Professional Website using Templates?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Mike - After looking around at the VerveMatrix templates, I have to say I was pretty impressed.

How much has your site contributed to sales of your photography, specifically prints? Was there a noticable difference?

Ben,

Sorry to take so long to reply. I only log on a few times during the day

As soon as I was prematurely retired from my first career I contacted Verve and had them do my site. It is very easy to maintain and update. And the hosting fees I think are reasonable. I have no direct sales from my web site; I do not think that it has generated anything but interest. I would be surprised if anyone at the same stage of their career (without major shows, books, or more than one gallery showing work) gets any sales from their web sites. But it does show galleries that I am trying to get to represent me and people who know about fine art photography that I am serious and professional. I think people who have visited the site have been interested enough from the images there to visit the gallery that displays my work and see what the real prints look like. Then they purchase them from the gallery and get to take it home.

So like much of photography you do a web site because you do it for your own pleasure - and to get some advertising. I am of the school to keep it visually simple and clean. I want the emphasis on the image. Having a neutral background keeps the whites looking whiter and the blacks, well - very dark. When you click on the image and it becomes larger it appears with a 'mat' and a 'frame'. Again, it keeps it isolated. The way Verve has done the site it keeps the images of a high enough resolution that on enlargement the image is still sharp. I think Frank said something about that issue.

Mike

[paulr]

i don't think anyone needs to worry about their site looking 'so 2001' unless they're specifically in the web design or web development business. the larger issue is if the design works for you work ... esthetically and functionally.

i explored templates when i needed a site, and found them all completely ghastly. but they were clearly built to satisfy mass market demands and esthetic sensibilities that had little to do with my own. this doesn't mean that the magic template for you isn't out there. i just wouldn't hold my breath looking for it.

[Marko]

I understand the limitations of working for clients, but if my images don't look significantly better than the other twelve architectural photographers who work my local market, why would they pay my higher prices?

Part of Frank argument against templates was their generic look. I am very familiar with contractor sites as many of my clients are contractors. The Allied site looks much like most contractor sites. Hence my question.

Yes, that's a valid question regarding the look. Most contractor sites are aimed at the mass market, which, as someone noticed here, has a very limited sense of taste. It is, well, average. And to apeal to the average market, one needs to fit in, ie look average.

That's the visual part.

But web is not just about how a site looks - it's also very much about how it works.

That is the other half of "being so 2001". Or earlier. Sure, you may not care what is under the hood of your site, but you will start caring once it starts breaking in some new browser or the other. Proper and up to date coding has very little to do with looks but everything to do with function.

Sites built up to standards frequently take 50% less bandwidth, sometimes even less, than the same site built using WYSIWYG tools and/or templates. Those same sites will more often than not work in more browsers and display fewer behavioural problems, while being more accessible to people with dissabilities and search engines. You may not care about things like that, but your audience will.

[Keith Laban]

Whilst I admire the clean simplicity of Frank's website and other similar sites my own experience has been the opposite. The fact is I managed to double the hits to my site almost overnight by changing from a very basic navigation system to a system that rewarded punters with a visual bonus on mouse over. The resulting navigation is anything but simple and clean but it does entice folk to click on far more of the links. There are probably issues with various browsers/user preference settings and the code is probably sod awful, but it works, more clicks = more sales.

[Kirk Gittings]

Marko can we see some of your work so we can know what you are talking about?

Nice site Keith.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I have been using a Verve Matrix site similar to the one Michael uses and have been very happy with it. Yes it is "generic" but I think it is attractive and the site designer (Wilson Scanlon) is great to work with. I have sold several prints from the site, so it is what it is. I don't make my full time living from my photography and this site works great for my needs.

[Keith Laban]

Nice site Keith.

Thank you Sir.

[Marko]

Marko can we see some of your work so we can know what you are talking about?

Sure, just a few public sites, chronologically, oldest on the top:

http://studiothreesixty.com/
http://mikiandsonja.com/
http://itcinstitute.com/
http://cellardining.com/

[Kirk Gittings]

Marko, These are all very nice looking, well designed sites, that seem to function well, but......looking at the photo site http://mikiandsonja.com/ for comparison sake with what we are talking about here........ I just don't see much of a difference. How is this 2004 site so different from all the so called "so 2001" sites?

Compare that to Eric's Verve site.

Eric, that looks like great, a Verve site, but I happen to think that Verve sites can and do look very professional. What is that the Premier version?

[Jack Brauer]

If you want a website that looks pro, hire a pro graphic designer. (Anybody seen Jesse Speer's site?)

The key is to hire people who will work with you to develop the design.

I think the best solution if you want a high-end website is to hire a graphic designer to make the photoshop designs, then have a developer build/code it all out, preferably with admin controls.

I think the only way to have a "template" site that looks somewhat professional is if you go minimal on the design.