Las Vegas Photographer Website Design More Clicks. More Inquiries.
More Booked Shoots.
Pixieset is genuinely good at client galleries, proofing, and print sales. It's not built to rank in Google or make your work look like nobody else's. I build the front door that sits in front of it — and actually brings clients in.
Launchpad Build $999 · 6 Months Hosting Free · Growth Partner $300/mo · larger builds quoted
Live in 6 days — once your photos and bio are in hand.
Style, colors, and layout are built from your portfolio — this is one direction, not a template.
Every photographer on Pixieset
has the same builder underneath.
The ones clients book have a brand.
A couple planning a wedding, or a family booking portraits, has five photographer sites open in tabs — when three are running the same Pixieset template with a different logo swapped in, the one that looks distinct and loads instantly is the one they remember. Your galleries are a commodity every photographer has. Your brand, speed, and search ranking aren't.
What Actually Converts
A portfolio that loads instantly on a phone at night, real client work instead of stock-styled demo galleries, a bio that sounds human, and one direct way to check your date and inquire. That's what turns a browsing visitor into a booked shoot.
Already Using Pixieset for Galleries?
It stays. I link or embed your existing Pixieset client galleries, proofing, and print store directly from the new site — clients still get the delivery experience you've already set up. You're not migrating anything, just replacing the public-facing front door.
Same goes for Pic-Time, ShootProof, or any other gallery platform — the marketing site and the delivery platform don't have to be the same product.
I'm Already on The Knot and WeddingWire
Those directories list you next to every competitor bidding for the same couple, and they take a cut or a fee for the privilege. When your own site ranks for the same searches, the inquiry comes to you directly — no shared listing, no referral fee.
My Instagram Gets Me Most of My Bookings
Instagram followers belong to Meta, and an algorithm change can cut your reach overnight. Use it strategically instead — link your bio and captions to your own site rather than a directory listing — so the reach you build converts into traffic you own. A site that ranks in Google captures the clients who are actively searching — not scrolling — and that traffic doesn't disappear with a feed change.
New Inquiries Go Straight to You
Every inquiry fires directly to your email or CRM — HoneyBook, Dubsado, Táve, whatever you run your business on. Nothing sits in a contact form nobody checks between shoots.
Built personally by Shawn Absher — no outsourcing, no templates, every site written by me. More about me →
Two paths build most photographer sites.
Neither was built to be fast.
A drag-and-drop builder like Pixieset, Squarespace, or Wix is one option. A WordPress theme built for photographers — Flothemes, MET Themes, usually paired with Elementor — is the other. Both ship more than a portfolio site needs to load, and Google's ranking algorithm measures exactly that overhead.
| Drag-and-Drop Builder Pixieset, Squarespace, Wix |
WordPress Theme Flothemes, MET Themes, Elementor |
Custom-Built Your Site Your Equity |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| First Paint | Builder JavaScript has to load and render the page client-side before your galleries appear — the same framework runs underneath every photographer on the plan. | Theme, page builder, and gallery plugin all queue up before the first image loads — common on photography-specific WordPress themes. | Loads as finished content immediately — your hero image appears before a builder site finishes downloading its framework. |
| Google Ranking | Limited control over schema, meta, and URL structure — and thousands of photographers on the same builder share nearly identical page structure, weakening differentiation. | Plugin stacks and unoptimized theme images routinely drag down Core Web Vitals — a direct Google ranking input, not a cosmetic score. | Full schema markup, custom meta, and content Google can read instantly — nothing to execute before your content is visible. |
| Ownership | You're renting page structure. Cancel, downgrade, or the platform changes its pricing tiers, and the site — including your custom domain setup — goes with it. | You own the install, but you're maintaining a theme, a page builder, and a plugin stack indefinitely, with security updates required on all three. | You own the code outright. No plugin ecosystem to patch, no forced platform update to break your layout overnight. |
| Ongoing Cost | $12–$24/mo for the Website product alone, on top of whatever gallery plan you're already paying for — for as long as the business runs. | No platform fee, but hosting built to handle PHP execution ($25–$100/mo) plus plugin licenses that need renewing and updating. | $999 once, then $20/mo flat hosting — no plugin fees, no PHP to scale for. |
For the full technical breakdown — Core Web Vitals, indexing behavior, hosting cost — see the complete hand-coded vs. WordPress vs. Wix comparison →
Launchpad Build
$999 /one-time
+ 6 Months Hosting Free
One flat fee. No agency markup, no monthly retainer.
