If you’re building your own photography website, you’ve probably encountered a LOT of conflicting advice about what pages you actually need to include. Some people say simplicity is best, while others will tell you that the more information you put on your website, the higher your conversions will be. With SO many different opinions floating around, it’s totally natural to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what you should do.
One thing that I’ve noticed a lot of photographers feel unclear about is what to do with their portfolio page- or if they even need one at all. After all, isn’t it enough to just have photos on the other pages of your website?
As a wedding photographer turned website designer, I have a unique perspective on this, both from my own photography website analytics and from working with others in the photography industry. And from what I’ve learned, every photographer should have a portfolio page on their website. Let’s dive into why.
Why A Portfolio Page is Essential
A well-designed portfolio page gives you the opportunity to showcase the quality of your work all around. When potential clients visit your photography website, they want to know your skill level and get an understanding of your style. Your portfolio page helps them do exactly that.
Having a dedicated space for your portfolio also helps your website visitors have a better experience overall. Rather than only being able to see photos scattered across multiple pages, a portfolio section provides a clear way for potential clients to see more of your work.
BUT that doesn’t mean just uploading a bunch of photos and calling it a day. An effective portfolio page is so much more than that- it meets your website visitors where they are, with the goal of guiding them to inquire with you. That means that, besides beautiful photos, it needs a few key elements. Let’s get into it.
Designing a Portfolio Page That Converts Your Dream Clients
The goal of any page on your website, including your portfolio page, is to create an experience that naturally guides visitors toward becoming clients. This is my favorite basic framework for portfolio pages that convert, which I’m including in all of my new Showit website templates.
Start Off With The Photos
Now of course, anyone navigating to your portfolio page is looking for more examples of your work, so we want to lead with some of your best photos. And I’ll let you in on a little tidbit that will help this page result in more inquiries from your dream clients- showcase photos that are more emotionally impactful, not just the photos that you’re proud of from a technical standpoint.
Have you ever noticed that often, your clients’ favorite photos may not be the ones where the lighting is *just right* or the composition wasn’t exactly what you were going for? Take a look at the photos that some of your clients have posted, and try to figure out why they chose those particular photos. Usually, it has to do with the emotion or sentiment behind the photo itself.
As photographers, sometimes we get so focused on the technical aspects of our work that we overlook the things that are more important to our clients. That’s why you can learn SO much about which photos to feature on your portfolio page by doing a little digging into your past clients’ favorites.
When your website visitors can really see themselves in the photos you feature on your portfolio page, they’re more likely to inquire with you.
Outline The Experience of Working With You
Now, we’re talking about creating your portfolio page, so it doesn’t really need to have a lot of text on it, right?
Actually, including carefully-chosen text is a huge part of what makes a high-converting portfolio page. One of my favorite things to include when I design a portfolio page is a brief overview of what it’s like to work with you. But what exactly should you say?
You can talk about how you help your clients plan a timeline that allows for photos like the ones they’re seeing, or that you communicate carefully with your clients to ensure they receive photos that they can’t stop looking at because they’re head-over-heels in love with them. Whichever you choose, it’s important to outline your process for capturing these photos.
Incorporating Past Client Reviews
When you’re on the cusp of an expensive purchase that you’ve never made before, reviews make a huge difference. To your potential clients that are about to invest in your photography, a stellar review has the power to make them hit that “book” button, so of course we want to include a review on your portfolio page as well.
Here’s another favorite tip of mine: choose a review that goes beyond generic praise. Look for testimonials that mention how you helped solve problems, made clients feel comfortable, or exceeded expectations in meaningful ways.
Ending With A Call To Action
After guiding visitors through your carefully curated photos and building their confidence in your skill, your portfolio page should end in a clear, compelling call to action. This final element provides a clear next step for interested clients. Don’t be afraid to make it direct. In other words, skip the, “Think we’ll get along? Let’s go grab coffee!” style of call to action- we want this one to be bold. I have examples of this in each of my Showit website templates that you can browse if you need a little inspiration.
Get A Website With A Strategic Portfolio Page That Converts
I’m Meagan, and I’m a wedding photographer turned website designer specializing in Showit website templates that are elegant, easy to use, and (most importantly) convert your dream clients! If you’ve been struggling to DIY your website, it’s about time you can take the guesswork and stress out of creating your website. Check out the shop here to browse the strategic website templates I’ve designed!
