8 must-haves for a great photography website that converts and ranks
Here’s some super simple tweaks you can make to your photography website to help you start ranking in Google search so your perfect clients can easily find and book your services.
A photography business is a location-based, visual business – that’s stating the obvious.
But, based on this information, there’s some specific things you can add to your website that will:
Make it easy for the right people to find and book with you
Improve where and how your site ranks in Google search results
Get the best client outcomes – because you know that the best outcomes occur when you work with clients who feel comfortable and trust you, who resonate with your style and whose businesses and projects excite you.
So, that being said, let’s dive into the tweaks you can make.
Include the locations you service
Does this photographer service my town / state/ country?
As photography is a location-based service, this is a top question your visitors are going to be asking. So you want to make it suuuuper easy for visitors to find this information on your website. And if you service multiple locations or you often travel to other locations for shoots, you should mention this too.
Here's some suggested places to pop your service location:
Near the very top of the home page – not only does this make it easy for new visitors to see immediately if you're the photographer for them but it's also great for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as Google tends to prioritise words that appear on the first quarter of the page.
In the footer of your website – regardless of the page your visitor lands on, they will have the ability to easily see where you're located. Having this info in the footer can also be beneficial for SEO.
On your about page – similar to your home page, try placing your location somewhere near the very top of the page
On your contact page / booking page – if someone is keen to work with you (because you've been referred or they've seen your awesome work elsewhere), they likely will skip reading through your entire site and jump directly to the contact or booking page. Make it easy for them to see the location here as well.
Not just on your website – try adding your service locations to your Instagram bio, Facebook bio, Google maps, in your email signature and in the footer of any newsletters you send out
This is about taking away the guesswork for your visitors and saving them valuable time hunting for these details.
And, when someone searches for a photographer in your area, your website is more likely to show up in search results if you have actually mentioned that area on your website.
Your signature style
Your business is a visual business and your signature style is what is going to make someone want to book with you
You also want to make sure that you're attracting the right kinds of clients and projects, who resonate with your style, and steering clear of those who do not.
Do the current images you have throughout your website (and in your portfolio) visually represent your style and the types of clients / projects you love to work with and want to attract into the future?
If not, you might want to do some image updating.
You might also like to write about your signature style too, describe what your style is and why you love this style. Your About page could be a good place for this.
Take a look at this photography website design for a fun example of how you could present this information.
A portfolio with words (not just images)
Your portfolio is a great place to showcase past shoots, helping potential clients to see more of your style and also to 'see' themselves in your shoots.
So yes, you definitely need images in your portfolio.
But, you also need words, for each project.
This will help to give potential clients context around the types of work you do, your process and the types of projects you love.
This is also important for SEO because Google needs to scan the words on a page to determine what that page is about and where it should be returned in search results.
Some examples of what you could write might be:
The client name and shoot location
The type of shoot (branding / product / portfolio, family, videography etc)
The mood / style of the shoot
A description of what the client wanted and how you achieved this
What package the client opted for (and link back to the sales page for that package on your website – internal links can also be good for SEO)
Take a look at our Elle one-week website design for photographers for a great example of how to structure your portfolio.
Make it easy to book a chat with you
Having your photo taken can feel vulnerable, so building trust is essential. One of the best ways to do this is by making it easy for potential clients to connect with you for a chat. A friendly conversation allows you to understand their needs, put them at ease, and show them how you can deliver the results they’re looking for.
Clear, visible calls to action (CTAs) on your website are key to making this happen. Add a “Book a Chat” button or link in prominent places, like your website header, footer, and on key pages like your home, services and contact pages. This way, no matter where your visitors are on your site, they’ll have an easy way to take the next step.
Offering a simple scheduling tool, like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling, can make this process even smoother. It allows clients to pick a time that suits them without back-and-forth emails, which creates a seamless and professional experience right from the start.
Think of this step as an opportunity to build rapport, answer any questions, and ensure they feel comfortable moving forward with you. When they know they’re in good hands, it sets the tone for a great working relationship—and even better photos!
