Ever wondered what the absolute most important things to have on, (or do for) your photography website are? Me too. Over the years, I’ve figured out what elements were absolutely essential, and have compiled a list of them for you below! Let’s jump right into talking about the top 5 must-haves for your photography website!
1. Develop a tagline, and place it on your home page.
As a photography biz coach, one of the things I help my clients with is developing their taglines for their photography business, which we then translate to their website.
Because, here’s the thing — you have about ten seconds from the time your potential client lands on your website to capture their attention before they peace out.
This means that the very first line on your website needs to capture their attention and be crystal clear, AKA easy for them to understand.
So basically, it’s a pretty big deal.
However, we also want to make sure we optimize our website’s prime “copy real estate,” and place our shiny new tagline “above the fold”.
This term comes from the newspaper industry and describes the text that you see when a newspaper is folded in half (face up). All the important headlines and attention-grabbing stories are still visible so you snag the newspaper and keep reading!
Here’s an example of a brilliant tagline and above the fold placement:
2. Place clear, strong CTA’s (call-to-actions) throughout your site.
One of the most common mistakes people make when they create their website is that they forget their call-to-action buttons.
Ya know, the buttons you click to “book/buy” a product or service.
How can you expect your reader to engage with you if you hide the dang button, am I right?!
So, here are all the places where your call-to-action buttons should live on your website’s homepage. Jot ‘em down.
- Under your tagline and above the fold.
- In the top right-hand corner of your website
- Under every major section of your website
3. Have a separate page for each one of your offerings.
One of the most important things you can do is to always write for one specific reader/customer on every page of your site that you’re trying to sell something on.
Basically, just remember “one offer, for one reader, on one sales page.”
Basically, what I mean by this is, you don’t actually want a page on your website called “Pricing” or “Investment” that says “couples = $price, maternity = $price, family = $price — and so on and so forth.
You actually want an ENTIRE page dedicated to your couples, and an entire page dedicated to weddings, and an entire page for your families, and to your newborns, etc. You want just one page for every type of client you serve/session you offer.
Why? Because it’s rooted in psychology. Your ideal client needs to feel valued, seen, and heard… and you can only do that if you’re speaking to their desires and pain points… which are going to be specific to the type of session they’re needing.
4. Use your brand voice and personality throughout your site, (and pair it with your real one.)
Every brand should have a brand voice and personality, and communicate it clearly. My brand personality can be described as:
Approachable – honest, relatable, welcoming
Bold – confident, courageous, motivating
Knowledgeable – wise, helpful, smart
The voice of Jessica Vickers Photography can be described as:
“Playful and soulful. Her Southern accent and roots keep her vibe grounded and gives an authentic genuineness- one that’ll make you feel like she’d greet you at her front porch swing with a tall glass of tea and have you leaving with the biggest hug, best advice, and new best friend (or 3 because of dogs, duh).
Her tone of voice carries a natural sophistication met with a “down to earth” approachability. It’s casual elegance at its finest. She can pull out the big gun terminologies and fancy portfolio images for all of her clients, yet she presents them in a way that’s so relatable and friendly you’ll never feel “in over your head” and you’ll always feel welcomed.
Red carpet treatment, but rolling up in an ATV or hiking boots? Yep, that’s her. She’s fun and fierce. Passionate and graceful. Adventurous yet restful.
At the end of it all, she’ll make you feel hype about where you’re going, but slow you down just enough to help you savor the present and remind you where you came from.”
Whew! Now, what do I mean by pairing it with your real voice? Exactly what it sounds like: type like you talk.
I know this tip sounds simple, but you’d be surprised. I’ve lost count of the blog posts and even captions I’ve read where I find myself looking up words that were probably used so the writer sounded smarter.
So, when I say, “type like you talk”, I literally mean: write the way you’d speak to a friend, contractions and all.
Trade “cannot” for “can’t” and “do not” for “don’t.” Don’t catch your reader off guard by trying to sound like something you’re not!
This will also help them get a taste for your personality too. Be the same person on your website as you would be in a consultation. 🙂
5. A contact form that directly feeds into your CRM (client relationship manager.)
I can’t explain the importance of streamlining your business systems enough; especially when it comes to your lead generation/onboarding process. Having a contact form that automatically pops your leads into a system that you manage clients from is phenomenal. (I use Honeybook as my CRM of choice, and you can find out more on that here.)
For one, you’re much less likely to forget to respond to inquiries, and you’ll also know exactly where you are in the process of every single project you’re working on. You also won’t double book yourself by accident, because if someone enquires about a date you’re already booked for, Honeybook will tell you! 🙂
I hope these 5 must-haves for your photography website were super helpful in your quest of creating a website that converts! If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line below!
Interested in 1:1 Coaching with me? I’d be both stoked, and honored, to work with you. Schedule your free discovery call below, and we’ll be well on our way to getting you where you want to be.
LOOKING FOR MORE HELPFUL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS? FEEL FREE TO BINGE ON THESE BLOG POSTS, OR PIN ’EM ON PINTEREST FOR LATER! 
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Whatevs. Pinterest biz sesh, anybody!? 
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