Planning
Take a minute to think about how photographers used to advertise their services before the explosion of the internet. They would need hard copies of their work to show clients. The process would be costly and time-consuming. It was also only possible to reach a very limited pool of clients.
But now, the digital space has opened up tons of marketing opportunities for photographers. A website is perhaps one of the most robust tools available. It is efficient, cost-effective, and allows for a lot of flexibility.
A website provides an easy way to reach potential and existing clients without spending too much money.
But, the reality is that many other photographers are using the same platform. It helps to have the right website designing tips to stand out. And that is what we will share in our article below.
1. Think About Your Goals For The Photography Website
One of the first questions an experienced web design company would ask is what is the goal for your website? All too often, the designers come across clients who want one just for the sake of it.
After all, everyone is doing it, so why should they not do the same. It is a big mistake that could have you spending time and money on a site that will not give you any ROI.
Start with clarity on what you hope to achieve. It could be to attract new clients or sell photographs.
You could also want visibility if you are just starting in the business. In such a case, your photography portfolio should be impressive enough to attract the right people.
2. Focus On The Must-Have Elements
There are some critical elements you should have on your photography website. These are:-
- A comprehensive gallery that serves as your online portfolio
- About Me page where you introduce yourself and your services. Let’s say you are in a niche area like product photography. Focus on showing your expertise, processes, and anything that helps you stand above the competitors. But, don’t make it a hard-sell language.Try to come across as engaging, relatable, and authentic. Tell stories or fun facts to draw in the audience.
- Contact page for prospective clients to know everything about you. Once they do, make it easy for them to find you, by providing contact details.
- A blog section that serves various purposes. The first is that it is a critical SEO tool that can elevate your rankings on the search engine. It is also an opportunity to use the stories to bring your photographs to life. Share your expertise, provide tips and answers to frequently asked questions around photography. Blogs create engagement and interaction resulting in more traffic to your website.
- A sales portal with a shopping cart if you sell images or other services.
- Proofing or client gallery. It gives clients direct access to their images right on your site. All they need is a link and a secure password to get access.
Do link your social media pages to your site. It is an excellent way to get more traffic while connecting with the audience right where they like to be.
3. Pay Special Attention To The Gallery
We feel that it is important to focus a little bit more on the gallery section. This is your online portfolio, and you can be sure it will receive a lot of attention from your site visitors. Make it easy to navigate the gallery section by breaking it into themes.
Think about it much like you would an e-commerce platform. If all the products are in one section, it can be difficult to navigate. That is why web designers use categories to make it easy for shoppers to find what they want.
For big companies, it would be beneficial to have web design outsourcing, as they can save time and money.
Let’s go back to the example of product photography. Let’s say a client is interested in jewelry pictures. He should be able to go straight to the service without having to sift through other products. It is as easy as including the service as a category in the dropdown menu.
Even within the specific niche, in this case, jewelry, you could categorize them further. Profile them as black and white, flat lay, or packaging.
Remember to optimize your images for SEO. Images must be high resolution, have the right dimension, format, and size. It ensures fast loading pages, less bandwidth consumption, and better rankings on the search engines.
4. Be Picky About What You Display
Yes, you have tons of photographs that you have taken over your career. You may think that it is a good idea to have everything on the website. Do not do this because it is easy to overwhelm your online visitors. Go with the mantra, less is more, in communicating what you offer.
Pick a few photographs that showcase the best work in your area of specialization. There is no exact number. So, imagine you are the one looking at the site. How many pictures would you look at before mentally switching off?
If possible, keep it below 15 images. Remember, websites offer a lot of flexibility. That means you can keep updating the photos anytime you want to. It also helps if you have something unique about your services. A good tip is to know your audiences well enough to know what they would like.
Younger people will appreciate flashy content that incorporates a lot of creativity. Older people may want simple, clean photos that communicate in a simple way.
Final Thoughts
A website is an important marketing tool that can elevate your photography business to the next level. We have shared some design tips you should have in mind when creating one.
But, the best advice we can give is to hire a professional web design company. There are tons of free web builders online. Many promises that you do not even need coding knowledge to set up your website.
But, there are some critical elements you may not include on your site. Such could impact the overall user experience.
The experts have the knowledge and experience to give you a site that will stand above the competition. You get advice on the right web hosting provider to ensure quick loading pages.
The designers will focus on things like easy navigation and aesthetic appeal to engage and keep audiences. They will also advise on SEO techniques for better visibility.
if you’re looking to increase your online conversion but still feel you are not sure where to start – check out these resources below:
