Zenfolio Review (Let’s Set One Up Together)

Are you considering Zenfolio to build your photography website?

I get it:

It’s a great overall builder with a ton of features to help you get started.

Best of all:

It doesn’t matter your skill level because they keep it simple for anyone to build a photography site that really stands out.

Get reading this Zenfolio review to see how it can work for you.

A Little Bit About Zenfolio 

Zenfolio is perfect for photographers with and without knowledge of coding.

Novice and professional web designers see the value in the photography service because existing templates are easy to customize even without any knowledge of HTML.

There is also a custom template option for more advanced web design.

Signing up for the website takes minutes to complete and after selecting a template and uploading photos, members are able to launch their sites and start selling their photographs.

More detailed information is available to members through the account dashboard which serves as a valuable tool for updating information, viewing data, and adding additional photographs for sale.

The interface is clean, simple to understand, and offers members one-click options which save them time.

Zenfolio’s most prominent features are explained in detail through the Customer Support Center where additional information is contained.

In addition to being able to access text and tutorials, members are able to watch videos and attend training sessions through this area of the website.

This allows them to make the most of website features and maximize their sales through Zenfolio.

The response time is quick as you click on the chosen icon on the dashboard that you want to view.

Uploading photos and price lists take minutes to do and gives you the option to optimize descriptions using keywords.

This makes the work that you post searchable on the search engines and across the website.

Clients looking for a particular style of photographer can do so easily making Zenfolio great for photographers and people wanting to buy beautiful photographs.

Try Zenfolio Free

Zenfolio onboarding process (Let’s see if it’s easy)

Let’s check this bad boy out really quick and sign up and just see if it’s a nice and helpful process to get you started hassle-free.

I went ahead and went to the main page 

From here there is a button to “try it free” and the nice thing too is no credit card is needed.

A screen popped up like this

In general, it’s obvious we can connect an account we have or fill out some new info.

I manually did it myself.

From here were getting 3 onboarding screens

In the first one were filling out How would you like your name to appear on your gallery and website? 

And the second one is creating a password for logging in.

The next page is going to ask you what types of pictures you shoot the most.

I selected sports

The next question is asking what my goals are for my website.

Fair question

I’m selecting “Attract clients with a stunning website” and “Book clients and collect payments online”

Let’s see if this is added to the onboarding dashboard in a bit.

OK, now it’s having me pick my website template with 9 options to choose.

I chose the “Discover” one.

It then showed me a preview of my site which looked really nice especially since I’m not even in the dashboard yet.

After that, it’s going to ask you to either create a gallery or customize and publish.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to do here.

I feel eventually both but I had to go down one path for now.

From here I hit the create a gallery and this brought me to a page to upload some of my work or use sample photos Zenfolio provides.

Let’s go ahead and just use their photos.

After this they let you create the feel for your photo portfolio.

This is a nice little touch.

Ok, so now I’m at the main dashboard and I saw right away 9 steps to take to complete and get the most out of your free trial.

I like they worded it that way.

Knowing if you do this stuff you will get the most out of your free trial.

So within these 9 steps, it includes

• Add custom domain
• Connect Instagram
• Upload a logo
• Add a gallery
• Share a gallery
• Publish website
• Start selling
• Add a watermark

Under add custom domain I had the option to use the Zenfolio subdomain or I can connect my existing Godaddy account.

This is a nice little step.

If you go to Godaddy just purchase a domain there and then you can come back here and they will connect it since they have partnered to make it seamless.

I like this.

You can also connect a custom one too.

I’ve got to say overall I liked this step.

I feel Zenfolio made it easy too and always feel it’s a large learning curve when I talk to readers or clients on building a website.

The next step they are asking is to connect Instagram and just a FYI that’s right under the domain area.

You can connect social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube too.

The next part of the onboarding process for me is uploading a logo

One nice thing I like is adding the favicon is right here too.

The next is adding a gallery and some key info about it such as shoot data, description, and some keywords about your gallery.

I can see I can share the gallery next but I just skipped this one and went to publish website.

Once you click on that it shold look like the template you chose at the very beginning.

One thing I’m liking right away is the fact they have a website builder walk through to set you’re site up.

This is a nice touch and offers additional help as I’m getting this set up.

It was a bit differnt though it mainly just highlighted the key things to do instead of links and boxes to check off.

As I was editing it I noticed all the pages where just to the left and I could change my theme if I wanted at the very top.

I went ahead and hit publish.

The next area I wanted to check out was “start selling”

I like this because it’s easily prioritized and 3 steps to get started.

I felt comfortable sitting here and walking through it setting it up.

If you look at the menu tab at the top too you will see some additional features that might be handy for you.

Overall I thought the onboarding process with Zenfolio was nice.

Obviously I have some finishing touches to do on my site or well you might on yours but all together a ton of help and it wasn’t overwhelming.

Zenfolio Pricing (And A Competitor Comparison)

As you can see there are different pricing plans which are ProSuite for $33 monthly, PortfolioPlus for $19 monthly, and Portfolio for $7 monthly.

I know too in this picture there is a discount count.

But I’m just going with basic prices.

Here is a more broken-down chart showing some of the key features too you get with each plan.

On top of that, I like they offer a comparison chart of other platforms they compete with.

That’s some good confidence Zenfolio.

Overall I feel Zenfolio has a fair pricing system in general with the features it offers.

