out Squarespace YouTube or send an email to their customer support. They reply within a few hours.
Is Squarespace affordable?
Yes. Squarespace comes with four plans, the first being the personal website and the last being the advanced e-commerce plans. The personal plan starts at $16/month (for annual plans), and the most expensive plan for ecommerce owners is $52/month.
The business plan is the perfect choice if you want a website and want to sell it. It allows you to have your own website and still sell it, costing $23/month.
Can I showcase my photos in high resolution?
Yes! Squarespace displays your images in the best resolution and doesn't reduce their resolution. It even advises against low-quality pictures. However, to ensure your loading time stays the same, every website builder, including Squarespace, advises compressing your images without losing quality.
Can I customize my Squarespace website?
Yes! Squarespace is a drag-and-drop website builder with free customization options. The newest editor, the Fluid editor, has few restrictions and allows your creativity to flow. You can buy a premium template and customize it or use any templates. Also, Squarespace allows you to design from scratch.
Does Squarespace integrate with other apps?
Yes. Squarespace seamlessly integrates with other apps. It integrates with dropshipping apps, email marketing apps, accounting apps, and so much more. It has over 50+ apps it integrates with, and you can check them out in its apps marketplace.
Best Squarespace Web Designers To Hire
Create Your Photography Website on Squarespace Now.
To recap, Squarespace has many powerful features you can benefit from as a photographer. You get access to stunning websites, ecommerce functionalities, marketing features, and more. Beyond all these, you can also sell your products alongside and create an engaging website the your visitors love.
Whatever your business wants, Squarespace is ready to cater to your needs. So, what are you waiting for? Check out the photography templates on our website and get started right away!
