New Website..New Start

Andytc

Andytc

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Hi,

I may be my own worst enemy here but i really don't want to pay someone stupid amounts to build a website, so i am asking you all for tips & advice.

I find my current website very naff & does not really stand out for me, don't get me wrong it served a job when i was doing little bits of work here and their.
Now i am moving in to the direction of wedding photography, i want to get this a right as possible, to be able to get on the correct path.

Really need to know the best place to build the site/host ect.. As on google your return many results. I want my site to also contain a prevent client area for viewing of photos & an option for them to oder direct from that section re:Family & friends.

For the best SEO i am of the understanding wordpress is the best way forward.

Doing this myself i know its going to take a while, as i have my sights set high in the design i would like to end up with.

I have attached some examples i like, this may help people recommend or help :thumbs:

http://www.diamondfilms.co.uk/

http://www.lowesphotography.co.uk/

http://www.immi-weddings.com/index.html
 
I think the first step needs to be you sitting down and figuring out exactly what is your photography business is going to do. Once you've identified that, set some (realistic) targets for what you want to achieve in the next 12-24 months. After doing that, figure out what your website will need to do to help you achieve that.

Once you've got a good idea what you want to achieve using your website you can then get to issues about which software to use, what the design should look like.


[For what it's worth - I use vidahost who offer very good value hosting packages and first class customer service. Like many hosts, they provide a very simple mechanism for installing wordpress and other software packages (such as joomla) on which you can run your website.

In terms of SEO, you basically get out what you put in -to a beginner wordpress is about as good as joomla, probably not so good as having a site which is not CMS based.]
 
Very much support what mark has said. SEO is better controlled by doing it yourself if im completely honest. As a webdesigner myself while i build word press sites i still find myself having to manually make changes to the "plug n play" setup word press is "suppose" to bring.
 
I know it is not much help but it's the old thing.

Want decent photos, hire a decent photographer.

Want a decent design job, Pay someone to do it.

Too many people treat design the same way we bemoan others doing with photography.

If you are not sure, get someone in. It is your company image you are protecting in doing so.
 
ding76uk said:
I know it is not much help but it's the old thing.

Want decent photos, hire a decent photographer.

Want a decent design job, Pay someone to do it.

Too many people treat design the same way we bemoan others doing with photography.

If you are not sure, get someone in. It is your company image you are protecting in doing so.
Click to expand...

This is something I have been giving a lot of thought too. The problem is the equivalent of weekend warriors in the IT world building websites how do you find the right designer for the right price... I don't mind paying for quality but its finding the right person. I guess much how s customer feels looking for a photographer!
 
A guy in Devon did my site (still tweaking it now) and I like it and it was very reasonably priced!

His sites start at about £60, mine was £199 and done in a week of me calling him.

Google Fred Harding/Tekline publishing.
 
Image Warrior said:
This is something I have been giving a lot of thought too. The problem is the equivalent of weekend warriors in the IT world building websites how do you find the right designer for the right price... I don't mind paying for quality but its finding the right person. I guess much how s customer feels looking for a photographer!
Click to expand...

I can help to find one for you. There are many pothograper in my country that I can find easily
 
ding76uk said:
I know it is not much help but it's the old thing.

Want decent photos, hire a decent photographer.

Want a decent design job, Pay someone to do it.

Too many people treat design the same way we bemoan others doing with photography.

If you are not sure, get someone in. It is your company image you are protecting in doing so.
Click to expand...

Spot on!! Also, while you may do it yourself for 'free' remember that if you spend 50 hours on this how much is that worth?
 
photo si said:
A guy in Devon did my site (still tweaking it now) and I like it and it was very reasonably priced!

His sites start at about £60, mine was £199 and done in a week of me calling him.

Google Fred Harding/Tekline publishing.
Click to expand...

Simon, How much control do you have on adding and changing content on your site ?

Do any changes have to go back to the designer or is it something that you have control of yourself...If this is the case what level of knowledge do you have?
 
Hi Andy. you obviously like the black/white style. You could immediately improve your existing site by getting rid of that scrolling text! Your choice of <em> styling for your font isn't helping either. For basic Google/SEO ranking, choose your key words carefully, based on your USP. Then make sure you use the <h*> and <alt> tags. <em> doesn't do it.

There was someone on another forum who said he didn't care about making his site Google friendly, he was more interested in the user experience. I disagree. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Finding someone to do it for you is like finding a builder, word of mouth works best. Alternatively you could try 1&1 my website if you want it diy.
 
The last site you linked to is jam packed with keywords and phrases... As a result it reads very badly. Generally that's what most standard SEO experts tend to do, load up pages with keywords for Google rankings.

But what's more important to a photographer? Images. Build a website that shows off your work - especially for weddings. There are plenty of off the peg portfolio sites (or Wordpress plugins) that look really good, display your images well and will be compatible with iPads, iPhones and non-flash devices. And many of those will also offer client areas, shopping carts, etc.

I get far more wedding work from recommendations and word of mouth than I ever got off SEO and Google Adwords. Concentrate on your core business, your photography and how you approach your jobs, and work will follow. Seeing your website as a portfolio more than solely a marketing tool is the best place to start rather than the other way round.
 
Tugster said:
Simon, How much control do you have on adding and changing content on your site ?

Do any changes have to go back to the designer or is it something that you have control of yourself...If this is the case what level of knowledge do you have?
Click to expand...

I have no knowledge whatsoever! I simply call or email him with what I want doing and it gets done the same day free of charge. If I want a whole new page adding then there is a charge, think it's about £50. If it's just a page connected by a link to an existing page then no charge as the main menu doesn't have to change.

After the first year it's about £60 per year to keep it maintained and for the hosting.

Well pleased with the service.

Cheers
Si
 
I build my website with no knowledge at all, all was learned from internet...What I like about this is that you have full control at anything you doing, plus learning something new is always good! I recently re-designed my website completely and now it only took me half a day to do it...well, there is still bits to improve... About SEO, this is not easy at all, but achievable. It took me lots of time to get on first page of Google for "wedding videos London" and still I have to work on it to keep my place there...
So, if you have lots of free time, then you can do it yourself! If not, then it's better to pay someone to do it! :thumbs:
 
Adam, I was curious to see your website, went to the music one. Got this for the portraits:
image0025.jpg

Is that what I'm meant to see? it took ages to load and then looked odd.
 
Must be me browzar!
 
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