Many people feel that getting visitors to your website is the hard part, but what happens when they get there? Are you doing all you can to make sure your conversion rates are high and your website is turning visitors onto clients? This article looks at the balance between words and photographs.
Don't be Shy!
It goes without saying that the photographs you include on your website are critical to your success, but I believe they can be far more effective if backed up with words. When I look at photographer's websites one thing that surprises me is how little text many of them contain. Some are little more than a photo gallery. The job of the words is to give any potential client an insight into who you are, how you work and your approach to photography. When used successfully they can give potential clients a nudge in terms of how they should be thinking about you and your work.
Creating an Online Brochure
In my view a website acts as an online brochure for a photographer. If you were planning to send out a paper based brochure then obviously it would contain pictures, but there would also be plenty of writing to entice new customers and to build interest in your services.
If you agree that including text is a good idea then the next step is to consider where to place the text and how much to write.
One idea that I like is to provide a written commentary for each picture on your website. If this is done correctly it could help you to hook the potential client who is looking at the photo. Perhaps you could take time to explain why the picture was difficult to take, how you were being creative with the lighting and why you think the picture works well. This gives you an opportunity to explain your craft and add to the impression of being a skilled and knowledgeable photographer. It is a good opportunity to make yourself stand out from the competition.
How Much Text Should You Use
In terms of how much text you should associate with a picture I would suggest a minimum of 100 words to accompany any photograph. That is a little less than a paragraph the size of the one above.
Other pages on your site also are also likely to offer opportunities to add advertising copy to work in conjunction with your photos. To start with I would always suggest having a biography page. You can also have a set of pages where you discuss some of the challenges you face as a professional photographer and walk through some of the jobs your have covered in the past. Again this can help you to create the impression of a highly competent photographer. All of this gives a potential client the chance to get to know you better and to build a feeling of trust. My view is the more time you can get someone to spend looking through your website and making a connection with you, the greater your chances are of converting them into a customer.
Could a Blog Help You?
Next up you may wish to consider a blog. A fair amount of work needs to go into a blog as it has to be updated on a regular basis. There are at least two advantages for considering adding a blog to your site. The first is it can help to build the impressions that you are a very busy photographer. Secondly and perhaps more importantly it gives you the chance to show your passion for photography. Even if you are not always posting work related items to your blog, it can help to show you really enjoy what you do and you like to get out and about whenever possible taking pictures.
Text - An Extra Bonus
Another potential advantage of adding text to your website is that search engines like text based web sites, especially those that are updated on a regular basis. So as well as using text to snare clients you could also find improved search engine rankings as an unexpected bonus.
Find a Deal
Related Sites and Feeds
