9 Important Elements of an Effective Photography Website
11:53 PMCaroline Ann
Your website is usually the first impression clients have of you and your business. Are you making a good one? Here are 9 important elements to consider when building (or updating!) your photography website site.
Can visitors to your site immediately find what they are looking for, or do they have to dig around through a bunch of different pages? Sometimes photographers go overboard on trying to creatively name their pages. Are the names of your pages simple and easy to understand? Is your menu simple and straight forward and not cluttered with too many links? You can always use sub menus if you need to. Are the most important elements on your menu listed from left to right or top to bottom?
2. Readable Fonts
Are your fonts consistent and legible? This is another place where sometimes photographers can go overboard. Certainly, you can use unique fonts to stand out. But make sure the bulk of the text on your page is something relatively simple and easy to read. Also, choose 1-3 (2 is a pretty happy medium) fonts that go well together, and don't bring in any more than that.
3. Content With A Clear Purpose
Does the content on your website clearly demonstrate what "is in it for me" for your potential client? Do you clearly outline (in not too many words) how the product that you offer will benefit them personally?
Are your fonts consistent and legible? This is another place where sometimes photographers can go overboard. Certainly, you can use unique fonts to stand out. But make sure the bulk of the text on your page is something relatively simple and easy to read. Also, choose 1-3 (2 is a pretty happy medium) fonts that go well together, and don't bring in any more than that.
3. Content With A Clear Purpose
Does the content on your website clearly demonstrate what "is in it for me" for your potential client? Do you clearly outline (in not too many words) how the product that you offer will benefit them personally?
4. Call to Action
Do you have a call to action on most of your pages? Subconsciously people often need to be told where to "go from here". Something even as simple as, "Love what you're seeing? Contact us!" can go a long way. The more pages you have a call to action (naturally woven in) on, the more likely people will be to contact you.
5. Niche Portfolio
Do you have a specific niche portfolio? A portfolio that specifically illustrates what you do, and that you're obviously so darn good at this specific type of photography they don't need to look any further. Read more about how important it is to find your niche, and the critical assets of a powerful portfolio.
8. Pricing
Do you have a specific niche portfolio? A portfolio that specifically illustrates what you do, and that you're obviously so darn good at this specific type of photography they don't need to look any further. Read more about how important it is to find your niche, and the critical assets of a powerful portfolio.
6. About Page
Do you have an "about me" page? If you don't, you need one. Connecting with clients on a personal level is important--Not only should you be marketing your work, but you need to be marketing yourself. If a client is looking at two photographers with similar styles, quality of work, and prices--Who are they going to pick? The one they feel a personal connection to.
About me pages shouldn't be too long, you want people to read the whole thing ideally. And focus on making the words you use count towards displaying a little picture of who you are. In this paragraph, don't worry too much about how you got started with a camera, or how much you looooove photography. Mainly just talk about you. :) It's a selling point.
7. Contact Page
Do you have an "about me" page? If you don't, you need one. Connecting with clients on a personal level is important--Not only should you be marketing your work, but you need to be marketing yourself. If a client is looking at two photographers with similar styles, quality of work, and prices--Who are they going to pick? The one they feel a personal connection to.
About me pages shouldn't be too long, you want people to read the whole thing ideally. And focus on making the words you use count towards displaying a little picture of who you are. In this paragraph, don't worry too much about how you got started with a camera, or how much you looooove photography. Mainly just talk about you. :) It's a selling point.
7. Contact Page
If you don't have a clearly marked contact page, you need one asap. A contact page should include a straightforward (not overly complicated) contact form, as well as at least two other ways to contact and connect with you. Ideally an email address and a phone number. It's not also a bad idea to have links to your social media on this form.
8. Pricing
The best way I have personally found to display pricing, is to give people my starting point. If you don't give people any sort of numbers, they are less likely to contact you, especially when they can see what other photographers are charging on their website. But if you have absolutely all of your pricing information listed on your website, they also are less likely to contact you. I have found that giving people my starting point for my prices on my website gives them a ballpark idea of whether or not I am in their budget, and then they go ahead and contact me which gives me a chance to interact with them on a much more personal level than them just looking at my website. The more I am given the chance to interact with clients and make a personal connection, the more likely most are to book with me.
9. No Music
This might sound kind of trivial, but so often photographers really do just try their hardest to be as creative as they possibly can on their website. Music is a whole different outlet to do that. But don't go there. A lot of the times people are looking at your website while they are at work, and they don't want music to automatically start playing as soon as your site loads. That's a real good way for them to not even get past your homepage, so don't do it.
This might sound kind of trivial, but so often photographers really do just try their hardest to be as creative as they possibly can on their website. Music is a whole different outlet to do that. But don't go there. A lot of the times people are looking at your website while they are at work, and they don't want music to automatically start playing as soon as your site loads. That's a real good way for them to not even get past your homepage, so don't do it.
Did I miss anything? What are some important things you have learned about building a website?
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Be sure to like our facebook page, subscribe to TheYoungTog, and join our community so that you don't miss out on a thing as we all learn and grow together! Have a question you want to ask, or a thought you'd like to share? Comment below!
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