Add alternative text to your images
Adding alt text to your images makes it easier for people with disabilities, who are using technology such as screen readers, to navigate and understand the content in your site.
Alt text is important for SEO, too. Because when Google scans your website, it's not able to see what's inside an image (it's only picking up on written words).
That's where alternative text comes in – it describes to Google what your image is about, thereby helping Google to determine where to place this in search results.
If you're using Squarespace for your website, this article here explains alt-text best practices and how to go about adding alt text to your images.
Optimise the size of your images
When it comes to adding images to your website, you want to optimise the images to improve your website loading times.
Large-sized images will slow down the loading speed of your website.
And when a website loads slow, your visitors don't appreciate this and neither does Google – which means, from an SEO perspective, your site can be penalised.
Here's some simple guidelines to follow to optimise your images:
For full width images 2500px wide is generally a good size to maintain quality of the images when it's stretched across the full width of a website page
For smaller images, I tend to stick somewhere between 1000-1500px, depending on how the image is being used
The actual file size of the image should be no more than 250kb. After you've resized your images, you can run them through a compression tool such as tinypng.com (or Photoshop or Lightroom) to reduce the file size without impacting the visual quality.
Answer frequently asked questions
Including a FAQs section on your photography website is like having a friendly assistant on hand to answer potential clients' most common questions. It saves both you and your client time and helps them feel confident about reaching out to book with you.
FAQs can cover everything from your pricing structure, how to prepare for a shoot, turnaround times, and whether you provide digital or print options. This clarity builds trust and reduces any hesitations they might have.
From an SEO perspective, FAQs are also a goldmine. Google loves content that directly answers user queries, and having well-structured FAQs can increase your chances of appearing in "People Also Ask" boxes or other search snippets. Plus, FAQs are a great place to naturally include keywords relevant to your business, such as "wedding photographer in [location]" or "headshot photography FAQs."
So, not only do FAQs help your clients, but they also make it easier for search engines to recommend your website to people actively looking for a photographer like you.
The best place to add FAQs is to the page on your website that talks about your services and packages. Take a look at our photography website design for a great example.
Include social proof
Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools on your photography website. They provide social proof, showing potential clients the results you’ve achieved for others and helping to build trust and credibility.
Including testimonials also allows you to showcase the diversity of your work and the unique value you bring to your clients. Whether it’s a family portrait session that captured priceless memories or a branding shoot that elevated a business, testimonials let others tell the story of what it’s like to work with you.
For an added SEO boost, include the client’s location alongside their name in each testimonial. For example, “Sarah L., Adelaide” or “John D., Byron Bay.” This subtly reinforces your service locations to Google, helping your site rank better when people in those areas search for a photographer.
The best spots for testimonials? Scatter them throughout your website – on your home page, portfolio pages and sales pages.
Checklist items for designing a great photography website
▢ Add your service locations to your website – home, about and contact pages as well as the footer. I also suggest adding your locations to your social media profiles and your email signature.
▢ Check that the images displayed on your website represent your signature style and the types of clients / projects you like to work with – update if necessary
▢ Add written descriptions to the projects in your portfolio (aim for 300-500 words) to give context to your projects and improve SEO
▢ Make it easy for potential clients to book an initial chat with you by adding a booking button in the header and footer and through-out key pages.
▢ Add alt-text to all the images in your site (this article explains how) to improve accessibility and SEO
▢ Optimise the file size of your images to improve website loading time – images should be no more than 250kb
▢ Add FAQs to the bottom of your sales / services page
▢ Scatter client testimonials through-out your site and include the client’s name and location for added SEO benefits.
Need help improving or designing your photography website? I can help.
Your website is a key part of your photography business—it should reflect your style, attract your dream clients, and make booking simple. Whether you need a brand-new website, an update to your existing one, or would like an expert’s eye over your site to identify areas for improvement, I can help.
Wherever you are in your photography business journey, let’s work together to create a website that supports your goals and attracts the perfect projects.
