Web Hosting For Artists: Reviewing The Best Options To Get Your Portfolio Online

Web Hosting For Artists: Reviewing The All-time Options To Get Your Portfolio Online

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Every artist needs a way to get their work online. Information technology's a basic requirement for landing jobs in our high-tech world.

The trouble is figuring out the best way to do so without getting stressed.

Some artists experience more comfortable with techie stuff, others loathe the idea of working with a server. Nowadays it doesn't really thing how much you understand about engineering science—everyone can become a portfolio hosted & online.

I wrote this guide to help artists figure out the best hosting for their needs.

I'll cover a diversity of total spider web hosting services along with website builders and free alternatives for portfolio hosting.

No matter what your upkeep is or how much you empathize virtually hosting, I guarantee you'll find something hither that y'all tin can utilise.

Spider web Hosting vs. Portfolio Builders

Let'due south first by clarifying a couple terms. Most notably the divergence between a direct web hosting service and a portfolio builder/creator service.

When you buy web hosting you're typically purchasing only the server and nothing else.

A web server is how you get a site online. But a server is non your website.

You'd notwithstanding need to setup a website and edit the theme, the settings, stuff like that. With this kind of setup you get a lot more than control over the interface.

On the flip side a portfolio builder is more like web-based software for launching a portfolio. These tools have their own born hosting so when you pay for a portfolio builder you pay for everything all together: hosting, website, themes, everything.

We recently published a detailed guide on how to launch a portfolio on WordPress. And I still think that'southward the best way to launch a new website online.

But I besides know that some artists really adopt other systems where the hosting is rolled into ane parcel.

I typically break upwards hosting into 3 categories:

Spider web hosting(paid)
Portfolio builders(paid)
Portfolio builders(free)

You'll observe I do not mention complimentary spider web hosting. That's because free hosting is and then bad that information technology'due south basically nonexistent.

You're meliorate off with a free service like Behance rather than doing gratuitous web hosting.

Now the cool affair about modern web hosting that I like is that you lot become tons of automated tools built into your server. These let you automatically setup WordPress with only 1 click—something that can make full spider web hosting a little easier for non-technical people.

I'll comprehend a lot more detail as we get forward simply just retrieve that a full web host gives yous far more control and more features. A portfolio builder is often easier to work with, but y'all'll wind up with more limitations on server infinite and limited add together-ons like electronic mail addresses.

Best Web Hosting For Artists

I'll keep this section cursory because I really but have two recommendations.

At that place are honestly hundreds of web hosting options out there. It tin get out you dizzy trying to search around and detect the best 1.

I'll make this simple by recommending only 2 hosts targeting very unlike audiences.

My absolute #1 recommendation is BlueHost.

That'due south the best choice for someone who doesn't know much near servers or web hosting. The BlueHost team has a lot of automation in place to help y'all launch, customize, and manage your site.

If you demand a more powerful server and then Cloudways is top-notch.

This is a managed server platform where you get your own VPS that is 100% managed by Cloudways. But yous can upgrade that server with insanely powerful specs and get directly SSH access.

Both are great choices, only intended for different audiences.

Permit's accept a quick await and see what they offer.

Height Pick: BlueHost

When it comes to piece of cake hosting with smashing support I always recommend BlueHost.

They're a huge name in hosting for good reason: they merely work. Plus BlueHost comes with its own proprietary i-click install that automatically installs WordPress onto any server you get.

Pricing is super affordable and yous become 5 complimentary email addresses with their cheapest plan. That ways y'all tin launch web hosting, email hosting, and a WordPress site within 5 minutes all through their platform.

Besides if you sign up for a new programme you get a complimentary domain name for one twelvemonth. And so yous can go on all your billing through BlueHost and reduce the confusing domain setup procedure to basically zilch.

At present the ane caveat with BlueHost is the limitation of their basic program.

Information technology's non going to be the accented fastest option if yous have a site doing 500k or 1MM pageviews per month.

The good news is that almost nobody has a site doing that much volume. Especially non artist portfolio sites.

