8 Essential Features That Every Wedding Photographers Website Needs
8 Essential Features That Every Wedding Photographers Website Needs
I promise you’re missing at least one of these!
Hey there, wedding wizards and photography pros! Picture this: a stunning online hub that doesn’t just capture moments behind the lens but frames them beautifully on a website canvas. As a woman thriving in the wedding industry, you know that a photographer’s website isn’t just a digital business card; it’s a visual love letter to your craft and business, and most of the time it’s where a bride is making her final decision to book with you or not!
If you’re a wedding photographer your online presence deserves to sparkle as much as those cherished moments you freeze in time. It’s pretty non-negotiable that your website has to convey that you are worthy of the trust that you asking brides to give you.
In this blog article, I’m giving you 8 must-haves you need on your site to ensure your work stands out (just like you do for your beautiful brides). Think of it as a checklist of the specific features that’ll turn those visiting clicks into booking “I dos.”
Time to showcase your showstopping work and show your brides how working with a photo pro like you is going to be one of the best wedding day decisions they make! Second maybe to legally binding yourself to another human being for the rest of their lives LOL
1. Showing Your Work (In A Beautiful Way)
Okay okay before you roll your eyes and click away, of course as a photographer you know how important it is that you show your work but what I’m emphasizing here is HOW you show your work.
It’s 2023 as I’m writing this and GONE are the days of just putting a couple of images up on your homepage and calling it a day.
You need to be showcasing your images in a way that adds to the “aesthetic” (is that word too overused yet?) of your business and photography style, not in a basic boring way that makes you look like every other photographer on the planet.
gallery from a recent web design project
In the same breath I’m going to contradict myself and say that it also doesn’t have to be rocket science, overcomplicating your web design (I’m talking to you DIY queen) is a surefire way to end up with a site that looks clunky and funky and distracts from your work.
Make sure your uploads are high quality without bogging down your website
It is totally unacceptable for you as a photographer to upload blurry pixelated images to your site, however, don’t forget to keep your site load times and storage space in mind!
If you are using a web builder/hosting service like Pixieset **side eye** you may even be limited in storage space that you use (BOOO!!)
Pixieset isn’t that terrible but I would really suggest going with another option like Squarespace or Showit for your photography website. More on this in an upcoming post!
Quick Tips For Optimized Image Size
- Generally, images should be no wider than 2650pxs for full-width images
- Keep it between 150-300 PPI
- JPEG files only
- Compression tools like TinyIMG and Squoosh are great
2. Genuine Testimonials From Happy Couples
Genuine testimonials from genuinely happy customers will say “I’m actually a good photographer” better than you ever could.
Notice how much I’m saying GENUINE here? That’s because I don’t want to see you or anyone else using fake testimonials it’s embarrassing TBH. People can smell *poop emoji here* from a mile away and instead of building your trust and credibility, it will actually ruin it.
So what’s a new photographer to do? Put your best foot forward with your best work and wait for that first paying client to come along OR offer to shoot some images at a discount in return for a review. PS, this doesn’t have to be a wedding shoot it just has to be coming from someone who got their photos taken by you and was actually happy with them.
How to pick the right reviews
- Make sure it’s emotional
- Make sure it’s recent
- Make sure you liked working with this client
- Make sure it talks about how you made them feel
You have to actually ask for reviews in order to receive them *GASP*
I’m always so shocked to see how many people across all industries just skip right over asking for reviews. *Shudders in business owner*
Following up with clients for feedback and testimonials is 100% a must do in your business, it’s one of the most powerful decision making factors out there when it comes to booking. Not to mention it’s easy content for you to share with on socials and your past clients will appreciate that you genuinely care about their experience. A nice bonus is when a past client gives you tips about how you can improve your shoots or experience in general. (I realize this doesn’t always FEEL like a “nice bonus” but it is I promise)
Make sure you follow up after delivering images to a client and either send them a custom feedback form built into your CRM system or direct them to your Facebook or Google review pages.
Bonus: Ask for feedback immediately after delivering images to catch them in that “OMG these are amazing!” state of mind.
3. Contact And Inquiry Forms
This is another no-brainer, but if you don’t have a contact or inquiry form on your website what are you even doing with a website?
If you are directing people away from your website to book with you (please see: “email me for availability”) you are almost guaranteeing a lost bride or two… or three… along the process. And, in this day and age of the internet there is literally no reason not to be collecting contact information and booking clients directly from your website.
I don’t know of any website providers that don’t have contact forms included in their functionality. I take that back Canva sites can’t do forms but honestly, you are going to Photographer Jail if you use a Canva website for your beautiful work so don’t do that! So, there is literally no reason not to have one on your website.
If you use a CRM system like Honeybook or Dubsado you even book them into your calendar, schedule consultation calls, and send invoices automatically when someone sends you an inquiry!
What to include on your contact form:
- Name
- Phone number
- Date of event
- Location of event
- Package they want (if you offer packages)
- Message section to ask questions or give special requests
4. SEO Photography Content
Wouldn’t it be nice if you never had to dance in a TikTok video or do a cringey lip synch again on Instagram Reels? What if all your brides found you through this magical place called… Google.
