In this digital era, having a website dedicated to your wedding photography business is something that cannot be neglected. Why? So that you can display your oeuvre of images and put your portfolio out there for your ideal clients to take a look at. A well-designed website can do wonders for your business growth. It won’t just attract potential clients but could also be the reason why couples book you for their big day. Now, there are so many wedding photography websites out there. So what can you do to stand out from the crowd? In this blog, we will answer that question and also share tips that could help you build a website that will attract couples and boost business.
WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE
If you are wondering what’s all the buzz about having a website for your wedding photography business, well, let us tell you that there are a number of reasons for that. From building your brand and educating your clients to marketing your business and doing it all in an affordable way - a well-planned website will allow you to do all this and more. And listed below are some of the benefits of having a website that could do miracles for your business.
1. PROMOTE YOUR WORK
Having a digital portfolio of your amazing wedding photography will allow your potential clients to check out the photos you’ve created and know what they can expect if they were to book you for their big day. They will not only be able to get a sense of your photography style but also be able to refer you to their friends and family in case of need. Having a website of your own would also allow you to post your own blogs, feature guest writers, get valuable backlinks, and rank high on search engines once your blog features on other websites or you write a guest post for other businesses. A website will allow you to reinforce your brand identity and nurture your market reputation.
Related Read: 5 Creative Wedding Photography Promotion Ideas
2. SELL YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES ONLINE
Online selling or e-commerce has grown rapidly over the years, and business owners are using it to their advantage to sell products and make profits. As a wedding photographer, you can use it to sell your photography packages that offer various services to clients. They may include proposal photography, engagement portraits, 10-minute pre-wedding photography sessions along with wedding photography, or anything else you want to sell to your clients. Your packages may also comprise digital albums, large and mini prints, photo frames, designer albums, etc.
3. SCHEDULE CLIENT APPOINTMENTS
This might sound odd to some. Many might wonder how one can schedule appointments with the help of a website. But that’s exactly what you can do by integrating an online scheduling software with your website. Picture this. The more clients you have, the more difficult it might be to manage your work calendar. When you integrate scheduling software with your wedding photography website, you will be able to give your clients the option to book appointments and schedule their sessions directly from your website. This will make it easy for them as they won’t have to wait for several business hours, make calls, or drop emails, and you won’t have to go through all the rigmarole at your end either. Also, the software is programmed to automatically remind your clients of their appointments, leading to fewer chances of them missing their appointments. Now that, we say, is a great way to improve your overall customer experience and make your life easier.
4. GET CLIENT INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
It’s always good to be informed about customer behavior patterns. And this is one big reason why you must have your own wedding photography website. Because that will allow you to capture information such as your potential client’s name and email addresses. Either you may request your website visitors to fill up the info form on your Contact page or you can create lead magnets that prompt them to fill up info in exchange for some discounts or offers. Once collected, you can use this data for your business promotion. For example, you can send emails to all these people on the list about your new photography packages and plans. You may also encourage them to subscribe to your wedding photography newsletter or read your detailed reports and blogs at a discounted price. Your email marketing efforts will allow you to stay connected with your audience and stay top of their minds. And most of us know how beneficial recall value could be for our businesses!
5. DO SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING
Now, you may be thinking that advertising on social media can, of course, be done even if you do not have a website. You’d need to create accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to begin advertising your photography and packages and that’s it. But, that’s not where your marketing efforts end. You’d need to provide your website’s link in those ads so that once a potential client has viewed your advertisement or gone through your post, they have a link that takes them to your website and gives them a chance to explore more about your work. This will make your business look credible and professional. Also, this is a great way to establish a sense of trust toward your business in your potential clients.
Related Read: Social Media Marketing For Wedding Photographer
6. SHOWCASE TESTIMONIALS/POSITIVE REVIEWS
Positive reviews or testimonials can act as magic for any business or brand. And when it comes to a service-driven industry like photography, potential clients might read and research a lot about businesses before choosing one to book and invest in. And that’s why having those glowing testimonials from past clients on your website can do wonders for business reputation. Also, if you have a review page on any of the other websites, you can include that link on your website to present a stronger case for your services and business.
7. MAINTAIN & CONVEY BRAND IMAGE
Last reason on this list but definitely not the least important. Having a professionally designed website is an ideal way to establish an authentic brand image, maintain a shiny reputation, and also convey to your viewers what your style is like. Basically a window to your work that gives your audience an idea about your photography aesthetics and brand voice. This way they will be able to ascertain if your style resonates with the vision they have for their images. Also, this is something that will extend beyond the images you shot because an attractive website will only enhance the photo viewing experience for your audience.
TIPS TO CREATE AMAZING WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITES
Now that you know why a professional photography website is a good thing for your business, it’s time for you to move ahead and learn some website creation tips. To create an excellent photography website, you’ll need to work on features that make you stand out from other photographers in the industry. And as a wedding photographer, you’d already have stunning images to share on your website. So, how can you present them in the best possible way on your website? Here are the top tips for you along with some examples of wedding photography websites done right.
