Being a photographer can be exhausting work, especially when you are doing well for yourself, but being so busy also means you have been doing something right – you’ve built your clientele. There are photographers all over the world dreaming of being able to support themselves with their art, and if you are not quite there yet yourself, then perhaps you are not exhibiting your work the way that you should?
It is not enough to just be a great photographer, you need to make sure the world knows how great you are, and the best way to do this is by creating a strong online presence and a website dedicated to your photographs. There are multiple services to help you make your own professional website, and in this article, we are going to have a look at two of your best options – Wix and Squarespace, and how to figure out which one is right for you.
Introduction to Squarespace
Squarespace is an online website building tool that was first started as a blog hosting service by Anthony Casalena. Anthony Casalena founded the company while studying at the University of Maryland, and it has been available to the general public since 2004. Once they were up and running, the company grew fast, and it has continued to grow ever since.
With Squarespace, you get to create your own website with the help of templates, drag-and-drop functions, tools for eCommerce, blog options, and much more. It is a great tool for professional photographers; one that allows you to create a website without having to hire a professional, and that gives you the opportunity to make changes whenever you want. Squarespace is apt for beginners and for advanced users and ideal for a photographer wanting a website to use as an online portfolio.
Introducing Wix
The other option is a service that works very similarly to that of Squarespace – Wix, a software company with local offices all over the world. The company is Israeli and was founded in 2006, has worldwide coverage and they offer the user a simple way to create a website. A few years ago, you would have had to hire an expensive professional to make your photography website for you, but thanks to Wix, even the inexperienced individual can set up a great looking webpage.
This is a service which offers a free basic package, which you can then upgrade depending on what you want to get out of the experience. You can pay extra for additional templates, to use an already existing domain and much more, and you will notice right away that Wix is a service that makes it easy to make a basic website using templates, but it also has the tools that would appeal to someone with a background in website design.
Basic Differences Between the Two
First, we will have a look at the most basic differences between Wix and Squarespace, because while they are very similar, there are also a few things that set them apart. Squarespace is a little more complicated to use while Wix is something you will get the hang of right away. Both are apt for beginners, but if you are very inexperienced with computers and website design, you might find it easier to use Wix. Both have drag-and-drop options, but Squarespace often seems to require more clicks and steps compared to Wix.
Wix also has a convenient free plan, along with excellent customer service where you can voice concerns and raise questions. Squarespace, on the other hand, is the ideal option if blogging is something you are very interested in, as their blogging tool is significantly more advanced.
Customization & Design
When you are a photographer, it is important to have a website that doesn’t just look good, but that also gives the client a sense of who you are as a photographer and as an artist, and what you can do with your camera. In this aspect, both Wix and Squarespace are great choices, as they both offer gorgeous templates that are fully customizable. Both of these services will let you go with one of these templates, customize them or start from scratch and build your website manually, depending on your preferences, patience, and your skillset.
How Easy Are They to Use?
We talked a little bit before about the differences between Wix and Squarespace, and now we want to start by clarifying that neither of the two is particularly difficult to use. Both Wix and Squarespace are ideal for non-professional website builders, and you will be able to create the photography website of your dreams with either one, but the question is – is one service easier to use than the other?
The answer is yes. Wix is a lot more straightforward than Squarespace, where you can change most things around by simply dragging and dropping, and using one click instead of having to learn to use specific software. That said, Squarespace may take a little longer to get the hang of, but it is worth the extra effort once you figure it out.
Blogging Opportunities
You might be wondering why you would want to blog id you are a photographer, but blogging can be a great way to stay on touch with clients, and you can use it to showcase your working process, inform people of your prices and promotions, let people get to know the person behind the camera and much more. You don’t need to be a top writer to be a good writer, and a blog is yours to do what you want with.
Both Wix and Squarespace offer the option to add a blog to your brand new website, and getting it up and running isn’t too had on either. If you are serious about blogging though then perhaps Squarespace will be a more suitable option for you, as they have a blogging tool that is somewhat more advanced and elaborate than the one you find on Wix.
Wix Pros
- Big collection of templates
- Easy-to-Use Drag-and-drop function
- Built-in SEO management
- Really cheap premium plans
Wix Cons
- Wix branding on free templates
- Analytics only available with a paid plan
Squarespace Pros
- Beautifully designed templates
- Built-in tool for e-marketing
- Tool for creating company logos
Squarespace Cons
- Pages and posts do not save automatically
- Some features are a little complicated
SEO Tools
SEO is something you might not have been in contact with as a photographer, but it becomes relevant when it is time to market your website and your work. Understanding SEO can take a little time, but it is basically what helps potential clients find your website when they do a google search. Using SEO in everything you put on your website will make it rank higher on Google, and therefore bring more clients to your page.
The good news is that both Squarespace and Wix offer SEO features, which means you won’t have to worry too much about it, as they have made it easy also for beginners. Wix, for example, has built-in SEO management, and they also offer a wide range of other features for SEO purposes. They have made many improvements in recent years, and as a user, you can probably expect future improvements as well.
Squarespace also offers a variety of SEO features, such as a built-in tool that makes e-marketing easy and effortless. When comparing it to Wix, however, there are significantly fewer opinions for SEO, but this doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate SEO on your own. For someone inexperienced with SEO though, this could be a plus in the favor of Wix over Squarespace.
Do We Have a Winner?
When looking at Squarespace vs. Wix, you will quickly notice how similar they are in terms of what they offer, and it is no wonder many photographers find themselves wondering which service will work best to build a new website. There are pros and cons with both, depending on what you are looking for, but if your priorities are user-friendliness and built-in SEO features – then Wix is your best option.