That'due south why I really suggest BlueHost as a solid starting point for artists. Y'all tin can launch your portfolio on one platform and get everything you need all in one place.

Non to mention their support team is fantastic and so you'll frequently become quick answers to any problems that come.

If you want to requite them a try you'll have a 30-day window to abolish and go a full refund.

And of course I recommend post-obit our setup guide covering all the little details on how to launch a new portfolio site from scratch using BlueHost.

That's one of our nigh detailed guides and it teaches you all the basics to go up & running with your new website.

Check Out BlueHost

Cloudways

My other suggestion for a great web host is Cloudways.

At present I should clarify something correct away: Cloudways is not technically a spider web host.

They offer managed hosting where you purchase a server through some other visitor(just handled through Cloudways) and let them manage it for you lot.

I know that might exist a tad complicated so allow me explain.

Cloudways handles all the invoicing so you lot only pay them once a month. Nobody else.

When you sign up yous can pick from a number of web hosts, my personal favorite being Digital Ocean. But it really doesn't matter who you lot pick considering most VPS' are great.

Then you pay Cloudways for the monthly hosting fee & the management fee. Yous never pay Digital Ocean or whatsoever other VPS provider, it all works through the Cloudways system since they handle everything for you.

So why would you become with Cloudways?

Because it offers complete access to your server while too treatment security and upkeep for you.

No maintenance required on your cease, they take care of everything from software updates to bug fixes and fifty-fifty total website backups.

Typically with a VPS y'all'd need to do all of that piece of work yourself. And that's exactly why I suggest Cloudways over a obviously VPS.

If you go with their managed service you lot'll typically see faster speeds and powerful server tools like Varnish.

The biggest downside with Cloudways is that y'all practise need to put in some work to get WordPress running properly. For example, you'll need to purchase your domain elsewhere and bespeak your A records towards your server. With BlueHost yous get your domain as part of their hosting packet.

The Cloudways team has a guide on how to buy & configure a domain merely it's ever gonna be tougher than BlueHost.

Also Cloudways does non support email then yous'd need to sign up for a dissimilar email service like MX Road.

I'yard guessing you lot can come across how Cloudways can get complicated pretty fast.

I by and large recommend this for artists with some tech background or anyone who wants more control over their server. It'll never exist equally easy to use every bit BlueHost merely in my experience this is the best managed VPS service out at that place.

Check Out Cloudways

Best Website Builders For Artists

Professional person artists want a sleek professional-looking website with tons of room for customization & Hard disk drive image hosting.

That's not something you can go e'er get free, but it is something you can become for cheap(ish).

I'thou a huge fan of WordPress and that'due south why I always prefer full web hosting hands downwardly.

Merely website builders are fantastic if y'all want to motion away from the WordPress ecosystem.

And just like the dozens of choices for web hosting out there, you'll discover dozens of choices for portfolio builders likewise.

I'm going to focus on iii tools specifically designed for artists & creatives. These are the best website builders y'all can apply to get online and craft a vivid website with hosting & content direction all in one identify.

Wix

Every artist should know virtually Wix. It's a powerful website builder meant for nigh whatsoever blazon of website from a corporate page to an ecommerce site.

But there's one adept reason that artists may prefer Wix over any other pick.

They currently own DeviantArt which means they accept the technology to connect DeviantArt portfolios into Wix websites.

This makes it so darn easy to import your best work onto a new website with simply a few clicks.

Not to mention the Wix environs is a little easier to learn than WordPress. There's a lot of elevate & drop features along with elevation-notch support. Ultimately you go what yous pay for and Wix straddles the line between incredible quality and depression pricing.

Have a wait at their plans to see what I mean.

The prices range from $v/mo for just a domain upwards to $25/mo for their VIP program.

And like I said before, Wix can handle anything you need. It comes with simple widgets you tin drag & drop onto your pages to build any of these cool features:

Visual portfolio galleries
Slideshows
Custom icons
Total contact forms
Editable templates
Blogging(through Wix)

You lot can sign up for free and toy around only to run across what y'all think of the interface.

If you've never used Wix before it'll exist disruptive at beginning. Thankfully they have some very detailed back up guides with lots of tips for designers, photographers, and artists who want to use Wix solely for launching a portfolio.