Related Read: Top 15 Wedding Photography Website Builders
1. CREATE A CAPTIVATING ABOUT PAGE
An About page is an opportunity for you to tell the world who you are as a photographer and business owner. In short, a chance to toot your own horn. When you are creating this page, remember to include details that will bring ideal clients to your business while keeping it on brand. Instead of just saying ‘About’ or ‘Bio’, consider naming this page to something like ‘About XYZ Wedding Photography’ or ‘About Sam’ (or whatever your name is). Everything on your About page should be relatable and personable, giving you a chance to attract like-minded clients.
The write-up on this page should ideally have answers to questions such as who you are, where you come from, your work experiences and the skills you possess, what makes you unique, and how you find solutions to your clients’ problems. In short, everything that prompts potential clients to book you! Though you can also give a glimpse of how you are as a person, your likes and dislikes, your inspiration, ideas, and your photography style in this section, we’d recommend you refrain from going back to your childhood stories. The mantra for this page is simple - convey more in fewer words.
Example: Wedding photographers and ShootDotEdit customers Nate and Dana of Lovers of Love know that an effective approach for an About page is to keep it friendly and relatable. They invite their audience to get to know them through their page titled “Nate and Dana”. While they’ve mentioned that they are a husband and wife team and based out of Los Angeles, California, they’ve also given a little peek into their love story and how they still find comfort in things they used to do as a new couple. They’ve spoken about two tiny humans that complete their family and how they enjoy mountain adventures and beaches as a family. From speaking about their love for their houseplants to describing how they find pleasure in capturing real moments filled with both laughter and tears, Nate and Dana have designed an excellent About page, complete with gorgeous pictures to back it up.
Another section of their About page describes the idea behind their business name, Lovers of Love. They start it off by saying that their business name is something that might sound silly to people but go on to present their case strongly. By talking about relatable feelings, emotions, and ideas, they grab their audience's attention. So, while they come across as professionals, they also make themselves look like interesting humans who have more to offer than just some mechanical work. And that’s the trick! Connect with your clients through your About page, since the more connected they feel, the more inclined they will be to book you.
Related Read: Tips To Write An Amazing Photographer 'About Me' Page
2. PRESENT A STRONG PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO
You are a photographer and your potential clients would be excited to view your images. So, welcome them to your website with a strong photography portfolio on your home page. A medley of well-curated images might make it easy to captivate people and draw them in. Showcase your best images to make clients want to see more of your work and spend some time on your website. An easy way to do this could be to partner with your wedding photo editing company to create stunning photos that your potential clients will love. Keep the layout in mind while presenting your images on your wedding photography website and even take care of the borders and white spaces. No matter how outstanding your photos are, presenting them in a cluttered way would ruin the viewer’s experience, increasing your website’s bounce rate (the percentage of website visitors who leave quickly without going to or viewing other pages of your website). And, of course, you wouldn’t want that. So, research for inspiration, and when you have a framework in mind, choose a good website builder to help you create the best photography portfolio website possible. Also, to avoid copyright infringement or the usage of your stellar images without your permission, consider watermarking them.
Example: ShootDotEdit customer Brent Looyenga of Looyenga Photography displays his wedding photography portfolio on the home page of his website. He invites and entices clients to explore his website through beautiful images from previous sessions. Setting up a strong gallery or slideshow for your clients to view the moment they enter your website will make it easier to showcase your style, and Brent does it perfectly. Besides personal branding, Brent’s website showcases his professionalism and sense of aesthetics beautifully. He displays his outstanding work on his website’s home page and also has a portfolio page dedicated to weddings, engagements, senior portraits, and family photography, which takes his audience through all the photography genres he specializes in and gives them a glimpse of what they can get if they book him. His is one of those model websites for those looking for ideas to design and build their own wedding photography portfolio website or page.
3. MENTION SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT SERVICES & PRICING
As potential wedding clients browse your photography website and your unique photography style captures their attention, their next move could be to check out your products and services. The more specific details you can provide, the easier it will be for them to decide if they want to book you for their big day. From mentioning basic services such as engagement and wedding photography, you can mention if you cater to a specific community or have expertise in covering weddings from diverse cultural backgrounds. You can talk about your style - light and airy, dark and moody, candid, black and white, or anything else. You can mention the process that goes into creating the gorgeous pictures you do. For example, something about your gear or if you do film photography, digital photography, or both. Now, it’s up to you to decide if you want to display your pricing with packages on this page or create another page that talks about your pre-prepared or customized photography packages. Putting all this information out there on your website could help you filter out a lot of low-quality queries, saving time for both parties.
Example: Now, ShootDotEdit customer Danny Dong of Danny Dong Photography is an example of a photography business owner who includes specific details on his website’s Pricing page. This page of his website is easily accessible, lists the services he offers, and includes additional information about each of them. The additional info includes short snippets that provide clarity to website visitors about what they can expect if they book a specific package. It’s laid down so clearly and presented beautifully to ensure that the barrage of information doesn’t overwhelm the website visitors. By incorporating these details and more on the wedding photography website, he has allowed potential clients to learn about the experience they can expect to have if they hire him. In case a potential client has questions regarding these packages, he has also provided a contact form below the pricing section and provided contact details so that potential clients can easily get in touch or connect with him over phone and email. This page also has dreamy images along with pricing and package details, which keeps his unique photography style at the top of potential clients’ minds.
