Follow these simple rules to make your website stand out from the rest.

 


As a brilliant photographer with great instincts, a professional work ethic, and the hunger to make it in this business, you’ve got everything you need to succeed right at your fingerprints.

But you have to get noticed first. Once you’ve been spotted and landed a gig, then you’ve got to deliver and keep delivering so that one-off job you landed becomes a regular paying customer.

 

Your website design should be at the heart of this quest and must give you the tools to make it as a photographer in the digital economy.

 

Of course, no-one can tell you what your website should look like; you know where your strengths lie and how you want to present yourself. But there are a few basic principles to keep in mind that are indispensable and will give you the edge that you’re looking for.

 

Branding

 

If people like the look and feel of your site – if it looks slick and professional – then they’ll continue looking around. Spend a lot of time thinking about first impressions (i.e., the homepage or gallery). Make it easy for them to get in touch, find out a little more, and remember who you are and what you do. Put your contact details (or at least a link to your contact info) on every page. Try to put this in the same place so that visitors know where to look when the impulse reach out strikes. Make it as easy as possible for your potential clients to book you and ask additional questions.

 

Your branding also extends to the little things on your site. How well do you label your pictures? How good are your blog posts? Is everything spelled correctly? Do you have links to your social media accounts? Do all the links work?

 

These small impressions add up to create a general picture of how professional you will be to work with.

 

Keep It Clean


You wouldn’t go into a meeting with a client and show them every single thing that you’ve done. You’d pick a few of your best items and showcase them beautifully. Figure out which of your photographs sell your skills the best and let them do the talking for you.

 

Keep your site clean and simple, and keep the focus on the work. Pretty soon, you’ll start attracting the kind of clients you want to be working with instead of taking anything that comes through the door.

 

When it comes to showcasing photographs, size does matters. Make the pictures big enough so that visitors can see all the detail in your work, but don’t overwhelm them with images that require new windows to open or take ages to load. Find the right balance between text and images.

 

Deliver Photos

 

It’s no longer enough to have a website that’s a good portfolio of your work – now your site needs to be able to deliver images as well. Don’t make your clients scurry around to various platforms in order to work with you. Build a simple payment plan and delivery system into your site so that it’s a ‘one-stop shop’ that helps you finish the job. That is a great customer service experience.

 

Share


Be generous with your knowledge and opinions. Be positive on social media. Join communities, appreciate other good work, and stay visible. Give away some of your work or offer a free photoshoot here and there in return for a shoutout on social media or a list of potential leads. These small things can help to get your name out there and continue building your reputation.

 

There’s a lot of good work out there and a lot of people vying to be professional photographers. You stand out by keeping it simple and being responsive and organized in how you present yourself online.

 

The state of your website says a lot about you and the way you work, so you simply have to get it right.

 

The FolioWebsites builder platform blends form and function on every page, making life easier for busy professionals who want the best out of a website without getting too caught in the weeds. You can try a free website for 30 days and find the layout and style that works for you.