Website Builder Research

I think it will be important for me to have a website for my practice. Obviously I would want it to be professional but I don't think being too formal is the best way to go with this as it could make me sound unapproachable which is exactly what I don't want. It would need to be simple in layout and easy to navigate. 

What would I want on a website?
I think an online portfolio is important. compiling my best work into some sort of collection that people can look through. Maybe as my body of work grows this could be split into categories based on themes. I think links to social media platforms and potentially a blog are a good idea as not everyone will check a website for updates regularly whereas everyone is always checking up on their Instagram. A blog would be good for keeping people up to date with current things that I am doing. I would like to have an established online shop eventually so a link to this would be crucial, maybe it could be part of the website itself instead of being a link to an external site. 

Squarespace

I really like the templates available on Squarespace, particularly these two which are very simple but would give my images space to breathe. Almost all of the domain names through this site are $20. 

Wix

Weebly

I'm not sure how much I would be able to do with the 500MB of storage in the free version. However, if the website is basically a landing page with links to other websites and platforms then maybe this would be enough. I have come to realise that the layout templates are very similar whichever website builder I use so I think the deciding factor will be what features I can get with each one. 

Big Cartel

Big cartel could be a good starting point on the free plan. 5 products would be limiting but there is always the option to upgrade in the future. 

Potential domain names...