As a web designer who loves designing beautiful, SEO-friendly websites for brand photographers, I know how important it is for photographers like you to have a site that truly reflects your work and draws in the right clients.
A thoughtfully designed website isn’t just a portfolio—it’s a powerful tool to connect with clients, set expectations, and drive bookings. Today, I’m sharing some best practices for building a brand photography website that showcases your vision and helps you attract your ideal clients. Plus, I’ll share a few highlights from our client, River Eight & Co., a brand photographer making her mark in the industry.
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1. Make Your Value Clear from the Start
When visitors land on your homepage, they should know right away what you do, who you serve, and why you’re the right choice. Your homepage is an introduction, so aim to be clear and direct. For our clients, we often craft a concise statement to clarify their niche and differentiate their services, like brand photography versus headshots, for example.
While the difference may be obvious to you, it likely isn’t for your clients. Brand photography is relatively new to a lot of business owners and you want to convey the value of your services and why it matters to the business owners you work with.
Tip: Use a short brand statement that includes your specialty, ideal client, and location, like: “Brand photography for creative entrepreneurs in [Your City].”
2. Let Your Brand Photography Take Center Stage
Your work should do the talking. For brand photographers, a site should feel like an experience, with visuals that speak to your style and skill. We often balance large, high-quality images with just the right amount of supporting text, allowing our clients’ portfolios to shine without clutter. We love adding video to sites we design too. If you’re in New England, we offer videography services to our photographers who want behind-the-scenes footage to use on their sites. We are available for travel too! Get in touch here.
Don’t have the budget for a custom website?
Meet Lenox, our website template for brand photographers.
3. Optimize Your Website for Google (So Clients Can Find You)
Having a well-designed website is only part of the equation; it’s important that potential clients can find you online. For all of our clients, especially photographers, we implement SEO strategies like adding location-based keywords, optimizing page layouts, and updating meta information to improve their visibility locally and within their target niche. We’ll also make sure you have Google Search Console set up and connected to your site properly so we can see what’s working and make changes as needed.
4. Build Trust with Personal Details
Your brand photography website should give clients a feel for who you are before they reach out. Adding a personal touch goes a long way in building connection and trust. We recommend including a bio to introduce yourself, allowing potential clients to feel welcome and get a sense of your style and personality. Consider a short video on your About page to help clients feel like they’re meeting you in person.
5. Outline Your Process
A clear outline of your process can ease any uncertainty clients might feel. Letting visitors know what to expect—from the first inquiry to final delivery—makes the experience more approachable. For example, on River Eight & Co.’s site, we detailed the entire client journey to create transparency and build confidence.
6. Add Social Proof with Testimonials
Showcasing client testimonials gives new visitors a sense of what it’s like to work with you. Including positive client feedback strengthens credibility and can be a tipping point for those on the fence about booking.
7. Make it Easy for Clients to Reach You
A straightforward contact form or scheduling tool should be easy to find and simple to use. For our clients, we integrate user-friendly tools like HoneyBook to streamline inquiries and make connecting a seamless experience. We love that HoneyBook makes it easy to keep track of client inquiries, send proposals, collect signatures, and receive payments online. Check them out and get 30% off with my affiliate link.
8. Grow Your Email List
Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with potential clients who aren’t ready to book just yet but may be in the future. We often include an email opt-in form on client sites, in the footer, and across the site, to help build your contact list and nurture leads. We love customizing forms with a bit of CSS to make them blend seamlessly with your design.
9. The Best Website Platform for Brand Photographers
We build many of our brand photography clients’ sites on ShowIt, a platform that offers drag-and-drop design options. You’ll have no problems updating your new website yourself as their builder is fairly straightforward and allows for maximum flexibility. When choosing a platform, consider ease of use and how it integrates with tools you rely on. Showit (check it out here and get one month free with my affiliate link) lets us add a lot of personal touches for our clients and we love how customizable it is.
Squarespace is another great option if you’re looking for something a bit more simplistic.
10. Make Sure It’s Mobile-Ready
Your site should look great on any device. Mobile optimization is essential for a smooth, user-friendly experience, whether visitors are browsing your portfolio or filling out your contact form.
By following these best practices and adding your own style, you’ll have a brand photography website that attracts clients you love and looks good doing it.
Ready to create a custom site that reflects your vision?
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