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Whether you are getting ready to set up your first website for your photography business, or you are refreshing your current site, we have created a step-by-step guide that covers everything you need to know to put your website together with Squarespace- let’s dive in!
Squarespace is a website builder tailored to creative professionals, photographers included. Known for its visually appealing templates and user-friendly interface, Squarespace is an excellent choice for photographers to build their websites. Offering an extensive array of gallery layouts and customizable design options, the platform makes it easy to create visually striking websites. Squarespace’s drag and drop editor allows you to try different designs with ease so you can create something that fits your brand.
1. Visually Striking Templates
2. User-Friendly, Intuitive Customization
3. Mobile Responsive Design
4. Powerful Blogging Capabilities
5. Built in SEO Optimization Tools
6. Reliable Hosting and Security
Before you go into the square space platform, make a list of the items that you want to include on your home page. Most importantly, you’ll want to make sure your homepage answers these three questions quickly:
) What do you offer?
2) How will it make my life better?
3) What do I have to do to get it?
Here is an example:
“Hello! My name is [Your Name]. I’m an in-home newborn photographer serving the Greater Dallas Area. I capture beautiful portraits of your baby’s first days in the safety and comfort of your home. Caring for a newborn is hard work, so I make preserving these special moments easy. Click the link below to book me, or contact me at [contact information] for more information, and I will get back to you within 24 hours.”
Helpful Tip: To learn more about the must-haves for your photography website, I recommend reading through this post, “Top 10 Must-Haves for Your Photography Website” , taking notes, and then coming back here to start setting up your site on Squarespace. It’s always good to have a map of what you need to say before you start getting into the meat and potatoes of actually building out your site. As you build your site on Squarespace, leave the must-haves post open in a separate tab so you can reference it as you work.
If you haven’t already, go ahead and sign up for Squarespace. You can use this link to sign up and get started.
The template you choose will depend on your style and business needs. Start by making a list of things you need on your website, and then set the filters in the template search for those items.
Look for templates that offer customizable features, ensuring flexibility in aligning the layout with your brand identity. Here are a few Squarespace templates that are popular for photographers in 2024 for inspiration. Remember, colors, fonts, and layouts are all customizable.
You can customize your fonts, colors, and layouts. Remember when you are customizing your website, it’s important to maintain a cohesive and visually appealing design that also provides clear messaging and “next steps” to your potential clients.
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Highlighting your images is one of the most important steps in building your website. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to upload and organize photos on Squarespace, including creating galleries and portfolios:
1. Log in to Squarespace:
- Access your Squarespace account and enter the website editor.
2. Navigate to Pages:
- Click on the "Pages" section to manage your website's pages.
3. Create a New Page for Your Gallery or Portfolio:
- Select the location for your gallery/portfolio and add a new page. Choose "Gallery" or "Portfolio" as the page type.
4. Access the Page Editor:
- Once the page is created, go into the page editor.
5. Add a Gallery or Portfolio Block:
- Click the "+" icon to add a new content block. Choose either "Gallery" or "Portfolio" from the options.
6. Upload Photos:
- Within the gallery/portfolio block, you can now upload photos. Click on the designated area to upload images from your computer or select from your existing Squarespace library.
1. Arrange Photos:
- In the gallery/portfolio editor, you can arrange photos by dragging and dropping them into the desired order.
2. Add Titles and Descriptions:
- Click on each photo to add titles, captions, or descriptions. This helps in providing context or additional information.
3. Create Categories or Tags:
- Depending on your needs, you might want to create categories or tags to organize your photos further. This is especially useful for larger portfolios.
1. Designate Gallery Pages:
- Create separate pages for different galleries if needed. For instance, "Nature Photography," "Portraits," etc.
2. Link Galleries to Navigation:
- Link each gallery page to your site's navigation so that visitors can easily access them.
1. Utilize Project Pages:
- Create project pages within your portfolio for showcasing specific works or themes.
2. Showcase with Thumbnails:
- Use thumbnail images to represent each project on the main portfolio page.
3. Link Projects to Navigation:
- Link each project to your site's navigation for a user-friendly experience.
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Gallery Styles:
- Explore different gallery styles offered by Squarespace to find the layout that suits your aesthetic.
Image Settings:
- Adjust image settings such as spacing, aspect ratio, and lightbox behavior to enhance the viewing experience.
Preview Your Site:
- Regularly preview your site to ensure the galleries and portfolios appear as intended.
Following these steps should help you efficiently upload, organize, and showcase your photos on Squarespace, creating a visually appealing and user-friendly experience for your audience.
- Discuss the key pages every photography website should have, such as the homepage, portfolio, about me, and contact.
- Guide readers on how to create and customize these pages within Squarespace.
- Demonstrate the process of adding contact forms to make it easy for potential clients to get in touch. Add the link to how to add a Picsello contact form to your site.
- Explain how to integrate social media links to connect the website with the photographer's online presence.
- Provide tips on optimizing the website for search engines to increase visibility.
- Discuss the importance of adding descriptive metadata, alt text, and utilizing Squarespace's built-in SEO tools.
-link to SEO for photographers post
-Just like Picsello, your website should be optimized for mobile so your clients and potential clients can access you on the go.
Emphasize the significance of a mobile-friendly website.
- Walk through the steps to ensure that the website looks and functions well on various devices.
Now that we broke down all of the individual steps to building a photography website with Squarespace, let’s put them all together.
Begin by uploading your photos and creating galleries or portfolios using the platform's intuitive page editor. Organize your images, add titles, and utilize categories or tags for efficient navigation. If you're creating galleries, designate separate pages for each and link them to your site's navigation.
For portfolios, use project pages and showcase them with thumbnails on the main portfolio page, linking each project to the site's navigation. Don't forget to explore various gallery styles and fine-tune image settings for a polished appearance.
Regularly preview your site to ensure a seamless and visually appealing experience for your audience. With these steps, you'll have a professional and captivating photography website on Squarespace!
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