Free Marketing Series: Top Tips for Websites for Photographers

May 15, 2017

Today is a good day. The sun is shining, the kids are at the zoo (code for the house is quiet) and we are continuing our free marketing series! Today we are going to be talking through our top tips for websites for photographers. As photographers, our business interactions largely take place online. Usually our clients see our work on the internet for the first time, and they get to know us personally there, too. It’s an online World, y’all, and we need to take every opportunity that we can to make it work for our business. Your website is a HUGE part of this. So today we are going to tackle the HOW behind making your website an amazing and intentional source of free marketing.

tips for websites for photographers

Here are our top 5 tips for making the most of your website:

  1. Make a Great First Impression: Your website is your storefront. If you think of the internet as a city center (and a huge one at that) then your website is your chance to create the kind of window display that will really make clients want to walk in your doors and stay a while. Our website is the first impression potential clients have with us, and it’s our best opportunity to be remembered.
  2.  Your Website Should be Unique: If your storefront looks like everyone else’s it’s not going to be grabbing anyone’s attention. As an artist, you have a unique vision and talent – your website should showcase that! It should be a solid reflection of your personality, style, voice and values. Do the work to really think through what sets you apart – as an artist and a person – and make sure that your website communicates those things clearly with words and design. We use Showit 5 and LOVE them because they let creatives build websites that are as unique as them. They also make it SUPER easy to update our website and change things as needed. J. Shipley Creative helped us take our vision and translate it into a site that is a super accurate reflection of who we are.
  3. Put Your Best Foot Forward: I can’t tell you how many times I go to a photographer’s website and see images that are 3-5 years old. If the galleries on your website look different than your instagram feed, it’s time to update them! Your website should show your very best (and most relevant) work. Consider updating your website every single year with 3-4 of the year’s best events, and then use 20 of your very favorite images from those events in your galleries. Show what you love, and then people who book you will have a better understanding of what you do!
  4. Communicate Well: This is SO important!! Your website should offer clients the information that they are looking for. Don’t make it difficult for people to get in touch with you! So many sites limit people to a contact form… but what if the person trying to get in touch LOVES talking on the phone? What if they want to book you right away and don’t want to wait 2-3 days for an e-mail response? We recommend listing your email address and phone number even if you have a contact form. This allows people to get in touch with you in the way that makes the most sense for them. It shows a willingness to connect and an availability that we find really resonates with couples.
  5. Make it Mobile Friendly: This should go without saying… but please make sure that your website is mobile friendly!! According to our Google Analytics 40%  of the traffic to our site has been mobile in the last 30 days, and 50% of the traffic to our site has been mobile in the last six months. Your potential clients WILL be looking at your site on a mobile device, so you’re losing a huge opportunity if your mobile site isn’t just as beautiful, relevant, and navigable as your desktop site.

tips for websites for photographers

Want more? Check out our free Social Media marketing tips here and our free Blogging tips here.

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If you could use a hand coming up with a marketing strategy to make this year one of growth for your business, we take a few mentoring clients each year and would love to chat with you.

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