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In 2000, German-born photographer Wolfgang Tillmans raised the eyebrows of critics worldwide after being awarded the UK’s prestigious Turner Prize. The first photographer to ever earn the honor, Tillmans is celebrated today as one of the most important figures in contemporary photography because of his uncanny ability to capture the essence of his subjects (be they human or landscape) through experimental film development techniques.
And, while Tillmans didn’t become famous because of his website, without it, fans, students, protégés, and prospective buyers could not easily access his groundbreaking work. The bottom line: If you’re an artist in today’s digital-centric environment, you’re going to need to create a website to broadcast your portfolio — and it all starts with choosing an effective hosting provider and site builder. Here’s a snapshot into 15 of the industry’s best.
Best Overall Website Builders for Artists
Whether your paintings have appeared in international museum exhibits or if you’re showcasing your art at a local fair, patrons and potential customers are going to want to view your work online. I’ve seen it happen all too often: An interested buyer at an art festival doesn’t have cash on hand to make a purchase on the spot — and the artist’s business card only lists a phone number and email address. Without a viable eCommerce solution, odds are pretty good that artist is going to lose the sale.
While web development may seem intimidating to novices, creatives with no coding knowledge can easily get sites up and running with today’s intuitive website builders. The hosts below top our list because they deliver beginner-friendly site builders that allow users to quickly develop professional-grade web properties in a matter of minutes. Each of these host’s site builders provide access to a number of designer-made templates and a drag-and-drop environment users can leverage to fully customize their websites. And bonus! The tools are included in the providers’ hosting plans at no additional cost. Read through the full reviews linked in the tables below to see which of these top three site builders suits your online mission.
1.
Wix.com
- No coding skills needed with drag-and-drop website builder
- 100s of templates with industry-specific designs
- Add features via the App Market
- Build an eCommerce store easily
- Build small sites on a budget
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
2.
iPage.com
- Choice of Weebly or WebsiteBuilder by iPage
- Mobile-optimized options and easy-to-use setup wizards
- 100s of professionally designed, customizable themes
- FREE online store, shopping cart, and blogging platform
- Get +75% off your first month
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/site-builder |
3.
HostGator.com
- Drag-and-drop design with the Gator™ website builder
- Hundreds of mobile-friendly, industry-specific templates
- FREE hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate
- Easily add a blog, ecommerce, and social media marketing
- Analytics portal helps you gauge your site’s performance
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.hostgator.com/site-builder |
Best Budget-Friendly Website Builders for Artists
The image of the starving artist is a well-known trope in Western culture. And for good reason — it’s hard to make a business out of creativity alone. As a result, many would-be professional artists hang up their brushes and sculpting tools and settle for day jobs. But it’s been shown that commercial success in the art world is possible through determination and a solid business plan.
And a big part of that plan must include a financially sound strategy to build an online presence. A number of hosts in the industry offer site builders as part of their low-cost packages. However, not all of these wallet-friendly providers are created equally. Our advice: Don’t just look for a bargain. To effectively develop your brand’s web presence, you’re going to need access to the industry’s latest site-building tech, cutting-edge templates designed by pros, and a robust hosting service. Luckily, the providers below deliver in all three areas. Even better news: Monthly premiums only run a few dollars per month. Check out the full reviews below to see all the extras these hosts include in their feature-rich plans.
4.
InterServer.net
- $0.01 for the first month, then $5 monthly after
- NO annual contracts and NO sudden price increases
- Unlimited storage space, data transfers, and email
- New domain is $11 with 1-month plan ($1.99 otherwise)
- 99.9% uptime and price-lock guarantee
- Get started on InterServer now.
InterServer: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | New or Transfer | www.interserver.net/shared |
5.
Bluehost.com
- Known for performance at a low price
- Endorsed by WordPress.org team
- FREE Weebly site builder
- FREE Cloudflare CDN
- Get 63% off today (was $7.99/month)
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 50 GB - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/shared |
6.
Hostinger.com
- Unlimited everything: from bandwidth to databases
- FREE site builder & WordPress performance upgrades
- FREE daily or weekly backups
- 90+ auto-installation scripts and custom control panel
- SSH access & SSL certificates
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Hostinger: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 30 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | www.hostinger.com/shared |
See more cheap website builders»
Best Free Website Builders for Artists
It’s not difficult to see why Wix and Weebly are two of the most popular website builders on the market. Millions of site owners and web entrepreneurs use these drag-and-drop site builders because they allow for the quick creation of professional-grade web properties without the need to code. The best part? Both Wix and Weebly offer free access to their site builders and their basic hosting plans.
These zero-dollar site-building hosting packages both come with ample storage space and security for artists who want to house their portfolios online. However, the free plans require users to display Wix or Weebly ads on their sites and employ a Wix.com or Weebly.com subdomain (think www.yoursitename.wix.com or www.yoursitename.weebly.com). To remove the ads and attach a brand-specific domain, you’ll have to sign up for a premium plan with one of the two hosts. Premium plan prices start at just above the rates charged by some of the other budget-friendly hosts covered in the previous section. To see if Wix or Weebly’s right for you, take a look at the full reviews in the tables below.
7.
