If you’re anything like me, staying still is a challenge. While the call of nature and the thrill of capturing stunning shots keep you outdoors, there are also essential tasks you need to take care of—like building your online presence.

As a professional photographer, videographer, and artist, one of the most crucial steps is creating your website—your digital home, your online gallery where you showcase your work. For conservationists, a website becomes even more valuable, serving as a platform to raise awareness about wildlife protection and environmental issues.

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Website

There are many platforms available for building a website, and after years of setting up my own sites to meet my needs, I have two key recommendations.

1. SmugMug – A User-Friendly Solution

SmugMug is a photography-focused platform designed for ease of use. I’ve been using it for over eight years, mainly for its ability to create locked galleries where clients can securely access their photos and videos with a password.

While I initially built my website using SmugMug, I transitioned to WordPress over the past eight years. However, if you’re looking for a simple, hassle-free solution without dealing with website maintenance, SmugMug is the way to go.

That said, pricing has increased significantly. Back in 2016, I paid a promotional price of just $50 per year. Between 2017 and 2019, it rose to $80 per year, and in 2024, I paid $120. Unfortunately, the current lowest plan now costs around $210 per year.

Despite the price hike, SmugMug remains an excellent choice for photographers, especially because it offers unlimited storage for your images (in JPEG). If you’re interested, you can use this discount link to save 20% on a one, two, or three-year subscription. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the platform!

2. WordPress – The Ultimate Customization Powerhouse

Now, if you’re like me—a tech-savvy, creative person who enjoys diving into the details and experimenting with different ways to get things done—then WordPress is a whole different universe.

With WordPress, you can customize nearly everything, offering far more flexibility than most other platforms. It’s no coincidence that about 43.3% of all websites worldwide (over 810 million sites) are built on WordPress.

Choosing a Hosting Provider for Your WordPress Site

If you decide to go with WordPress, the first step is selecting the right hosting provider. Here are my experiences with two of the best options:

🔹 SiteGround – Reliable with Excellent Support

I used SiteGround for about seven years, and it’s an excellent choice. The biggest advantage? 24/7 live chat support, which can quickly resolve issues when they arise. It’s a safe, reliable hosting option, making it a great choice for beginners and professionals alike.

Pricing: Right now, SiteGround offers a Web Hosting plan from $2.99/month (only for the first year). After that, the price increases to $15.99/month. If you’re interested, you can use this discount link to get a deal on SiteGround hosting.

🔹 Hostinger – Best Value for Money

In December 2024, I switched to Hostinger due to an unbeatable deal—$141 for four years of hosting. At the time, SiteGround was charging me €551 for just two years, so moving to Hostinger was a no-brainer.

More than just the price, Hostinger offers more resources:
✔ 200GB storage
✔ 100 websites
✔ Unlimited bandwidth
✔ Free automatic website migration
✔ Unlimited free SSL

So far, Hostinger has proven to be an amazing choice, offering excellent speed, great tools, and 24/7 live chat support when needed.

If you’re looking for the best balance between price, features, and support, Hostinger is the way to go! You can use this link to save 20%.

Need Help? Let’s Build Something Amazing!

If you need assistance setting up your website—whether you’re a photographer, videographer, artist, or conservationist—I’d love to help bring your creative vision to life online. Feel free to reach out, and let’s create something incredible together!