Portrait and lifestyle Photographer
What do you need from a website to support your business?
A good, branded website is essential for a consumer-facing photography business. It will help position your business, demonstrate your talent and give information about the business, including FAQs about insurance. It is also generally the first point of contact for the enquiries I receive.
How did you decide on the look?
A brand should be developed so that it works across all communications from print to web – so in essence we were just skinning the site. I created a mood board at the start of the brand development phase and always knew that my brand would be simple but memorable, and therefore include colour. I wanted a website that was easy to navigate and as fast as possible.
How do you want visitors to feel when they find your site?
My website is just another brand touchpoint. The brand values that I want to stand for include being artistic and individual. I’m not whimsical or a joker as a person, so it would be totally at odds if my brand was trying to be like this. Your imagery will never position you in the marketplace – that’s the job of your brand. I basically want the right kind of clients to find my website and just think, “Yes, we’ve found her.” And they tell me that this is exactly how they feel.
What sort of package did you opt for?
I went for a bespoke site because I wanted to have full control over the navigation, content, look and feel. I also
wanted to incorporate a blog and have the addition of a password-protected client gallery area, where prints can be ordered and paid for directly.
What is your view on the free website builders out there?
When I first went ‘live’ on the web, I had a very basic portfolio site with no real branding. It was only ever very temporary while my brand and bespoke site were being built. While template sites are affordable for photographers trying to get established, it’s difficult to make them unique or memorable. A website is your shop window – it’s one of the most important investments you’ll ever make in your business.
How did you ensure your brand was reflected effectively?
All of the brand graphics were given to the developers to use, along with brand guidelines. They got the design in one go because the brand identity was well designed in the first place.
What has been most successful in terms of growing traffic and business?
Easy access to the pictures, plenty of content that aimed to answer obvious questions about how I work and what to expect; and a blog that was connected to my main site. Some 75% of my traffic comes via the blog, because I am careful about how I post content to ensure that it is search-friendly. The blog platform is Blogger, which is skinned with my branding and made to look like it is part of the main site.
Why is a blog important for a photographer’s website?
Blogs are active and websites are passive – in other words, blogs broadcast their content while websites wait to be discovered. Posting on a blog is almost instant, so content tends to be new and fresh, and they also encourage readership and repeat visits.
How much attention do you pay to SEO?
It is very important, but I am also the kind of photographer who seems to attract clients who are prepared to search that little bit harder to find the right photographer for them. You have to only have work on your site that reflects who you are and how you want to shoot.
What do you feel are the most important features to have on a photography website?
Number one is a brand – not just a logo. A brand is the combination of what the business stands for, how it sounds and a visual identity. A strong brand will immediately position a photographer within the marketplace.
Consistent portfolio images are critical, and websites should be adaptive
[flexibly designed] to look great on all screens. Words are also critical to back up the imagery. It is essential to name photographs in a marketing-savvy way to drive users of Facebook, Pinterest and Google images back to the source. What’s your advice for photographers looking to build their first website? Spend as much as you can afford on your website and brand. Take the time to get both right; you shouldn’t need to make any significant changes for years if you do it properly. Kate is a leading portrait and lifestyle photographer in the UK, and is available to book for portrait shoots.