6 Must-Have Elements Photographers Need On Their Website To book 3 more clients this weekend

Elements Photographers Need On Their Website

I was a wedding photographer for over 8 years and during this time I did a lot of market research on how couples search for their wedding vendors. What they look for in particular vendors, and the process they take while they’re on your website. So let me tell you, not all websites are built equally. Different industries require different elements to meet the needs of their website visitors. This blog post will go over the must-have Elements Photographers Need On Their Website.  While I was a photographer I adjusted my website to fit the needs of my potential clients. So you don’t have to go through that headache you can just use this list as your own.

Clearly identify your service area

At the beginning of my photography career, I just assumed that only people in my local area would find my website and inquire about me. Boy was I wrong! Turns out there was another photographer with the EXACT SAME NAME in the US (I’m in Canada). Somewhere I had no intention of travelling. Don’t assume that your service area is obvious, people can find you from different cities, states and even countries. You need to clearly mark your service area at the top of your website.

Clearly identify your services

At the same time that you’re identifying your service area, you should also identify your ideal client and your services. Create a header statement that can be used as your H1 tag. Don’t assume that your visitors will know your services and ideal clients from the photos on your website. Here is an example of a good header statement:  “Wedding photography for adventurous couples in the Pacific North West that will climb any mountain for their love”.

Clear call to actions

Make sure you tell your visitors what you need them to do next. Book a discovery call, download your pricing guide, or book a session. Whatever that next step is, you need to make it easy for your visitor to identify and do.

Blog (for SEO)

I’ll say it again for the people in the back, blogging is still a very important tool for your business. You just need to know how to use it properly for SEO. You can use your blog to show up on more keyword search result pages. A blog can be used as a hub for the content you’re creating. If you have a podcast or youtube channel, you can use the blog post to transcribe the video or audio and get more traffic to your website with it.

Well laid out portfolio

Don’t underestimate the value of a well-laid-out portfolio. A well-laid-out portfolio will keep your visitors engaged and looking through more of your photos. Take the time to look through the thousands of photos you’ve taken over the years and curate a portfolio that will speak to your clients. This can seem like a huge task (and it is) but doing this will pay off for sure.  Your clients will see that you’ve spent the time to show them your best work, your consistency with not only taking photos but editing them.

I recommend sending your curated portfolio to a friend or to your website designed to get a second or third look at the portfolio. Sometimes we can get attached to a photo because we know the story behind it, but the photo itself it’s strong without that story.

Good contact page

A good contact page will make the difference between that visitor sending you an inquiry or not. Make sure that your form is well laid out and working. Asking all the right questions. A short contact form will get your more inquries, but they may not all be qualified. A longer form will get your less inquiries but they may be more qualified. Find a happy medium for your contact form.

Also, remember to add communication expectations. Tell them where you’re located (time zone if that’s important) and how long it will take you to respond to their email. I also recommend having an auto-responder to your inquiries, you can read more about that in this post.

Every industry is super different in the way that visitors interact with the website. So it’s important to look at the Elements Photographers Need On Their Website and implement that into your website.

Create a website that will convert

I know you want a website that will convert more of your visitors into couples that you get to know and work with on their wedding day. A good website template that has these must-have elements for photographers will help you get there faster and with less frustration. The Showit website templates that I build are based on the Storybrand Framework and use these elements to create websites that will help your brand stand out among the competition in a unique and creative way.