Photographers often don’t think that they need a website to sell. They think that word of mouth or a business listing can do them justice. The problem is that a website improves the chances of you being found, improves your revenue streams, and can also help you to run your business.
In this quick guide, we will discuss how to build a photography website on Squarespace, arguably one of the best platforms to build photography websites on.
Step 1 – Set a Goal
The first thing that you need to do is to set a goal for your Squarespace website. Is it a good way for your brand to find new clients? Or is it something that is going to sell prints and other products to get you another revenue stream?
Choosing a goal allows you to think about the template that you’re going to use later on.
Step 2 – Pick a Plan
Now you need to pick a plan for your Squarespace account. There are four main Squarespace plans that you can choose from. If you want to take money from customers via the website, you will need one of three Business and eCommerce plans.
Otherwise, you could, in theory, use any of the plans. The costs of each plan are different. So also check your budget at which is going to be best for you.
There is no free Squarespace plan.
Step 3 – Find a Template
Now you need to choose a template that you know you can use and that matches your website aspirations. If you want to sell, think about putting the products up front. If you’re looking to get more customers, then you want a more service-based template.
There are numerous eCommerce Squarespace templates and Photography Squarespace templates that you could look at using. When you’ve found one you like, you can click on the button that allows you to use the template.
Step 4 – Add Photos/Content
Now you can customize the template by adding your text and images. Create new pages and build in the functions that will make your website a fully functional website. It takes a good few days to complete this, even more, if you’re doing it in the background and doing other work.
Remember to optimize your images. You can use tools like RIOT to compress the memory they take up. This helps to speed up your website significantly. And speed is vital. A slow website will reduce your website’s conversion and will also affect your website’s ranking.
Step 5 – Create a Marketing Plan
Don’t expect people to just find your website. You will need a strong marketing plan for your website. That includes social media, SEO, blogging, email marketing and even reaching out to contacts. It is important to note that 98% of all content published on the internet never gets traffic from an organic search (Google search).
Step 6 – Publish
Don’t forget to publish your website and connect your domain to the website account.
Final Word: How to Build a Photography Website on Squarespace
Above are the steps that you need to know for how to build a photography website on Squarespace. Remember that you can’t change your template, so be sure that you choose a template that you love before you get going and add it to your website.