- ✓ 5-page custom website — built around your portfolio
Need more? Additional pages are $200 each. Multi-location or 10+ page sites are quoted the same flat way. - ✓ Mobile responsive design
- ✓ Inquiry form with email delivery
- ✓ On-page SEO setup — title tags, meta descriptions, schema markup, and image optimization
- ✓ DNS setup & domain pointing
- ✓ Launch & go-live support
- ✓ Revisions if needed
- ✓ 6 months of hosting — free
Then just $20/mo if you stay — includes DNS, SSL & necessary changes (contact info, pricing, small SEO corrections — fixes only, not new content or ongoing strategy). No contracts, cancel anytime. - ✓ You own the code — forever
Site care is completely optional — not required to keep your site running. Hosting is free for your first 6 months, then just $20/mo, which covers DNS, SSL, and necessary changes like updated pricing, availability, or small SEO corrections — fixing existing pages, not new content or ongoing strategy. I don't host email myself, but I'll walk you through setting up Google Workspace instead. No contracts, cancel anytime — or I'll hand you the code to take to any server or host you choose.
Growth Partner
$300 /mo
Optional — Add Anytime
For photographers who want more than a site that just stays online — I stay on it, proactively, every month, growing its footprint in search and making sure it keeps turning traffic into booked shoots.
One new article page that ranks for a real search question often brings in a client relationship worth many times the monthly fee — that's the return this is built around.
- ✓ New article pages, added as needed
I'm not here to fill a content calendar — I'm here to make your site rank and bring in bookings. Each page is fully written and custom-coded around one real question your clients are already searching, added when there's a real opportunity to capture more search traffic. - ✓ Portfolio & content updates
New galleries, seasonal offers, and fresh work added on a regular schedule — not just when something breaks. - ✓ Ongoing SEO & metadata tuning
Active, monthly optimization as rankings shift — beyond the basic corrections covered in hosting. - ✓ Minor copy & design tweaks
Wording, layout, and small visual updates as your work and pricing evolve. - ✓ Ranking & technical monitoring
I watch your search position and site health, and flag or fix issues before you notice them. - ✓ Direct line to me
Same person who built your site — not a support queue.
Why Article Pages Compound
Ranks Indefinitely
Built around one evergreen question, not a publish date — it doesn't fade like a blog post.
Zero Upkeep
No content calendar required — once it ranks, it keeps earning traffic on its own.
Built to Get Cited by AI
Same schema and llms.txt structure as the rest of your site — readable by ChatGPT and Perplexity, not just Google.
Compounds Over Time
Every page added stays ranking permanently — the more ground you cover, the more search traffic converts into booked shoots.
Hosting is included — no separate $20/mo charge while you're on Growth Partner. This is me staying actively involved in your site's performance every month, the way a business partner would: your win is my incentive to keep showing up. No contracts, cancel anytime.
Four tools that turn your website into
a booking engine.
Most photography sites are just a gallery grid. These tools make yours interactive — keeping visitors engaged, answering their biggest questions, and driving them to inquire.
Tool 01
Session Investment Estimator
Visitors pick a session type — wedding, engagement, family, portrait, elopement — and answer a couple quick questions about coverage hours and add-ons like albums or a second shooter. They get an instant price range built from your actual packages, no more guessing before they inquire.
- ✓ Built from your real package tiers
- ✓ Covers coverage hours and common add-ons
- ✓ Shows an instant range, not a fixed number
- ✓ Ends with a direct "Check My Date" CTA
Price is the #1 question a photographer never gets to answer before the first inquiry. This answers it upfront — so the lead who reaches out is already sold on the range.
Tool 02
Style & Vibe Match Quiz
5 questions about the visitor's aesthetic preferences — light and airy vs. moody, posed vs. candid, indoor vs. outdoor. The result maps to a specific gallery of your matching work and the package built for that style, with an inquire CTA.
- ✓ Step-by-step with a progress bar
- ✓ Result tailored to their specific aesthetic
- ✓ Links to the matching gallery + package
- ✓ Questions customized to your actual style
Pre-qualifies the lead before they call — so you already know what look they're after.
Tool 03
Live Date Availability Check
Visitors enter a date and instantly see if you're open, already booked, or accepting a short waitlist — pulled from the calendar you already use. Removes the back-and-forth of "are you free that weekend" before a couple even commits to reaching out.
- ✓ Connects to Calendly, Google Calendar, or HoneyBook
- ✓ Instant open / booked / waitlist status
- ✓ Reduces back-and-forth before inquiry
- ✓ Ends with a direct "Lock In My Date" CTA
Wedding and event clients decide fast once they know a date's available — this keeps them moving instead of waiting on a reply.
