website or online gallery?

[Nator]

I have no doubt that it can be customised, and that it works for some people, it's just a shame that it has such a dumb name. Trey's smugmug site is a great example, but his actual site is also a great example of a photography site. I would not send a prospective client to my website that had 'smugmug' in the domain.

Maybe thats just me. If it works for you, then that's great. Just try to to be so smug about it.

[Wayne]

You can use Smugmug with your own domain, without the Smugmug sub-domain like Trey's.

Mine is simply; www.xxxxxxxx.com.au and it displays as such.

[ricstew]

Envisage looks like the way to go for me.........
You are right Brett....print is not an issue for me......I just need to get pics ready to upload and print in the office. I dont need to sell anything from the site just generate interest.
Ok guys ya gotta admit smug mug is a dumb name .....a bit like smart ar*e face......why would you call anything that? lol
cheers
Jan

[ricktas]

smugmug is a great name. After all the posters above, even those that don't like it, know the name and remember it. You have been marketed to, and it worked, you remembered the site name.

When you consider there are millions of websites, and you remember/know only a small percentage of those, the fact that one of them is smugmug says a lot.

[ricstew]

point taken Rick.......but its still a dumb name A bit like some of the names children are being lumbered with......you remember the name even tho you shake your head when you hear it! Lady near me named her little fellow Willow.......yes after the tree...

[dowden photography]

But what I don't get with smugmug is why would anyone want to buy a domain name to then use a subdomain to show and sell your photos. Plus a pro account costs a fair bit of money.


I still stand by the way I do it.
My own domain, install Gallery, set up store through paypal (very easy) then you have full control of your printing, weather you do it at home, in a lab or at a camera store, you get 99.9% of all takings and pay no more than your hosting fees.

People who pay for services like smug mug pro have too much money.

[Wayne]

Have you seen how quickly Smugmug loads full size original pics?

Very fast. That is one of the main reasons I use them, local hosts here seem to be using slow hardware and equally slow bandwidth. Personally, I will close a webpage if it hasn't loaded within a few seconds, and sadly many other hosts of photo galleries take way too long to load, increasing user frustration and driving away customers.

[campo]

The example given above used the default domain - something you can remove.

expensive hey? the basic package kicks in around $3-4US per month, the power package comes in at $5US per month and the pro package equate to $15USD/month....very competitive...but just to make it more enticing:

unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, speed (they use server farms spread around the us/world), safety of data, complete CMS, video support, slideshows, shopping cart system, print fulfillment, integrated security plus more. A much better proposition then doing it all yourself, and having no time for finishing your website and/or spending time with the camera because you're trying to configure forums/gallerys/cms/paypal to work together and then trying to get them to look the same...oh did i mention browser compatibility...good luck!

It was once my job to design/build/maintain websites that integrate with automated payments, have maximum accessibility requirements (ie. work in all browsers and look the same), I know how much effort is required and when you do the sums, getting a fully working and ready to go product for $15/month is the cheaper option...

[Keith]

I am using my own domain name and www.onlinepictureproof.com as the picture viewer/ordering etc, and they are great, although I seem to be having trouble with google searches finding me. As my domain is redirected to the picture site I think Google thinks it is some sort of evil site.

Has anyone else had this sort of trouble with their website being linked to gallery sites (like smugmug etc).

[campo]

i use smugmug and there is an ability to control what is/isn't indexed by google...i haven't really played with it too much but i just googled a few things (eg. 'bycampo' & 'campo') and i landed on the first page of results...

[Keith]

i use smugmug and there is an ability to control what is/isn't indexed by google...i haven't really played with it too much but i just googled a few things (eg. 'bycampo' & 'campo') and i landed on the first page of results...

That sounds like a good feature .. looking into it more now .. thanks

[ricstew]

I just wanted to give an update!
Thanks to a kind forum member I am off and hopefully running!
The whole setup is about $100 for 2 years.........
http://www.janstewartrealestatephoto....au/~janstewa/

opinions may be welcome

cheers
Jan

[MKemp]

Think SmugMug can't be customised well?

Think again. Seriously.

WOW (need I say more)

[wattsgallery]

I just wanted to give an update!
Thanks to a kind forum member I am off and hopefully running!
The whole setup is about $100 for 2 years.........
http://www.janstewartrealestatephoto....au/~janstewa/

Looks great Jan. Just a quick idea - on the 'Packages' page the photo has something in the top left side that maybe should be cloned out as its a little distracting. Now that is a really picky thing I know but I am no expert on the website thing (see mine for some payback pickiness) so just trying to help where I can.

Good luck with the business.

Cheers
Josh

[ricstew]

Ha I never even noticed that! I will try to find time to deal with it.thank you for noticing.
Now I cant give any payback cause your site looks great! Awsome photos of Africa!
cheers
Jan

[Sheila Smart]

I use PBase.com as a website with a pointer from an Aussie Cheap domain name - so in effect my PBase URL is http://www.pbase.com/sheila but my URL is http://www.sheilasmartphotography.com.au

Whatever site you choose, either SmugMug, PBase or the plethora of other sites, I strongly recommend that you use keywords, titles and descriptions. This is where you will get work via Google searches. I have a StatCounter on my site which tells where who looked, at what, when, how long, and even the particular image on which they clapped their eyes! I belong to several stock libraries (Alamy, Getty, OzImages etc etc) but I still get more sales and hits via my website.

Sheila