Building Your Own

Web Site

How To Sell Your Own Stock Photos
By Building Your Own Web Site

By Andrew Hudson

1. Easy and Simple:
   Submit your photos to a stock agency, such as a microstock site;

2. Simple and Stylish:
   Sign up for a photo storefront (which is similar to a photo sharing site but designed for income);

3. Difficult but Unique:
   Build your own Web site.

Of course, I selected option #3 -- Difficult but Unique. Perhaps because that's how I defend myself to my wife. Or because I'm lazy and just haven't yet branched out from using basic HTML code. (See my San Diego photos here). Either way, if you too want to build your own Web page to offer your pictures for sale, this is how to do it.

Warning

Building your own e-commerce-enabled Web site is not for the faint-hearted. You need either a good knowledge of Web design (by coding directly in HTML or using a Web-page design program), or an open checkbook to hire a professional coder/designer. I would recommend exploring options 1 and 2 above first. Assuming you've done that and are still set in your ways, let's start cooking.

Ingredients

1. Host. You'll need a computer server, a place where your site resides and is accessed by people on the Internet. You could use your own computer but it must be permanently linked to the Internet with a fixed address. I rent space on a server, it only costs about $25 a month. There are lots of places on the Internet that would love to host your site, for a monthly fee of course. Your current ISP may offer paid or even free hosting.

2. Domain. Look professional and get your own "domain" name address. Mine, as you can see, is "photosecrets.com". Names are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Find a "domain registrar" online then enter variations of your preferred name until you find one that is still available. Domains are leased (not technically bought) at the rate of about $10 per year.

3. Computer. Presumably you've got one of those since you're reading this.

4. Code. This is where it gets tricky. Somehow you have to create the web pages, which are written in "code." I write raw HTML code using a text editor called BBEdit. But that's pretty dull and you might prefer a web-design program such as Adobe Dreamweaver. A clever trick is to find someone else's page online, then, from your browser, go to "View Source". This will show you the raw HTML code used to make the page, so you can learn the tricks of the trade. (Do it to this page and find a secret message!)

5. E-commerce. Somehow you need to add "e-commerce" ability to provide automatic ordering and payment code. Your hosting company may provide built-in e-commerce software. Personally, it's all too complex for me and I haven't implemented anything, preferring instead to resort to email negotiation with potential clients. This is a good reason to consider using a photo storefront site.

Go Live!

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