Learn how to create a blog on your SmugMug site using folders and pages. No coding required — just content blocks and the built-in organizer.

SmugMug doesn't have a dedicated blogging feature, but you can create a fully functional blog using folders and pages. This approach keeps everything within your SmugMug site — no third-party platforms or custom code required.

What you'll create

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:

A Blog folder that displays all your posts as thumbnails
Individual post pages with featured images, titles, and text content
Optional comments to engage with your visitors

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

A SmugMug account on the Power, Portfolio, or Pro plan
Access to your SmugMug site's Organizer

This tutorial requires the Power plan or higher. The Basic plan doesn't support the customization features needed to create a blog.

Create the blog folder

The blog folder will serve as your main blog page, displaying all your posts as a visual grid.

Open the Organizer

Log in to your SmugMug account and click on Organizer in the top navigation. Make sure you're in the Photo Site Homepage section — this is the root level of your website.

Create a new folder

Click the + Create button and select Folder from the dropdown menu.

Creating a new folder in SmugMug Organizer

Configure the folder settings

In the popup window, enter the following details:

Name: Blog (or whatever you'd like to call it)
Description: A brief description for SEO purposes
Keywords: Relevant keywords for your blog content

SmugMug folder settings dialog

Click Create to save your new folder.

Create your first blog post

Each blog post is a SmugMug page inside your Blog folder. You'll create a new page for every post you want to publish.

Navigate to your Blog folder

After creating the folder, you should already be inside it. If not, click on your Blog folder in the Organizer to open it.

Create a new page

Click the + Create button and select Web Page from the dropdown menu.

You'll be prompted to choose a layout. Select Custom to build your post layout from scratch, or choose Horizontal for a pre-built layout that works well for blog posts.

Configure the page settings

Enter the details for your blog post:

Title: Your post headline
Description: A summary of the post (appears in search results)
Featured Image: The thumbnail that displays in your Blog folder

SmugMug page settings with featured image option

Add a featured image

Click the image icon next to Featured Image to open the photo picker.

If you see a message saying "There are no items available to pick in this Folder," don't worry — pages can't contain photos directly. Click the home link in the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the photo picker to access your galleries.

Navigating to photos in the SmugMug photo picker

Select an image and click Create to save your new post.

Design your post layout

After creating the page, click View This Page to see how it looks. Now you'll add content blocks to create your blog post layout.

Enter customization mode

Click Customize in the top right corner to start editing your page layout.

Add a featured image block

Open the Photos section in the content block panel on the right. Drag the Single Photo block onto your page, below the breadcrumb navigation.

Select the photo you want to display as your post's hero image.

Add a title block

Open the Text section and drag the Title block below your featured image. This automatically displays the page title you set earlier.

Add your post content

Drag a Text block below the title. This is where you'll write your blog post content.

Click on the text block to open the editor and write your post. You can format text, add links, and include additional images.

Optional: Add a comments section

If you want readers to leave comments, open the Social section and drag the Comments block below your text content.

Publish your changes

Click Done and then Publish to make your post live.

Styling tip: Consider turning off "Emphasize Current Page" in the breadcrumb block settings. This makes all breadcrumb links the same size for a cleaner look.

Customization ideas

Consistent post layouts

While SmugMug doesn't support page templates, you can speed up the process by:

Creating a "template" post with your preferred layout
Using it as a reference when building new posts
Adding the same content blocks in the same order each time

Blog folder appearance

Your Blog folder automatically displays all pages as thumbnails using their featured images. You can customize the folder's appearance by:

Adjusting the grid layout in folder settings
Adding a header text block to introduce your blog
Customizing the folder's theme and colors

SEO optimization

For better search visibility:

Write descriptive titles that include relevant keywords
Fill out the description field for each post
Add keywords to both the folder and individual pages
Use descriptive alt text when adding images to your posts

Limitations

This blog solution works well for most photographers, but there are some limitations to be aware of:

No templates — You'll need to recreate the layout for each new post
5,000 post limit — Your Blog folder can contain up to 5,000 pages
No categories or tags — SmugMug doesn't support post categorization (though you could create subfolders)
No RSS feed — Readers can't subscribe to your blog via RSS
No scheduled publishing — Posts go live immediately when published

Despite these limitations, many photographers find this approach sufficient for sharing behind-the-scenes content, client stories, and photography tips without needing a separate blogging platform.

Next steps

Now that you have a blog set up:

Create your first real post — Share a recent session or photography tip
Link to your blog — Add a navigation link in your site menu
Promote your content — Share new posts on social media to drive traffic

How to Add a Blog to Your SmugMug Website