QUICK TIPS

1. 🏠️ Your top-level galleries should go on your homepage

This is especially important for photographers combining multiple specialties.

P.S. Have you considered breaking your work into separate websites? Read this as a guide: Having separate photography websites or merging them?

You can’t really expect people to want to view 2 completely disjunct collections, so you make that choice clear right from the start.

Here’s an example of this in action: Shirley lists out here 4 main collections on the homepage, letting people choose what they’re interested in.

If your homepage acts as a portfolio piece (showing a “best-of” gallery or a single photo or a slideshow), then having your collections in the navigation menu is fine too.

If you run both a blog and a large image archive, consider adding a blog-specific search box alongside (but separate from) your image search:

• Differentiate them visually – An image search box should be more prominent (e.g., in the site header), while blog search can be tucked into the sidebar. I’ve seen websites where visitors confuse them (confirmed via heatmap tools).

• Prioritize what matters – If you sell prints or stock images, focus on image search. If your blog drives traffic, make its search function easy to find.

• Analyze search behavior – Use Google Analytics to track searches and identify content gaps.

A well-implemented search function ensures visitors stay on your site longer—because they can actually find what they need!