Few things are more crucial to a photography business than the website, as it is the place where most potential clients will go to see your work, to decide if you are the right fit for their wants and needs, and to initiate contact with you. As such, your website deserves careful attention. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced commercial photographer sharing some common website mistakes and how to fix them.
Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this great video tutorial will show you some common mistakes photographers make with their websites and how to fix them. By far, the most common mistake I see photographers make is simply putting form over function with their websites by making them overly complex to navigate or slow to load in an attempt to make things look fancy. People tend to have very short attention spans on the internet, and if they do not find your site intuitive and easy to work with, they will probably simply move on to the next option. Generally, it is better to stick with more straightforward designs and let your photos speak for themselves. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.
Imo the biggest mistakes people make are:
1. Not making it easy to know where you are located and how to contact you. I get everyone wants to be a fancy 'international' photographer but in reality almost no one is. Put your damn location on the site and make it easy to contact you. Don't hide behind an annoying form and a captcha.
2. Low-quality images and/or tiny images. When I think of building a photo website, I think all about harnessing first impressions to create a "wow" moment if I can. A mosaic of teeny tiny thumbnails doesn't do that. Find your biggest, most impressive image and lead with that as large as you can.
3. Too many images. This is an extension of 2 but volume isn't the name of the game. You want to show enough images to give the impression of consistency and variety but only show your greatest work. Get in the habit of removing a photo anytime you add one.
4. End with something great. Most people don't get to the end of the gallery but some do. It can be really easy to fall into the trap of sequencing your gallery in order of quality which does work towards #2 in terms of making a great first impression but you also don't want the experience of going through your gallery to be a downward spiral where the viewer ends on the worst photo you have as it will be the one they remember.
#1 is easily the most common mistake I see among my colleagues. I specialize in real estate photography and it's essential for prospective customers (real estate agents) to know what areas you service!
I watched this video and concluded that I need to simplify the website I published three weeks ago.
There is still much to do, so I shall proceed with an open mind and take expert advice and suggestions.
However, one thing needs to be remembered. Cultural differences exist, and what works well here in the cold north can be seen as oddities in other parts of the world.
Good luck with your websites!
Why do I have to sit through an 18-minute video to learn what you could tell us in a few words and a few minutes? I'm old and don't have that kind of time left! :D
watch time = revenue.