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Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Website

professional photo albums for photographers | zookbinders

Every business must have a website. The internet and search engines have replaced the Yellow Pages when it comes to locating businesses. When potential customers are looking for goods and services, they’re going to use the computer in their pocket before thumbing through any directory.  Your website acts as an advertisement for your business and it is the tool for attracting the right clients. Is your website really working for you? What can you do to make it better? Let’s talk about five easy ways to improve your website. 

As a professional photographer, your website has to be more than a just portfolio. Pretty pictures are great but then what? The pages of your website need to tell the story of your brand. They also need to be engaging and informative. Do you have professional experience, offer engagement sessions, include wedding albums, or provide videography, etc.?

Once a potential customer arrives at your site, how do you keep them there? People are searching for your business to help solve a problem. Ask yourself this: do you have information on your website that provides solutions to problems? Visitors need to be able to answer some basic questions when viewing your site; where, what, who, why, and how. In this blog, we are going to touch on five easy ways to improve your website by answering these questions. 

Note: These are little tuneups that you should be able to do if you work with a website designer, use a customizable template or WordPress.

#1 Where

This seems like an easy one, people need to know where you are located and what areas that you serve. Not only should this information be on your ”About” and “Contact” pages, but it should also be in the meta-information on all your pages. People are typically searching for a photographer in a certain area so be specific.  

If you have a brick-and-mortar office or studio, list the address. If you work out of your home and prefer some privacy, at the very least, list your city. 

Additionally, adding titles and descriptions to the imagery on your site will improve search results. You can even link imagery to a specific location. 

Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Website, Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Website, Zookbinders
Be sure you are using all the metadata fields on your website’s back end to direct traffic to you.

(Non-website related, but when using social media tag the location that you are working in. Again be specific.)

 

#2. What 

What is it that you do? Are you a jack of all trades? Does your gallery list go past the fold on your landing page?  It’s time to be honest, too much of a good thing can be a turn-off. Narrow down and specify. Ask yourself what you really want to book and show that. You need to be the authority, the professional, and the specialist or otherwise, you’ll look a little desperate.  

Show your best and preferably the most current work. If you need help culling your galleries ask another professional photographer or client to give you feedback. 

Add imagery of the products and professional albums that you sell. You have the advantage of being a photographer so showcase beautifully detailed pictures of the unique wedding albums that you offer. This is an absolute must! Not all couples shopping for wedding photography have considered a wedding album. Most consumers aren’t familiar with premium professional albums, so make them shine!

 

Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Website, Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Website, Zookbinders
Use your photography talents to show off the custom wedding albums that you offer. Highlight the details that make them different from an everyday photo book.

 

#3 Who 

Let’s beef up that ”About” page. Introduce yourself to everyone visiting your site. If you work with a team, an assistant, an HMUA, or a videographer, introduce them as well. You MUST have a professional photo of yourself in addition to behind-the-scenes imagery and a bio.

 Be careful with the copy for the bio. You might think that a visitor wants to know all about your foster dogs and travel plans, but they really just want to know how you can solve their problem. Try removing the word “I” from your bio and make your language focus on how you help your clients. 

#4 Why 

Why should people hire you? You’ve already shared a little information in your bio, let’s expand on your problem-solving. You may not consider hiring a photographer as being a “problem”, but for many of your potential customers, this is their first wedding photography rodeo.  Time to establish your expertise. Your website should give direction on what to expect when hiring you. 

Show your process, step by step, from consultations, timelines, and coverage to finished products. The answer to why should be, “We have everything in place to guarantee a wonderful stress-free experience. Here’s how we take care of you…”

Client raves and testimonials can also help seal the deal. Ask for reviews on social media and repost with client imagery. Other people’s opinions go a long way.

 

#5 How?  

How do clients get started? You should have a plethora of “Contact”, “Get Started’,  and “Learn More” buttons to direct customers to a line of communication. Do NOT make this difficult. At the end of every page, there should be a navigation button for communication. 

List your phone number. When people call, your outgoing messages should be a cheerful recording of you saying you’re not available but would love to talk soon. A robot reciting your phone number back to the caller is not professional. The end. Being easy to connect with and responsive is essential to customer delight and getting hired. 

 

There is a lot that goes into maintaining an effective website. These five easy ways to improve your website are just the start. There are other vital components like search engine optimization, having a site that is mobile-friendly, and utilizing some type of lead capture for marketing.

Maintaining this might sound like a full-time job and you may want to seek out a professional to help you on a monthly or quarterly basis. Keeping this updated takes effort. Sometimes a website refresh might be the best option. For more information on outsourcing your website design and maintenance check out MCVO Talent. 

Maureen Miller CPP

Maureen Miller CPP

Contributor to Marketing & Client Experience at Zookbinders. Professional photographer for 25+ years. An advocate for making money and doing what you love. My motto, ”Photography is a BIG DEAL!”

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