Best website service?

[Joey-Austin]

Hello Alpha Universe,

I would like to hear your thoughts about what's the best website service, and what's their best feature? or do you only use social media as portfolio?

[tonygale]

It really depends on what you need. I have used Photoshelter for years and have been happy with them, however I am switching over to aphotofolio because they have a feature that allows people to make pdf portfolio of my work if they need. I think social media is useful, but it is important to have a website that we can control

[LensBrew]

I design my website using wordpress. I'm an engineer, therefore I like to take more control and enjoy coding my site. It's fulfilling to me personally. But it is also possible for anyone that doesn't want to code, using simple builders like Elementor.

I plan to use either photoshelter or smugmug for my galleries, but my site will be the portfolio.

[Joey-Austin]

It really depends on what you need. I have used Photoshelter for years and have been happy with them, however I am switching over to aphotofolio because they have a feature that allows people to make pdf portfolio of my work if they need. I think social media is useful, but it is important to have a website that we can control

Good thing I asked because I never heard of either one of them and they sound like a better option than wix and square space 

[Joey-Austin]

I design my website using wordpress. I'm an engineer, therefore I like to take more control and enjoy coding my site. It's fulfilling to me personally. But it is also possible for anyone that doesn't want to code, using simple builders like Elementor.

I plan to use either photoshelter or smugmug for my galleries, but my site will be the portfolio.

This looks like fun, will give it a try, I studied software engineering for 2 years back in 2009, lets see if I remember any of it lol

[tonygale]

Good thing I asked because I never heard of either one of them and they sound like a better option than wix and square space 

I certainly think so! 

[LensBrew]

This looks like fun, will give it a try, I studied software engineering for 2 years back in 2009, lets see if I remember any of it lol

If you go with wordpress, I suggest you start from Bluehost as the host. And from them you're directed to wordpress. The reason is, you will be guaranteed to have your site built on wordpress.ORG which gives you more tools and freedom than .COM (which is paid extra). 

I only reviewed some html and css for extra customization. Other than that, Elementor was excellent (I installed the pro paid version).

[Joey-Austin]

If you go with wordpress, I suggest you start from Bluehost as the host. And from them you're directed to wordpress. The reason is, you will be guaranteed to have your site built on wordpress.ORG which gives you more tools and freedom than .COM (which is paid extra). 

I only reviewed some html and css for extra customization. Other than that, Elementor was excellent (I installed the pro paid version).

Thank you very much for the advice

[CarolineJensen]

It really depends on what you need. I have used Photoshelter for years and have been happy with them, however I am switching over to aphotofolio because they have a feature that allows people to make pdf portfolio of my work if they need. I think social media is useful, but it is important to have a website that we can control

That is really interesting and helpful! Thank you, Tony! 

[CarolineJensen]

I design my website using wordpress. I'm an engineer, therefore I like to take more control and enjoy coding my site. It's fulfilling to me personally. But it is also possible for anyone that doesn't want to code, using simple builders like Elementor.

I plan to use either photoshelter or smugmug for my galleries, but my site will be the portfolio.

I had Divi for Wordpress for a while and realized that just going ahead and learning code was a whole lot easier! 

[LensBrew]

I had Divi for Wordpress for a while and realized that just going ahead and learning code was a whole lot easier! 

Knowing some code would be helpful with wordpress. I wasn't intrigued much by Divi, although it looked the easiest. I ended up with elementor and I do add my own spin codes. I found the whole process of learning and achieving results, even in coding, satisfying.

[Legndz Photography]

I was on Photoshelter for years, recently their customer service is non-existent, no features have been added since 2020. I moved over to Pixieset. Works quite well for me. Handles my fairly large sales volume with no issues, and most importantly, Pixieset does not take a commission on my sales! I am not affiliated with or partnered with Pixieset in any way other than being a customer. 

[CarolineJensen]

Just wanted to add...I moved to Shopify and I'm a lot happier. This is my third try though! It has a bit of a learning curve, but the customizations for sales are so much more refined than other platforms I have tried. 

[kamency26]

I think they all are awesome and big brands in the world of web hosting. But few of them are expensive as well. I suggest hostnoc for dedicated servers at cheaper cost and affordable prices.

[CarolineJensen]

I also have a zenfolio site and their new backend is really easy! You can see my website here to get an idea: https://kindredflorals.com

Edited December 4, 2023 by CarolineJensen

[Joey-Austin]

@CarolineJensen This is a very simple but beautiful and organized website, I ended up getting website.com it's very cheap and comes with free domain for a year, this is my website https://joeyaustin.us

[CarolineJensen]

2 hours ago, Joey-Austin said:

@CarolineJensen This is a very simple but beautiful and organized website, I ended up getting website.com it's very cheap and comes with free domain for a year, this is my website https://joeyaustin.us

I love the aesthetic here 

[robertheil]

I have used Zenfolio for years, and it works great.  It deals with my 100 galleries and about 2,000 images with no problem. (https://www.robertheil.com)  I would love any comments from others who have used Zenfolio.

[bjohnson]

For portfolio and showing off your work, and telling stories, I'm a big fan of exposure.co

Built from the ground up to be a image-driven site. Super simple to use. Looks great.

It's been a long while since I've had time to update mine, but here's what it looks like. https://snvboy.exposure.co/brocation-2015