Is a new website worth it? When I launched my original website some 10 years ago, I opted to use a domain name that seemed to reflect the majority of the content envisaged for the site. Bristolimage.co.uk was borne.
At that time, virtually all my photography was centred on images of Bristol and for a long time that domain remained my ‘ideal choice’.
However, as time passed two issues emerged. Firstly, I began using the pseudonym ‘mfimage’ for photographs made available for sale via stock sites and also on social media. Secondly, whilst photographing Bristol’s slightly less familiar sites remains an on-going project, I am also shooting different subjects, further afield. In an attempt to show some of this wider activity, the original site was becoming somewhat bloated.
This raised the question: Should I completely re-design the website, withdraw bristolimage and start afresh? This would, however, mean losing SEO rankings and result in the need to devote time to web development rather than photography.
As an interim step to help raise awareness of mfimage, I started also using the domain ‘mfimage.co.uk’ and directed it to the bristolimage site. So far, so good but whilst this worked OK, it did give rise to some technical, visibility and analysis issues.
The arrival of the highly versatile, user-friendly WordPress 2024 theme acted as a prompt to establish a separate site at mfimage.co.uk whilst keeping bristolimage.co.uk (built on the WordPress 2014 theme) very much alive. I am now developing mfimage.co.uk as my portfolio site and steadily returning bristolimage.co.uk to the prime home for the Bristol project.
The months ahead will tell whether this dual site approach delivers benefits.