The purpose of most service- based websites is to book more clients. In order to do this, most photogs opt to have an inquiry form on their contact page that interested clients fill out with more information about what they’re looking for.
From there, clients either book with you online or hop on a consult call to learn more about your services.
The purpose of your photography website is to get qualified candidates (aka dreamy clients you actually want to work with) to fill out your inquiry form.
The more inquiries you get, the more sales you have the opportunity of closing. SCORE.
In this post, we’ll look at the organization of your website and how you can ensure that clients will actually read what you have to say, scroll through your epic images, and fill out that inquiry form.
Ready to dive in? To keep this post fun, it’s divided into 3 common questions that we get asked about the organization and functionality of photography websites.
What pages should I have on my site?
We are huge advocates of being creative, stepping outside of the box, and doing things that you don’t see other photogs doing, with the exception of your website pages.
In order for your website to be easy to navigate and SEO-friendly, you want to make sure you use common page titles and conform to typical website structure. I know, the company that has creative as their middle name is telling you to conform.
Hear us out…
Have you ever been to a website and were looking for something super simple and just couldn’t find it no matter where you looked? Maybe you were looking for the hours a restaurant was open or the spot to click to initiate a clothing return. It’s super frustrating to frantically click around a website and not be able to find what you need.
This frustration impacts how clients view you and your brand. If they are irritated enough by their lack of ability to find what they’re looking for, they’ll click off your site completely and look elsewhere.
Here are some thing you’ll want to be easily accessible on your photography website:
- Your location
- An example of your work/ your portfolio
- Directions on how to book with you/reach out
- Packages & starting prices
Keeping all of this in mind, we suggest the following pages for your photography website:
Home
The most viewed page on your website and a perfect place to introduce your audience to what they can expect for the entirety of your site.
About
Focus on the positive outcomes your clients will experience from working with you. Emphasize how they are going to feel. Add a sprinkle of your personality, but remember to keep the focus on how you help your client transform.
Services
This page should include your packages and pricing information. Try to consolidate this information so you don’t overwhelm your audience with all of their options.
Portfolio
Focus on showing off your amazing photographs so clients can tell if you’re the right match. It’s so common for photographers to overcrowd their portfolios.
We love the motto: “A portfolio is only as strong as its weakest piece.” So make sure that you choose images that show off the work you’re most proud of. No one has time to scroll through hundreds upon hundreds of photos anyway. An intentional collection of your favorite pieces will always outperform a cluttered heap of images.
Contact
This page matters more than most photographers give it credit for. This is where clients go because they are interested in taking the next step with you. If they are here, you want to ensure they are filling out your contact form if they’re a qualified candidate. Be sure to keep the design here minimal to encourage clients to fill out your inquiry form without getting distracted.
Interested in our exact formula for a picture-perf website? Watch our FREE training to learn more: How to 2x your sales even if you struggle to nail down your vibe.
How should I organize my photos?
You’ll show off the biggest bulk of your work on your portfolio page. In order to keep the design of your site streamlined and easy to scroll through, we recommend limiting the # of galleries you have in your portfolio.
This means instead of having separate galleries for couples, engagements, proposals, elopements, weddings, boudoir, family, maternity, etc. you limit yourself to only three galleries.
While having a massive assortment of images might feel good to you because you get to show off more of your work, it actually overwhelms your viewer.
As you niche down in your photography business, narrowing down these galleries will become easier.
PRO TIP: Feel free to combine galleries in creative ways so that you can consolidate your portfolio. For example a couples and wedding photographer might have: “Proposals & Engagements” “Weddings & Elopements” and “Couples” as their three galleries.
How do I encourage people to actually want to fill out my inquiry form?
Make sure that you ask for the sale throughout the entirety of your photography website. The easiest way to do this is with call to action buttons that link visitors to your contact page.
These call to actions might be something as simple as “Book now” or “Schedule here” or they might have a little more personality like these examples:
- Ready to book? Right this way, my sweet friend →
- Think I’m the photog for you? I’m blushing’ already. Book me here.
- Ready to kick it with me? Snag your session.
- Want me there for your big day? Score! Secure your date here.
The idea is to make it easy and obvious exactly where and how to book with you.
If you want to maximize the amount of qualified clients that are filling out your inquiry form ready to book, it’s worth investing your time, money, and resources in a well-organized website that is a breeze to navigate.