To dive in and check information technology out merely visit the homepage and sign upwards for free. Nada to lose but a chip of time.

Check Out Wix

Squarespace

Squarespace is another valid pick with a pretty solid hosting platform.

This platform feels very much like Wix.

Y'all'll have an account through Squarespace that handles your website, your hosting, and all the design features. A great choice if you want your site's content & design styles all in 1 identify.

The Squarespace website even has a portfolio bout page detailing all the features you get when launching a portfolio on their platform.

Features include custom photograph galleries, custom forms, and plenty of templates to pick from.

I've never used much of Squarespace before except on a couple projects. But I will say the interface becomes like second nature the more than you use it.

If you'd similar to read through some reviews have a look at their testimonials page with suggestions from other customers.

Simply here's the thing you might not like: limited pricing.

Yous can only select between ii plans and they come at $12/mo and $18/mo respectively.

In that location's more than info on the pricing folio about what you become with each plan. Suffice it to say you become a lot more diversity if you go through Wix.

That doesn't mean Squarespace isn't a expert choice. It's only something I'd recommend mostly to artists who already know the platform, or those who simply don't like Wix and desire an alternative.

You can besides join Squarespace for free and test it out with a 14-day free trial if you'd like to try before you lot buy.

Check Out Squarespace

Adobe Portfolio

I'd bet money that every creative person knows Adobe.

Photoshop is practically an manufacture staple for digital painting and their newest Breathing CC software is quickly gaining attention from animators.

But did you know Adobe has their ain web hosting for portfolios too?

It's called Adobe Portfolio and it works but besides as other big-proper name website builders.

With Adobe Portfolio yous can speedily become your work online fast.

Information technology runs through a trusted visitor so you know your site is secure. Non to mention if y'all already subscribe to Adobe's Creative Cloud then it's not that much extra to sign upward to their portfolio service.

Past default you lot become to pick between a handful of themes and restyle your homepage all the same you like.

You can shop unlimited images in your portfolio and even organize them into galleries.

The Artistic Cloud squad put together a great video showing how to sign up, customize, and launch your site on the Adobe Portfolio system.

All-time reason to become this route is because of Adobe's massive library and trusted brand.

If you look at their pricing you'll find two options.

$9.99/mo with Photoshop + Lightroom included
$49.99/mo with all CC software included

If you're already paying for the Creative Deject software this is a no-brainer. You can setup your own portfolio with the aforementioned monthly subscription rate, maybe with a slight increase, simply you get everything included.

Adobe's hosting is solid and you'll never worry nearly reanimation. Not to mention it'due south all managed by the Adobe squad so you don't need whatever technical knowledge to get started.

Definitely a swell portfolio builder if yous're already working with Creative Cloud, or if yous're thinking of signing up and demand that little extra push to get you there.

Check Out Adobe Portfolio

Complimentary Portfolio Hosting Options

Finally allow's comprehend some of the complimentary alternatives for portfolio builders.

All of these come with web hosting or some type of online portfolio organisation where you'll host your portfolio images through their service.

You just sign up for a free account, enter some details, so upload your images to get your stuff online. All for complimentary.

Now just note: all of these sites have optional paid plans along with the free plans.

You can sign up and stay costless forever with all of them if you lot like. But you will have limitations on the full number of items in your portfolio, total number of pages, and similar features. If yous want those limitations removed you tin always upgrade later on or switch to 1 of the paid services mentioned before.

Simply with that said if you are on a upkeep(read: broke) then these sites are fantastic.

Portfoliobox

I've seen Portfoliobox gaining a lot of attention and broad adoption from artists.

This online service gives y'all a full website along with support for a custom domain proper noun(ie. yourname.com). It's pretty nice considering everything you get.

Take a look at this instance site to see an art portfolio running on Portfoliobox.

They likewise accept quite a few other sites that run as sub-domains on their system(ie. yourname.portfoliobox.net).

With the free plan you're limited on full resources for your site:

30 images
ten pages
10 products

For most artists this will be enough. Particularly if yous have a smaller portfolio and just wanna get something online fast.

