Is WordPress Right for Photographers? In a Word – Yes!

It’s pretty hard not to be in love with WordPress – the humble blogging platform that grew from a niche tool for the opinioned to the driving force behind millions of successful business ventures in no time at all. For the vast majority of everyday small business ventures, WordPress makes the perfect CMS choice above and beyond all others. However, one industry area that often needs at least a little bit of arm-twisting to get the message is that of the professional photographer – particularly those building online portfolios.     So, in the spirit of the aforementioned gentle persuasion, here’s a quick overview of the primary arguments as to why exactly photographers would be wise to look to WordPress as a primary CMS of choice:Content Management System – The Term Says it AllWordPress is a leading Content Management System, which if you’re not already familiar with the term is pretty self-explanatory. A CMS is a means by which to store, organise and ultimately present all of your content in a single location, to be controlled by a single central control panel. Or in other words, you essentially create something of an HQ for your work, your brand, what it is you do as a whole. And once you’ve built this home-base for your portfolio of work, you can make it available for others to view as you wish.You’re In Full ControlOne of the reasons WordPress makes for a much better option than a ready-to-go website or simple website-builder creation is how it allows you to stand out from the crowd. It may be template-driven and easy as pie to use, but at the same time it still allows you to weave your brand and your message into every inch of the site from start to finish. As such, the result is less an online database of your photography work and more a fully-fledged corporate website working wonders for your brand.It’s Flexible and VersatileOne of the greatest things about WordPress for photographers is the way in which it opens up all manner of opportunities for exploration. For example, you may start out be creating a portfolio of work to represent you, but what about if you decided to start selling your work online? It’s simple – add a little WooCommerce magic to your WordPress site and you can begin an e-commerce enterprise without having to call in the pros.It’s Easy to UseYou don’t need to have even a day of experience to get to grips with WordPress – the learning curve is so gentle that you can get started and learn along the way as you build your website. As such, you can concentrate the majority of your time and effort on your photography.It’s Free!And finally, you have to remember that when you’re talking about WordPress, you’re talking about a CMS that’s 100% free to download and use. As such, there’s technically nothing to lose by giving it a crack and if and when your site becomes successful, you have no commission to pay out and all credit goes to you and your brand. Sure, there are some paid plugins and templates on offer, but chances are you won’t need many to make your site an absolute hit.