Related Read: How To Set Wedding Photography Prices For Profitability
4. HAVE A CONSISTENT BLOGGING STRATEGY
Having a Blog page on your website could help your business rank high on search engines, making it easier for your ideal clients to find you and check out your website more than that of your competitors. So, when you think of starting a wedding photography blog and attracting people to it, one thing to focus on is a consistent strategy. Consistent blogging is a fast way for you to create exposure for your website and your business. Blogging will allow you to keep up with the trends, provide tips, tricks, ideas, and inspiration to your audience and stay relevant by continuously sharing new content with them. It is also a way to keep sharing all the new and fantastic images that you’ve shot at a recent wedding you covered and added to your portfolio. Using this strategy will allow you to stay top of mind for your audience and help you build a loyal following. Some of these readers might turn out to be your ideal clients and book you in the future or refer you to their family and friends when in need of a photography service similar to yours.
If you’re wondering how you can set up a blog, let’s tell you that the steps aren’t very complicated. You’d just need to register a domain name and set up website hosting by choosing your plan, billing package, country, and adding the domain name. Then, install a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, and then pick a website theme. Still confused? Take a look at this article on the topic. Once you’ve set up a Blog page, keep a few tips in mind while creating content for your audience.
- Knowing the goal of your blog. Be sure if your blog’s objective is brand recognition, awareness, to entertain, to educate, or just marketing your services.
- Doing some keyword research and incorporating other SEO tactics.
- Inviting guest posts and getting quality backlinking.
- Making the content easy to read and comprehend.
- Staying current and keeping consistency in your editing style.
- Loading it with your best and high-quality images (avoiding clutter, though).
- Reviewing analytics for your website and blog. You can get these services for free from sites such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
- Outsourcing blogging to an expert such as Fotoskribe, if you’re not sure of your writing skills.
Example: Photographer and ShootDotEdit customer Joseph McFetridge of Love by Joe Mac showcases his business through his compelling blogs. The design he uses for his blog posts is unique and up to date with his most recent wedding and engagement galleries. Joe’s blogs are more than just photos of weddings and engagement sessions. He captures the love and passion of the newlyweds through images as well as embodies the wedding experience through beautiful narratives. In addition to this, he also provides insights for couples as they prep for a session, as well as education for photographers! When you create a blog that includes more than just your beautiful images, you, in a way, showcase your versatility. You present yourself as the first person that your potential clients will think of when they need a photographer!
BONUS TIPS TO GET WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITES DONE RIGHT
- Work on User Experience: While building your website, keep the user experience in mind. Design a framework that’s pleasing to the eyes and easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find their way around your wedding photography website without having to struggle to get the information they are looking for. Name your sub-pages well and look at them from a client’s perspective. A user-friendly interface will play a major role in enhancing the look of your website.
- Create a Killer Home Page: Impress your audience with a fantastic home page. Attract your website visitors with those stunning pictures you’ve got. Choose a few but the best ones to create an excellent first impression on your website visitors and ensure you optimize them for the web. You can try a collage, a carousel, a slideshow, or any other arrangement to present your images. If you want inspiration to do up your image gallery, take a look at these impressive photography website templates.
- Add Links to Social Media Accounts: Do not forget to link your social media accounts and review pages with your website, as this will help you build a network and also showcase your work on different platforms. Having them all linked will establish trust and increase the sense of credibility for your business in their minds. Also, ensure that the aesthetics, theme, and feel of all your social media handles match that of your website to give your audience a cohesive impression of your brand and style.
- Keep Your Contact Page Simple: Ask yourself if your potential clients will be able to contact you easily through your website. Design your contact page or the section where you choose to put that information in a way that it’s effortless for them to get in touch with you. The section should look inviting and the process painless for them to take the step.
- Add an FAQ Page: As a photographer, you might have gone through similar scenarios hundreds of times and could have an ocean of knowledge to share with your website visitors. You might have answers to all those frequently asked questions that clients often have. So, consider adding an FAQ page or a section that provides links to documents where you’ve listed all queries and their solutions. Giving your potential clients the information they are looking for will make them feel confident about you and your business.
Further Read: 201 Creative Blog Post Ideas For Wedding Photographers
There are many ways for you to create wedding photography websites that will stand out from the rest of your competitors and attract your target market. Just keep in mind that on each page of your website, it is important for you to provide content that will establish and nurture relationships with your past and future clients. As you work on updating your website, take some time out to review the four wonderful websites set up by ace photographers and our customers and see how you can incorporate these tips to get the most from your own photography website. For additional ways to grow and market your business with your website and more, you can take a look at our blog on the roadmap to market your wedding photography business.
At ShootDotEdit, we love sharing tips, tricks, ideas, and inspirational pieces with wedding photographers like you to help you hone your craft. And our professional photo editing services help you save time in your business. We love to aid your business growth and help you focus on scaling it or even take some time off. To learn more about our services, you can take a look at our pricing plans.
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