Building My Own Website

Experimenting with Square space and Format, I realised I liked the clean layout of each website builder but they were too expensive. I decided to experiment with Wix instead as it is cheap. I didn't want to spend much on my first website because I know I will most likely change it or trial other platforms post-degree.

Wix was simple to use but frustrating at times as the dimensions of the website are different in editor mode compared to preview. Each option was labelled and tutorials were available every step of the way. Experimenting with layouts, I used a slideshow on the home page with text overlayed to show potential employers or clients my range of photographic practices. Overall, I felt like my website was too simple and looked a bit amateur. I tried to adjust each page to make my website look more interactive but my feedback mentioned that it looked plain and the slideshow should maybe fill the home page.

Persuaded to experiment with Cargo, I transferred all of my images onto a blank Cargo site, using my product collage as the homepage background. I instantly felt satisfied with the slight changes of the Cargo layout compared to my previous Wix site. The website felt more engaging and interactive. However, Cargo was more complicated to learn and I found I could not attach a blog to my website after talking emailing technical support. In response, I built my blog on Wix as it was easy to navigate for the viewer and connected the link to my Cargo homepage so when the viewer clicks on the 'Blog' title they are taken to the Wix blog. It is not ideal that the viewer is taken off of my Cargo site onto another website but I could not find another option.

Wanting to make my website look more professional and feel more personal, I bought a domain name from 123-reg using my full name. I chose my domain to end with .co.uk to show the viewer that I am based in the UK and thought it looked more professional.