Today’s Question: With many other ways for a photographer to represent their work online, do you think it is important for photographers to have an actual website? Or would just social media pages or other outlets suffice?
Tim’s Quick Answer: While having a website is certainly less important than it might previously have been, I still think a website in some form can be useful to serve as a virtual business card for the photographer interested in promoting their photographic work. A very simple solution would be to use a platform such as Wix (https://timgrey.me/wix).
More Detail: The whole concept of a website has changed a bit, I think. What I mean by that is that many photographers can simply use a Facebook page or Instagram account as the foundation of promoting their photography. However, I do think there is value in having a central information point that is easy to point others to. A custom website address provides a good solution, in my view.
Many photographers simply use a Facebook page as a replacement for a website. And Instagram provides a platform for sharing your photography. For example, you can find (and like) my Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/timgreyphoto
But if someone doesn’t use Facebook, I can redirect them to my Instagram feed, suggesting they follow me at @timgreyphoto. But if they aren’t an Instagram user, then what?
That’s why I think a single “landing page” with links to all of your applicable pages and content makes the most sense. This provides a simple and universal way to direct people to information about you and how to contact you.
For example, I maintain a simple website at http://www.timgreyphoto.com that exists simply to provide a central repository for the various information about me and ways to follow or contact me.
Having your own website doesn’t mean you need to hire a website developer or go to a lot of trouble. There are many platforms that enable you to create a customized website complete with your own custom website address. A couple good options for this type of site include Wix (https://timgrey.me/wix) and SquareSpace (https://www.squarespace.com).