That's why I have this correct at the elevation of my "free sites" list because I think it'south phenomenal.

You tin can launch a beautiful and professional-looking website on their platform totally free of charge.

The paid programme costs $7/mo if yous upgrade and that comes with unlimited pages, one thousand images max, plus goodies like actress themes & plugins.

If you desire a free service catered to artists and so Portfoliobox is worth checking out.

Nosotros did a full review of Portfoliobox if you want to see all the features and get a mini-guide to the platform too.

Note: We're also able to offer a v% discount for anyone who signs up to Portfoliobox from Concept Art Empire. This is a special offering to our readers so if you're thinking of using their service to host your site just sign up through the link below & salvage a niggling on monthly costs.

Check Out Portfoliobox

ArtStation

Another site growing in popularity is ArtStation. This has become the de-facto replacement for DeviantArt since information technology'southward quickly becoming the coolest identify to publish your artwork.

The interface is fantastic, their search feature rocks, and the userbase is incredibly supportive.

If you sign up for a gratis account you tin can commencement publishing work right away.

The free account lets you organize your works into folders and categorize everything as you like. Non to mention you get to place extra links on your bio page leading to all your social media accounts.

ArtStation does have a built-in portfolio site feature just this only comes with pro accounts.

This is the one reason I recommend Portfoliobox over ArtStation for launching a portfolio. They both have a like style only I think ArtStation's features are limited when it comes to hosting.

Plus it costs money to apply your own domain with ArtStation.

Still I recommend at to the lowest degree joining ArtStation and using information technology just like yous'd use Behance or DeviantArt.

Share your piece of work and build a following because you never know who'll find you at that place.

Cheque Out ArtStation

Crevado

Crevado offers free portfolio hosting through their platform and it's pretty darn good.

On the costless program you lot get 30 image uploads with an optional choice to organize them into galleries(5 max).

All of the hosting runs through Crevado and information technology works with tracking platforms like Google Analytics. This style y'all can run into who's visiting your portfolio site, who's linking to your site, and how many visitors you're getting per month.

The whole thing is pretty bones and it'southward too incredibly well-designed.

With a Crevado portfolio y'all go information technology free for life and 30 images should be plenty for a uncomplicated portfolio.

Upgraded accounts go for either $4/mo or $7/mo depending on the program. You can run across more on the signup page if you're curious.

But take a look at the examples folio kickoff just to see how portfolio sites expect running on Crevado.

Cheque Out Crevado

Foliodrop

Concluding in my "free" category is Foliodrop.

This is probably the all-time deal you'll find for $0/mo but information technology's likewise ane of the newer platforms in my list.

With a gratis account on Foliodrop you're allowed to upload fourscore images free of charge. That's pretty crawly.

You too go unlimited pages and you lot can link your own domain name to their platform, even on the costless plan(you'd have to buy the domain though).

You can get a domain for similar $10/year on whatever decent registrar like Namesilo. They offering free WHOIS privacy too so you can keep your personal info hidden at no actress charge.

Then yous tin can point your new domain directly to the Foliodrop site you create. Easy!

This way your page looks way more than professional person and you won't be paying a dime for the hosting.

You'll also become to upload your own custom logo, restyle the basic theme, and setup the website to work however you want. Information technology'south a pretty great deal honestly.

The team put together this quick video showing the Foliodrop backend if you wanna get a peek into how this works.

Cheque Out Foliodrop

Getting Your Artwork Online

With all of these options for hosting I want to believe y'all'll observe something for your portfolio site.

I wouldn't say that one specific choice is always amend than others because it depends on so many factors. If you don't take many images to put online and so a costless portfolio architect similar Portfoliobox should work.

Alternatively if y'all want more than control over your design or if yous want a web log on your website then I really recommend a full spider web host like BlueHost.

With them you lot become e-mail, web hosting, a domain name, and a simple-to-use WordPress installer in 1 identify.

When it comes to launching a portfolio it does not go much easier than that.

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Source: https://conceptartempire.com/web-hosting-for-artists/