Zenfolio Pros Your Gonna Like

Photographers need a large amount of bandwidth to display their best photos at the most appropriate size.

An unlimited amount

Users don’t have to sacrifice quality to meet the website’s guidelines.

In fact, they have better opportunities to sell because they’re able to include the best examples of their work not just what they could reduce in size to sell on a website.

Templates were designed to show off the skills and creativity of photographers by emphasizing visuals (photographs and HD videos).

Photographer Central helps clients discover photographers. The feature is yet another reason why Zenfolio isn’t just a photo-hosting website.

It’s an impressive multi-media option for photographers of all skill levels to showcase their work, build their business, and earn a living.

Through photos and HD videos, you grab people’s attention and get them interested in your body of work whether it be portraits, landscapes, or nature photography that you specialize in.

Always been a fan of this

Another impressive option offered by Zenfolio is its free trial.

Consisting of 14 days, you’re able to test site features without giving up your credit card information.

After the trial is up, you’ll be given the option to purchase a paid subscription.

The choice of membership plan you go with depends on how much you think you’ll use the website.

Even more importantly, if you pay annually, you save a considerable amount of money on whichever membership plan you’ve chosen for yourself.

Zenfolio Cons

• Has limited storage space
• Printing features will only let you ship to the United States
• Limited templates

Try Zenfolio Free

Zenfolio Templates

There are twelve different templates to choose from and customize.

Each is high quality and easy to make your own.

There is a homepage option and gallery option for each template depending on your preferences in how your photos look and are arranged on the page.

The names of the templates listed on the website include:

•Ares
•Hemera
•Aura
•Persephone
•Hestia
•Veritas
•Concordia
•Invidia
•Nox
•Vesta
•Pomona
•Nesoi

After selecting the template that is right for you as a photographer, you’re asked to upload one to five photographs to get started.

Once that process is complete, you’re then able to add a webpage title, geographic location, and description of your website.

This helps others find your photography.

Here Are A Few Websites Using Zenfolio:

Zenfolio Fees

Zenfolio fees used to be significantly higher than they are today. In the past, they ranged in price per plan and currency.

As of November 2017, a flat 7% service fee for all product types, plans, and currencies is charged by the company.

This allows members to account for Zenfolio’s fees when calculating their own prices for photographs.

Vendor Fulfilled, Digital Downloads, and Self-Fulfilled products qualify for the flat service fee.

The service fee is based on the total selling price of the product, not the markup added by the photographer.

The new fee, of course, is minus photographer-issued discounts.

Zenfolio Customer Service

As with most websites these days, Zenfolio offers a Customer Support Center filled with information that helps users with their most pressing questions and concerns.

The topics addressed in the center include Training Videos, Online Training, User Forums, the Zenfolio Blog, Feature Ideas, and Contact Us.

Some of the more pressing topics for members to choose from include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Getting Started, Managing Your Account, Organizing Photos and Videos, Customizing Your Website, Protecting Your Work, and Selling Your Work.

Zenfolio customer service agents are available to assist via email or chat.

Follow-up times are typically four hours from the time the message was sent via email.

It is recommended to contact photographers directly through their home or contact page with questions not addressed in the Customer Support Center.

When it comes to live customer support, Zenfolio is going to try and answer your question via their bot chat.

But, you will see an option to transfer to an agent for more help.

The one downfall I saw when reaching out is they were offline and I had to leave my name and email address.

How To Get Started Selling With Zenfolio (A few things to know)

Selling with Zenfolio is easier than you might have imagined. Everything is done through your account dashboard.

From there, you’re able to do the following things:

•View Reports
•Request Payouts
•Create New Template Designs
•Manage Existing Template Designs
•Add and Manage New Coupons and Campaigns
•Add and Manage New Gift Certificates

Zenfolio allows you to print and sell photographs, accept credit card payments, give clients access to their photos using a unique key, and create packages.

Best of all, you’re able to set your own prices and pay a low transaction fee of 7% which is less than it was in the past.

To get started selling on the site, there are some steps you’ll need to follow. This is how you add Vendor products:

1. First, fill out the Payout Profile information. This lets Zenfolio know how you’d like to receive the money that you make from your photography sales.
2. Next, create a price list.
3. Include the products you want to sell to the price list.
4. Determine the prices for the products.
5. Assign the price list to the galleries of your choice.

The same process goes for Self Fulfilled and Digital Downloads, but you’ll need to create the products before the price list, not vice versa.

Starter members must use base lab prices to sell their work. Pro and Advanced subscribers have more freedom by being able to set their own prices and sell more products. To access the Selling option, choose Selling.

The Selling Overview is a dashboard glance at all the selling features offered through the Zenfolio website.

It allows members to manage orders, keep track of payments, and create promotions.

Compare Zenfolio To Other Photography Website Builders Before Using

If you really want to compare and break down the other photography builders to Zenfolio, here are two spots to do that.

Top Photography Website Builders

Photography Website Builders Comparison Chart

Zenfolio Review Conclusion

As you can see Zenfolio offers a ton of features that can grow and show off your photography business.

And, all the tools to be able to showcase your work and sell online easily.

Consider:

Heading on over and test-drive it to see how it can help you out.

Quick question for you?

Have you had the chance to use Zenfolio yet? Or have been considering using it?

Also, what’s your thoughts on this Zenfolio review, anything else you would like to see?