There are countless things you can do to a website which can amplify its effectiveness. Today I want to share eight of those methods with you, so you can bring your photography website to a new level.

Compact menu

One of the first things people see when they visit your website is the menu. Due to the nature of a menu, and how many pages your website might have, it’s too easy to complicate your menu. It can get cluttered super fast.

Take a few minutes to analyze your menu’s top level. Meaning, what people see at first. Don’t worry about sub-menu items yet (the items that show when you hover over a top-level item).

Reduce the clutter. Compact your menu to the most important pages on your site. The ones you need your visitors to visit.

The ones that are most likely to make you money or get you leads.

easy searching

Easy searching

People like to search for things, and sometimes people don’t make that easy to do. Add a search bar, or search button somewhere that is clearly visible.

For example, put in your header next to your menu. If your website does not have that feature then put it in your footer or in a sidebar.

Beautiful portfolio

This is probably the absolute most important thing on a photography website. Without a beautiful portfolio, it’s unlikely people will hire you or buy from you.

Pick 25 or fewer photos to include in your portfolio. Only your best from the genre you photograph. Display it in the most modern style available to you. Like mosaic or tiled galleries. Ensure that it looks perfect on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices.

If you run a WordPress website, pick up NextGEN Pro to display your photographs with stunning gallery types.

Use it to also proof your photos and sell your photos to clients. Win-win!

headshot-photography-website

Consistent branding

Branding is one of the most underutilized things I see photographers implementing. And it’s the one subtle thing that has a huge impact.

You need your band to match in everything you do. Whether it’s the custom shirt you wear, a hat, business card, postcard, website and even social media.

Your logo, fonts and colors all need to stay consistent across the various media formats.

Lots of social proof

Word of mouth can be the best selling tool for your photography business.

Hopefully, you are gathering reviews through email, maybe a video, and definitely with local citations from Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp and others.

You should include testimonials throughout your website and make them visual enough that they stand out. Include your photos of your clients with their testimonials. Embed reviews from services like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google.

If you run a WordPress website, check out WP Business Reviews as a plugin that can aggregate reviews from multiple platforms in a consistent way.

Easy contacting

You have to make it easy for people to contact you. Roadblocks will reduce your leads, and reduce your paying clients.

A clear and common layout for a contact page is as follows.

On the left side, including an actual email address, a phone number and an address. On the right side, a contact form. That way, no matter what, people have some way to get in touch with you.

Clear pricing

Not everyone puts pricing on their website. In some industries, like wedding photography, it’s very common to avoid it. But for others, like headshots and branding, it’s important to keep it all upfront.

In fact, by doing so, you completely remove the chances of uninterested people from contacting you.

If you fit in the genre where you would be sharing your pricing, make sure it’s very clear. Your pricing is big, and everything included in your pricing is in a simple bullet list.

Educational blog content

You might hate blogging. I get it. But you know what? It can be a huge asset to converting customers.

Don’t just post random photos on your blog. Get a strategy in place. Educate your visitors, teach them about your business and how to prepare for sessions. Tell them why they need photos and how they can use the photos. The list can go on.

To get an idea on how to build a successful lead generation system that starts with your blog, check out my course on lead generation for photographers.

What’s next for your website?

I just shared a bunch of valuable things you can do to your website which will amplify it, and make it stand above your local competition. I hope that you take these things and run with them. If you have questions, comments or your own suggestions, let me know.

Be sure to check out my roundup of the best WordPress plugins for photographers that can help you further amplify your photography website.