Tool 04
Shot List & Timeline Builder
Couples and families answer a few questions about their event — ceremony time, key family groupings, must-have shots — and get a suggested photography timeline they can bring straight into planning. It positions you as the expert before the contract is even signed.
- ✓ Builds a suggested shoot timeline instantly
- ✓ Covers golden hour and key moment timing
- ✓ Framed around your actual coverage packages
- ✓ Ends with a direct "Get My Custom Timeline" CTA
Shows expertise before the first conversation — clients feel like the planning is already underway.
You own your camera gear — why rent your website?
Pixieset, Squarespace, and Format all charge
a recurring fee for the same template pool.
Yours should look like yours.
Pixieset's own pricing lists the Website product at $12–$15/mo for Premium or $18–$24/mo for Pro, on top of whatever gallery plan you're already paying — inexpensive, but still the same template pool every photographer on that tier draws from. What actually makes a client inquire is your real work loading fast on their phone, a bio that sounds like a person, and a site built specifically around your portfolio — not a builder theme with your logo dropped in.
Your Bio Is Your #1 Converter
Clients choose a photographer the same way they choose a wedding planner — by the person, not just the portfolio. A real photo of you, your story, and why you shoot the way you do turns browsers into inquiries.
One New Wedding Booking
The average Las Vegas wedding photography package runs $2,500–$6,000+. Your entire annual investment is covered the first time a single inquiry through your site turns into a booked date.
Pixieset Website Add-On
$144–$288
per year, forever, on top of gallery fees
Still templated, still page-capped on the entry tier, gone the moment you downgrade or cancel.
Your Site Your Equity
$999 once
+ 6 months hosting free
You own the site permanently — galleries stay wherever you keep them.
The Real Trade-Off
Speed + Rank
not subscription math
Pixieset's builder is cheap enough that cost isn't the real argument — a faster, fully custom site that actually ranks is.
Not Sure Yet — or Ready to Go?
I'll Build You a Free Preview First.
Not sure a custom site is worth it yet? Send me your name, your niche, and your current Pixieset or builder site link — I'll design a free, no-obligation preview of your new homepage so you can see exactly what you'd be getting before you spend a dollar.
Request My Free PreviewJust Starting Your Photography Business?
You've built the skill, the gear, and the portfolio. A website is the one piece of infrastructure standing between shooting for other people's referrals and building direct, repeatable bookings of your own. This is your opportunity to turn your work into a real pipeline.
Start My BuildFrequently Asked Questions
No. Pixieset is genuinely good at client galleries, proofing, and print sales — I'm not asking you to replace that. I build the marketing site that sits in front of it: the portfolio, the SEO landing pages, the inquiry form. Once a client books, they still get routed to your existing Pixieset gallery for delivery.
Page speed is a direct Google ranking factor, and Pixieset's builder ships more client-side JavaScript than a custom site needs. On top of that, a custom site gets full schema markup, custom meta, and unique URL structure — none of which the builder gives you control over. Two photographers can rank very differently for the same searches purely on technical foundation.
That's the actual problem a lot of photographers don't realize they have. Pixieset's template library is popular enough that photographers in the same market often end up visually interchangeable — same layouts, same fonts, same interactions, different logo. A custom site is built around your specific work and brand, so it can't be recognized as "that Pixieset template" by a couple comparing five vendors in open tabs.
Yes. I build a custom inquiry form tailored to your workflow — date, session type, location, budget range — that emails you directly or feeds into a CRM if you use one. I can also embed a scheduling tool like Calendly or HoneyBook for consultation booking.
A blog post is chronological — it ages, drops off the front page, and its ranking value fades over time. An article page is intent-built: it answers one specific, evergreen search, like "how much does a wedding photographer cost in Las Vegas" or "best time for golden hour photos at Red Rock Canyon," and is structured to rank for that exact query indefinitely. It doesn't matter if it was published yesterday or two years ago — if it answers the search, it keeps earning traffic. New pages like that can be added anytime as a scoped, one-off project — or they're included automatically if you're on Growth Partner, which covers new article pages added as needed.
Start My Build.
No commitment. Just a conversation.
I'm Shawn Absher. When you work with me, you're talking to the person who builds your site, understands where AI search is going, and has a stake in your success. I've built and operated businesses from the ground up for 28 years in Las Vegas — Las Vegas Wedding Chamber Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. No outsourcing, no templates, no handoffs. Every site is written by me.
More About Shawn → See the Wedding Vendor Page →