First published April 27, 2019
How to Upgrade from Portfolio to PhotoBiz 9
Still using a PhotoBiz Portfolio website? It's time to give your online presence a fresh look!
If you've been with PhotoBiz for years, your Portfolio website has likely been an important part of growing your photography business. But as technology has changed, so have the tools available to help you showcase your work and connect with clients.
PhotoBiz 9 gives you modern website designs, mobile-friendly layouts, flexible content blocks, improved SEO tools, and SSL encryption to help keep your website secure.
And with our PhotoBiz AI Website Creator, building your new website is easier than ever!
The best part? Your existing Portfolio website stays online while you work on your new PhotoBiz 9 website. You can take your time, make changes, and launch when you're ready.
Why Upgrade from Portfolio to PhotoBiz 9?
The Portfolio platform served photographers for many years, but it was built for an earlier generation of websites.
PhotoBiz 9 gives your business access to newer technology and tools that weren't available when Portfolio was introduced.
Here's what you can look forward to:
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Mobile-Friendly Designs: Create a responsive website that looks great on phones, tablets, and computers.
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SSL Website Security: Protect your visitors with HTTPS encryption, included with PhotoBiz 9 at no additional cost. The older Portfolio platform does not support SSL.
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PhotoBiz AI Website Creator: Get a head start with AI-generated pages, website text, image placements, SEO descriptions, and more.
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Flexible Website Builder: Create beautiful pages using customizable content blocks instead of relying on older, fixed layouts.
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Modern SEO Tools: Customize your page titles, descriptions, image alt text, and other settings to support your search engine visibility.
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More Ways to Grow: Build your website around tools like Client Galleries, online booking, ECommerce, Forms, and Email Marketing.
Upgrading gives you an opportunity to refresh your website, showcase your latest photography, and create a better experience for your clients.
Don't Have Time to Build? Let Us Help!
Our Expertise.
Prefer to DIY? Here's How to Move from Portfolio to PhotoBiz 9!
If you'd rather build your new website yourself, PhotoBiz AI Website Creator makes getting started simple.
Here's how to create your new PhotoBiz 9 website while keeping your existing Portfolio website online.
1. Review Your Current Portfolio Website
Before you get started, take a few minutes to review the content on your Portfolio website.
Log in to your PhotoBiz account and scroll to the bottom of the control panel's Home screen.
Under LEGACY PRODUCTS, click PORTFOLIO SITE to access your existing Portfolio Website Builder.
This is where you'll find the images, galleries, and text you've been using on your older website.
Take a look through your pages and decide what you'd like to keep, update, or leave behind.
Want to reuse your Portfolio images?
You can move images from your existing Portfolio galleries into your PhotoBiz Image Clipboard:
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Open an image gallery in your Portfolio Builder.
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Select the images you want to reuse.
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Drag the selected images into the CLIPBOARD.
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Repeat for any additional images or gallery pages you'd like to keep.
Your Image Clipboard makes those images available to use in PhotoBiz 9.
PRO TIP: If you still have the original, high-resolution versions of your photographs, consider uploading those instead. Images uploaded to Portfolio years ago may have been optimized for older website sizes and could be smaller or more compressed.
Upgrading is a great opportunity to showcase your latest and best work!
2. Open Your New PhotoBiz 9 Website Builder
Ready to get started?
From your PhotoBiz control panel, click WEBSITE in the left-side menu.
If you haven't created a PhotoBiz 9 website before, you'll be taken to the website setup process, where you can choose a template and start building with the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator.
Already started working on PhotoBiz 9?
If you've previously started a PhotoBiz 9 website, you'll be taken directly to your existing Website Builder.
You can continue working on that design or use Draft Websites to create a fresh version.
Draft Websites let you experiment with a new design, start with a different template, or use the AI Website Creator again.
Keep in mind that resetting an existing Draft Website permanently deletes that draft's pages, content, and customizations. Be sure you no longer need that work before resetting it.
LEARN HOW TO CREATE AND PUBLISH A DRAFT WEBSITE
GOOD TO KNOW: Starting your PhotoBiz 9 website does not replace your existing Portfolio website. Your Portfolio site will stay live at your regular website address until you're ready to make the switch.
3. Choose Your New Website Template
Now comes the fun part!
Browse our collection of professionally designed PhotoBiz website templates and find one that fits your photography business.
Whether you specialize in weddings, portraits, families, seniors, or commercial photography, you'll find beautiful designs to use as a starting point.
When you find a template you like, click SELECT.
From there, you have two options:
Use PhotoBiz AI Website Creator
Click CONTINUE to begin the guided setup. PhotoBiz AI will use your images and business information to help create your new website's pages, layouts, and written content.
Build Your Website Yourself
Prefer to handle the design on your own? Click SKIP SETUP to begin with your selected template's sample content and predesigned layouts.
You can replace the placeholder images and text, add your own pages, and customize everything to fit your style. If you skip the AI setup, you'll also need to add your own SEO information and image alt text.
And don't worry about picking the perfect template right away. You can customize your design and make changes later!
4. Let PhotoBiz AI Website Creator Build Your Starting Point
If you choose the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator, you'll be guided through a few simple setup steps.
First, add your logo.
Upload your business logo in JPG or PNG format. If you don't have one, PhotoBiz can display your business name as a text logo instead.
Next, select your images.