Weebly.com
- All-in-one hosting and industry-leading drag-and-drop website builder
- Start designing for FREE, upgrade to an affordable plan whenever
- Easily build a blog, personal site, online store, or business portfolio
- 100s of FREE templates for websites and online marketplaces
- $100 credit toward Google advertising
- Get started on Weebly now.
Weebly: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 500 MB - Unlimited | FREE (w/ paid plans) | www.weebly.com/site-builder |
8.
Wix.com
- Start designing for FREE
- FREE domain with most plans
- Drag-and-drop templates, specific to industry or design need
- Help Center with exhaustive knowledge base of articles
- Huge App Market available
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
See more free website builders »
Best WordPress Website Builders for Artists
Since its creation in 2003, WordPress has grown into a giant in the CMS space. The open-source software now holds a 60% market share among content management systems, and currently powers 30% of websites. In case you weren’t counting, that’s a lot of websites!
If you’re a creative with little to no coding experience or familiarity with a CMS, WordPress can be a bit daunting at first. But don’t worry. Some hosting providers offer WordPress-compatible site builders as part of their hosting packages. For example, InMotion Hosting created its proprietary tool BoldGrid to deliver a drag-and-drop visual development environment where novices can easily construct stunning, professional sites in WordPress.
In addition to providing access to site builders, the hosts below have tailored their plans specifically to power WordPress sites. These packages all include one-click installs of the software, and automatic updates and security patches to ensure sites are running at optimal performance levels. Check out the full reviews linked in the tables to see all the perks these hosts provide.
9.
BoldGrid.com
- FREE drag-and-drop WordPress website builder software
- WordPress pre-installed by the InMotion Hosting team
- Pre-built and customizable content with GridBlocks
- FREE WordPress themes with mobile/tablet editing views
- PayPal integration and shopping carts available
- Get started on BoldGrid now.
BoldGrid: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | WordPress Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 40 GB SSD - 120 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | www.inmotionhosting.com/boldgrid |
10.
Bluehost.com
- Weebly website builder or 1-click WordPress install
- Service endorsed by the WordPress Core team
- goMobi mobile website builder available
- $200 in ad credits to kickstart your marketing efforts
- Our visitors get 63% off WordPress hosting
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | WordPress Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 50 GB SSD - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/wordpress-web-builder |
11.
A2Hosting.com
- Get started with WordPress with a single click
- A2-optimized caching and WordPress plugins
- Ultimate power and performance with A2 Turbo Servers
- FREE Cloudflare content delivery network
- Advanced security features, including a FREE HackScan
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
A2 Hosting: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | WordPress Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | www.a2hosting.com/wordpress-web-builder |
12.
SiteGround.com
- One of few hosts endorsed by WordPress.org
- Application-specific hosting (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal)
- FREE CDN and muliple caching levels for performance
- Your site is almost always online with 99.9% uptime
- 24/7/365 support as you’re building your WordPress site
- Get started on SiteGround now.
SiteGround: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | WordPress Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB - 30 GB | New or Transfer | www.siteground.com/wordpress-web-builder |
See more WordPress website builders»
Best eCommerce Website Builders for Artists
In 2017, more than 1.5 billion people participated in eCommerce transactions. And this online shopping trend is set to continue on an upward trajectory, with the eCommerce space forecast to scale to a net worth of a whopping $4.8 trillion by 2021. Consumers are buying everything online today — including art.
So, if you’re looking to sell your creative work on the web, now’s the time to strike. And the hosting providers below offer easy-to-use eCommerce site builders to make your entrepreneurial dream a reality. These no-code development tools allow artists to create product pages to showcase their portfolios, leverage PCI-compliant shopping cart plugins, and take advantage of effective marketing tools to help broadcast their work. The full reviews linked in the tables below tell the whole story. Give them a read to uncover the specific feature sets of each host, and find the tools to help you achieve your goals online.
13.
SiteGround.com
- 1-click installs for eCommerce tools like WooCommerce
- FREE eCommerce plugin for WordPress
- Daily backups, a CDN, and FREE Weebly site builder
- Test changes to your online store within the staging area
- 24/7 support delivered by eCommerce gurus
- Get started on SiteGround now.
SiteGround: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB - 30 GB | New or Transfer | www.siteground.com/ecommerce |
14.
Wix.com
- Build online stores quickly and easily
- Choose from 100s of industry-specific themes
- Drag-and-drop builder lets you customize without coding
- Add features via the App Market
- Quickly get your store noticed by popular search engines
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/ecommerce |
15.
A2Hosting.com
- 20 times faster performance that boosts conversions
- 80+ software options: Magento, OpenCart, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and others
- FREE SSL certificate and SSD storage
- Worry-free migration and 24/7 support
- DDoS protection and multi-pronged security measures
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
A2 Hosting: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | www.a2hosting.com/ecommerce |
See more eCommerce website builders»
Choose the Right Tools to Showcase Your Portfolio Online
While not every artist will achieve the same level of international acclaim as Wolfgang Tillman, all artists can employ the website builders covered here to boost their notoriety (and income) online.
Whether you’re a professional photographer snapping wedding shots or a painter looking to get in front of a wider audience, a website has become a prerequisite for success. Be sure to check out our complete list of top-rated site builders.
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