When it comes to navigation, the most popular and effective sites are user-directed; that is, the navigation is controlled by the user, not forced by the site. “Slideshows,” where the order and the timing are uncontrollable by the user, are the least effective and most disliked (70% of the ABs ranks this method last in preference). Thumbnails or at least smaller images that a user can click on to see a larger version are very popular. However, the best option is to have static, unmoving “next” and “previous” buttons so that the user doesn’t even have to move her/his cursor. Whatever you select, “keep it simple” is a good mantra for navigation questions. You want your targets to see your work, after all.

The categories for the images, if you choose to categorize, can present some problems. I used to advocate picking good section names but I’m afraid that advice was often misinterpreted. What I now suggest is avoiding using categories at all but if you must, make them as broad as possible. Why? Because our brains work with words in such a way as to make presuppositions and, when something violates what we have presupposed, it gets a negative reaction. For example, if you have a category “portraits” and you have a fantastic image of a horse’s face in it, there is a high chance that viewers will not see that as a “portrait” and then not like the image—even if it’s fantastic.

Which images to show

Your potential clients are all creatives or at least people who are so intimately involved in the creative industries that they can and will see past all the bells and whistles to the quality of your work. You can’t hide bad work with a fantastic site. As the old saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. So, if your site is complicated and your work isn’t strong enough, well, you’re simply alienating potential clients. At the same time, if you have a good, clean, easy to navigate site, your work had better be strong because it will definitely be the centre of attention on the site.

Thus, your work should be first and foremost – it needs to be your best work, it needs to show your vision, and it needs to be consistent with all your other marketing pieces. Remember, this is your online portfolio. If you wouldn’t put the work in your physical book, why are you putting it online? Issues of sequencing may become more fluid because of the nature of a website, but image selection should still be clearly the work which best shows your vision.

As for how many images to show, there is a greater variation on the web than in physical books (where I like to keep it below 25). Still, you don t need to show everything you’ve ever done. It is much better to have fewer yet very strong images than many “good enough” images. If you feel like you don’t have enough images that are powerful enough to show, you need to shoot more.

As a website is a part of your entire marketing mix, it is important for it to match your other marketing materials. Most importantly, the images on your site should reflect the same vision as the images in your physical book. One of the worst things you can do is have your book called in by a potential client because of what they saw on your site, and then send a book that is totally different. Art buyers complain about that all the time, and it’s the kiss of death for a future relationship with any AB. I like some overlap in the images seen on the website and in the physical book, but with some “new” images for the AB to see as well. Regardless, just make sure they match.

Contact info, please!

The most important thing to keep in mind is always: make it easy for your target market to use you. That means besides making it simple for your potential clients to see your work, you need to make sure it is easy for them to contact you. I have seen a surprising number of websites that don’t have basic contact info on them.

You must have, easily available (preferably on each page), the following: your name, your email address (with a clickable link), and your phone number. Including your street address is not a bad idea either. At the bare minimum, you should have a separate page with your full contact information, including your complete street address and any other potential contact points – and a link to that page on every page. Besides just being easy to contact, providing full information has an additional benefit: people often do searches based on location so if you have your location on your site, they will be able to find you.

Other bits and pieces

I personally like sites with a biography page of some sort. It humanizes you. Sometimes information in your bio will “connect” with a potential client and they’ll give you a shot where they might not otherwise. Don’t make it too long, though, and keep it related to your professional life. It may be fine to write “Bob Smith lives in Del Mar, California with his wife and two kids” but don’t go on to say “Bob’s wife, Samantha, is a real estate professional who knits in her spare time” or “Bob likes to golf with his eldest son on the weekends and watch his daughter play soccer.” Remember, potential clients are busy people and you don’t want to waste their time.

Of course, if you shoot golf products, then mention playing it (even with your son) because that shows your passion for your subject, but otherwise, skip the family shout-outs (and that includes family photos).

You can list some of your clients in your biography or have a separate client list. I tend to prefer the latter, and in simple list format. Again, you don’t need to include every single client you’ve ever worked with, but do make sure to list the ones with good name recognition. Clients often ask me if they should list agencies or end-clients on their lists. I think you should list both.

Some potential clients will be impressed you worked with Nike while others will be more impressed you did that work for Wieden + Kennedy. And don’t skimp on the publication titles if you’ve done editorial work. People are impressed that you’ve shot for Business Week or Hemispheres.

Speaking of writing, as a photographer’s website is obviously a mostly visual thing, sometimes the words get short shrift. While a site shouldn’t get too wordy (less IS more), the words that are on the site need to be grammatically correct, spelled correctly, and the writing should be good. As most photographers are visually oriented, I suggest hiring a good copywriter. At the very least, hire a good proofreader. Language errors can make a surprising difference to potential clients. Misspellings and grammar faults make you look unprofessional. A copywriter or a proofreader won’t cost you very much, but they can make a big difference in your results.

A “bonus” marketing opportunity

As I mentioned earlier, you want to keep your website updated. This is important not only because it should be constantly and consistently reflective of your current vision, updating the website also provides you with additional marketing opportunities. Each time you update your site, you should contact your clients and potential clients – to let them know it’s been updated.
Whether you do this via a postcard or an email promo, it’s another point of contact that will help keep your name in their heads. You can also send out press releases announcing the “new website” or “new material” or “new images available for viewing.” Thus, you can get at least one more point-of-contact with your targets that you may not have had, simply by doing an update. As Martha Stewart has been known to say, “That’s a very good thing.”

© Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua

Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua has more than 13 years of experience in the creative industries, on all sides of the creative business equation (client, agency, creative). She knows her marketing and how to get creative businesses on the road to success. Known for her straight-shooting-yet-humorous approach to the serious issues facing creative professionals, she’s written loads of articles and given popular presentations for groups like APA, ASMP, and AIGA, and is the author of Business Basics for the Successful Commercial Photographer

Now you can put her skills and knowledge to work for your creative business. If you’re a photographer, illustrator, designer, or writer, Leslie can help you improve your marketing and your business. Want to get your biz firing on all cylinders? Leslie can help.

Don’t forget to check out the BAPblog and the Creative Lube podcasts free advice from Leslie in often-updated formats.

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