Upload at least 25 images showcasing your photography. You can upload new images or use images you've previously added to your PhotoBiz Image Clipboard.
These images help PhotoBiz AI create layouts that feature your work.
Then, tell us about your business.
Enter information such as:
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Your business name and location
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The photography services you offer
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Your personal style and approach
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The brand voice you want your website to reflect
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Your preferred website language
The more helpful details you provide, the better PhotoBiz AI can tailor your website's initial content to your business.
When you're ready, click CREATE WEBSITE.
PhotoBiz AI will begin generating your new pages, layouts, written content, SEO metadata, and image alt text.
Your initial website typically takes about 12 minutes to create. You don't have to stay on the setup screen. PhotoBiz will email you when your new website is ready.
Once it's finished, you can preview your design and open the Website Builder to start making it your own.
GOOD TO KNOW: PhotoBiz AI creates a fresh website based on your selected template, images, and business information. It does not automatically import your Portfolio website's exact pages, text, or design.
You can still reuse your existing content and customize the new website however you like.
5. Customize Your New Website and Make It Your Own!
Once your PhotoBiz 9 website is created, you have complete control over your design.
You can update the text, swap images, change colors and fonts, add new pages, and arrange your content using the flexible PhotoBiz 9 Website Builder.
Want to bring over some of your existing Portfolio content?
You can copy text from your Portfolio website and paste it into your new pages. Images you've added to your Image Clipboard can also be used throughout PhotoBiz 9.
PRO TIP: Open your Portfolio Builder in one browser tab and PhotoBiz 9 in another. This makes it easier to reference your existing website while updating your content.
Feel free to experiment with image galleries, banners, text blocks, buttons, and other features available in PhotoBiz 9.
You can also begin exploring additional tools like:
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Client Galleries for delivering and selling photographs
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Scheduler for online appointment booking
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ECommerce for selling products and services
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Forms for collecting client inquiries
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Blog for sharing your latest sessions and business updates
These features can be configured separately as you build your website. PhotoBiz AI Website Creator doesn't automatically set up all of these account features for you.
Remember, there's no need to rush. Your existing Portfolio website remains online while you're working on your new design.
6. Review Everything Before You Launch
Once you've finished building, take some time to make sure your new PhotoBiz 9 website is ready for visitors.
We recommend checking:
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Your Content: Make sure your text, images, contact information, and branding are accurate.
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Desktop and Mobile Views: Preview your website on different screen sizes.
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Navigation and Links: Test your menu, buttons, social media links, and important pages.
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Forms and Booking: Send a test inquiry and check any Scheduler links or services.
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SEO Settings: Review page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text.
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Existing URLs: Compare important Portfolio page addresses with your new pages and create appropriate 301 redirects where needed.
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Tracking Codes: Add any Google Analytics or other tracking codes you want to continue using.
If you've created a Draft Website in PhotoBiz 9, make sure you're reviewing the correct version before publishing. Tracking codes and 301 redirects from another PhotoBiz 9 website version do not automatically carry over to the draft.
This is also a great time to make sure your new website highlights the photography services and work you want to promote today.
7. Ready to Go Live? Switch Your Domain to PhotoBiz 9!
When you're happy with your new website, it's time to make the switch!
You'll be able to keep your existing domain name and use it with your new PhotoBiz 9 website.
To launch your website:
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Click DOMAINS in the left-side menu of your PhotoBiz control panel.
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Click EDIT MAIN.
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Select PhotoBiz 9 as the website product for your main domain.
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Click SAVE CHANGES.
Your regular website address will now display your new PhotoBiz 9 website instead of your older Portfolio site.
If you've been working with a separate PhotoBiz 9 Draft Website, make sure you've prepared the correct version for launch before switching your domain. Our Passionate Support Team can help you verify this.
One more important step: Activate SSL!
After your domain is connected to PhotoBiz 9, you'll be able to activate SSL encryption at no additional cost.
SSL allows your website to load securely with HTTPS, helping protect your visitors and avoid browser security warnings.
To enable SSL:
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Go to DOMAINS in your PhotoBiz control panel.
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Locate the SSL activation section for your domain.
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Check the confirmation box acknowledging the change.
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Click ENABLE SSL.
SSL activation can take 24–72 hours. During this time, your website may temporarily display a security warning or have an unavailable website preview while the certificate is being generated.
LEARN HOW TO ACTIVATE SSL ON YOUR PHOTOBIZ WEBSITE
Once SSL is active, visit your regular website address using HTTPS and give your new website one final review.
Congratulations! You've officially upgraded from Portfolio to PhotoBiz 9!
Our Passionate Support Team Is Here for You.
Moving from Portfolio to PhotoBiz 9? Whether you're gathering your existing images, creating your new website with AI, or getting ready to switch your domain, our Passionate Support Team is happy to answer your questions and guide you through the process.
Learn More About PhotoBiz 9!
Looking for additional help? Check out these resources:
Your photography business has come a long way. Your website deserves to grow with it!
Make your next chapter even better with PhotoBiz 9.
Leave a comment
2 Comments
Jan 22, 2018, 8:51:14 AM
Holly H - Hi Renee! We're making progress with the import function – and we're currently testing it out in the office only. It doesn't always work, but I WAS able to import your site successfully! You can log into your account and make any edits you need using the new system.
Jan 20, 2018, 9:14:06 PM
Renee - So is there going to be a magic import button for the time challenged people to switch from builder to PhotoBiz 8?