Believe it or not, there are photographers out there who are securing weddings left and right from Google and while it does take time to see results from your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts, it isn’t something you want to ignore. I’m speaking from experience when I say you will wish you had started implementing SEO sooner.
What does SEO look like for Photographers?
- Adding Meta Descriptions and ALT Text to your images
- Include your location and service
- Optimize file names
- your city-state-wedding-photographer12.JPEG
- your-business-name-boho-wedding-city.JPEG
- Create blog content about each wedding you shoot
- Include things like where it happened, testimonials, and backlink to any other vendors or businesses that helped in the wedding
- Create blog content about weddings in your area
- Top venue lists in your area, favorite cake bakeries etc
- Research your keywords
5. Social Media Integration
Wherever you are hanging out on the internet and wherever you are connecting with your brides, you need to link back to those accounts. You have probably seen a million of the embedded Instagram feeds (check out the bottom of my page for an example). This is generally pretty easy to do (Showit and Squarespace both have awesome built in features for this) but you can use 3rd party software if your website provider doesn’t have one. You can also embed your profile directly from Instagram. Check out how to embed a TikTok profile here.
Your social media is probably a place where you’re drawing in potential clients but it’s also a place where clients might go to see more of your work and get a better idea of your personality/vibe. If you are spending any amount of time on social media it’s worth the effort to link back to it for your website visitors.
6. Mobile Friendly Design
If you are handling your website without the help of a pro, I NEED you to understand how important the mobile version of your website is. 60% of all website traffic comes from mobile phones.
I want you to think about where your clients are finding you. Did they come from Facebook, TikTok or Instagram? Then they are almost certainly going to your photography website on a mobile phone.
Double and triple check that the mobile version of your website makes sense and actually looks good. It’s harder to work on a tiny screen and still make a big impact, so if you have to choose between design, functionality, or visibility then you must sacrifice design.
Some website builders will automatically format your mobile site when you design the desktop version, however in the world of web design that isn’t the best practice.
Showit is great for mobile sites because it allows you to build your mobile site completely independently from the desktop version. But when you are doing it by yourself simplicity might be the safer choice.
7. Pricing And Packages
Whether you display your package prices or not at the very least you should have your starting rates or a price range displayed on your website as well as the details of what is included in each package.
This might be a great time to re-evaluate your pricing or get creative about the different ways you can diversify your packages to create more value for your clients and more revenue for you.
If you keep getting messages and emails asking you about pricing that’s a good sign it’s not easy enough for your clients to see.
8. A Blog kind of like this one!
Notice how I (brand and web designer) got you (wedding photographer) here on my website? It’s the magic of a good blog, and it works for pretty much any business model out there.
Blog content is just one of the many forms of “content marketing” and while a blog might sound circa 2012 it’s actually still one of the best ways to bring people to your website.
It can also make the rest of your content creation (TikTok, Instagram, etc) more streamlined and require less brainpower from you. One detailed blog post can be broken down into different posts and videos for other platforms. I’m literally going to do this exact thing once I publish this post.
The other big reason to get into blogging is our good ol’ heartthrob SEO. **swoons**
If you want couples to find you on Google when they search “Nashville wedding photographer” you have to make content about being a wedding photographer in Nashville. I know it’s easy to get caught up in trying to go TikTok viral and trying the 10849th Instagram hack but sometimes it’s wise to focus on a different route.
Feel like every photographer you know gets clients from Facebook or Instagram? That means they’re ignoring the SEO market which means it’s wide open for YOU. There is a good possibility that there are not too many local photographers in your area that are taking advantage of SEO and Google, so if you’ve been feeling like you’re in a fight for clients with competition maybe stop trying to compete with them where they already are and head to an arena where nobody else is bothering to fight at.
Blogging is especially great if talking to the camera makes you want to puke ** look in the mirror ** then blogging is the answer to your prayers. Say goodbye to cringe and hello to all your new awesome clients that found you through your blog.
Now it does take time for your blog to take off so just like you wouldn’t expect your first Instagram Reel to go viral, don’t expect a huge result from your blog right away. Just commit to starting one and adding to it regularly.
Some blog post ideas for wedding photographers:
- Best venue locations in your area
- Venue reviews
- Local vendors you recommend
- Make a new post for every wedding you shoot with lots of details about who what when where and why this wedding was unique (and how you got the MOST romantic shots anyone has ever seen)
- Tips for planning weddings in your area
- Wedding DIY tutorials
I hope these suggestions gave you some ideas on how to beef up your website and book more brides. Make sure you check back regularly for more tips on marketing your business and booking more clients! If you’re not sure where to get started or what your website might be missing feel free to book a free website audit and get some professional eyes on your website!
In your free website audit you’ll get a free 15 minute Loom recording of your website with some actionable suggestions to improve your website no icky sales meetings.
Until next time! Cheers!
