Why I design websites using ProPhoto

As a designer, you’ll get asked how and what you’re using to create your materials a lot! So I thought I’d share why I chose to design websites using ProPhoto. ProPhoto is the sole WordPress theme that I use when developing websites.

I’ve been designing with them for about four years now, and have really liked the theme, and have used ProPhoto 5, 6, and now 7. ProPhoto 7 is on another level! It makes designing websites very user friendly, and my clients are able to maintain the website very well.

I believe ProPhoto is the BEST WordPress theme out there. It’s so straight forward and I love having everything in one place.

PS use the code “AHIR9728” for $20 off your purchase of ProPhoto!

The WordPress Platform is best for blogging

When I’m not working with E-commerce clients, most service based clients need a blog. And I think hands down, WordPress is easiest for that. I really love the backend of WordPress, and find it simple to use and teach my clients how to use as well.

The blog tool and Yoast plugin together make your site an unstoppable SEO, lead-generating machine! Adding content to your website (blog posts, pages) is the best way to boost your Search Engine Optimization.

I can create and/or login to the WordPress dashboard for my clients, and start building their site right there with little to no interruptions on their current website.

It’s affordable

ProPhoto is extremely affordable! When you’re starting a business or a side-hustle, I’m assuming money is a big factor when deciding on your website design. This was the first reason why I chose to design websites using ProPhoto. I was just starting out on my photography journey and decided to go the DIY route. I could afford the theme, and found a discount! Then I bought a template and had a website for under $1,000.

You purchase the theme one time, and can build a site from scratch, from one of their free templates, or purchase another designers template as well. By the end of it, as long as you’ve got the time and the know-how, you can really build up a site you love for an affordable price.

ProPhoto is customizable

The biggest reason I love ProPhoto now, is that it’s so customizable, I can get a design exactly how I want it to look. I usually actually make the design in Adobe XD, then end up building it in ProPhoto. And I can get it exactly how I want it.

By using their built-in features like layouts and tiles, I’m able to put a new spin on each page I’d like to.

ProPhoto is mobile-friendly

ProPhoto is automatically very mobile friendly. It transitions to a mobile-version seamlessly with each site. This is awesome, but the real winner is that I can make certain elements show up and not show up for mobile or desktop view. So if something doesn’t transition as easily as something else, I can tell ProPhoto to hide it on certain layouts. 🤯

Here’s a page from Meg Osburn Photo’s website, see how it stacks like you’d like it to.

Then here’s another page from that website, when the image and text stacked, I felt like the text next to the image was too small and I wanted it bigger. So I made this tile show up differently on this page!

Built in plugins

When you’re working with WordPress, you have the ability to use an endless amount of plugins to get your site to look the way you want it to. However, you have to find one that’s easy to use and you like.

I love that ProPhoto has so many of the things built-in! I almost never use extra plugins when I design websites using ProPhoto. Specifically contact forms, galleries, and grid layouts.

However, for the few times I need an extra plugin, it’s very easy to do while still designing with ProPhoto.

Front-End customization

NO coding required! You can see what’s happening to your site in real time! If I had to code every site from scratch, it would include a lot of trial and error. Refreshing of pages and it’s a pain!

You CAN use custom CSS on some of the layouts when you need or want to. But I love that I can see what’s going on and how it effects my website immediately.

Page Layouts

One of the first things you’ll use with ProPhoto is their layout customizer. You can duplicate a page for another layout, and set up a “default layout” for your site so that if you want your WordPress pages to show up, it will pull from the backend. It’s genius.

Here’s a side by side of a layout I was able to duplicate for Jackie Cederholm’s website, you can see they’re totally different now, but with duplicating, and then customizing it, it saved me a lot of time and kept the work looking consistent.