Photography Website Essentials // Photographer & Customer Perspective

I've been seeing a lot of people asking for advice and recommendations for their websites in a group I belong to on Alignable. It made me think that there is a need for this sort of thing.

I'm not perfect at designing a website. I don't have formal training or anything, but I've learned about it from some high-level photographers and I have used many websites as a consumer so I'm going to share my collected thoughts and experience from life and those wiser than I am.

Welcoming Homepage
When people land on your site, you want them to feel welcomed. If your business is service based, make sure they see your face right away. Invite them into a feeling of a relationship with you and your company. As photographer's, the thing that sets our business apart is us!

Clear Direction
You want people to know what to do. Don't have too many menu options laid out. Utilize collapsible menus for most of your options. Make sure people can easily see your work, learn more about you and/or the experience, and contact to book or for a quote or whatever your business may require. Most importantly, make it easy for people to book or purchase. Place calls to action appropriately but regularly.

Easy To Contact
Contacting you should be easy. Whether that is for customer service or for booking/purchasing, at the very least you want an email prominently displayed for your customers. A contact form is even better. From business owner to business owner, I recommend funneling all communication to one channel to keep things simple.

Portfolio/Examples
People are visual. Show them what you do and what they can expect. Show them examples of what they will be getting if they work with you. If possible, show them your product in the environment. Showing them what an album or canvas would look like can be helpful for them to envision their own images in a similar form.

Testimonials
People buy from businesses other people love and trust. Testimonials give credibility to your business. It shows that people are satisfied with your product and company. This could be a specific page, or you can incorporate testimonials throughout your website.

Blog
Don't leave me here. Blog content is still very important. It is a way to let people into your business in a personal way. Show behind the scenes of making your product or what a work day looks like. Educate them about things in your industry. Share other valuable products with them. It's good for SEO and good for sharing to social media platforms. Even if you just blog once or twice a month, it can be great for your business.