What Should a Photography Website Include? A Page-by-Page Guide

Every photographer knows a website needs good pictures. Far fewer know which pages should sit around those pictures, or what each one ought to say. So you often end up with a beautiful gallery and no obvious next step.

This guide works through a photography website page by page. It’s written for UK photographers. Weddings or portraits, families or headshots, commercial work or events: the same pages apply. Use it as a checklist when you build a new site or review an old one.

What should a photography home page include?

Your home page has one job. Within seconds it has to show visitors that you shoot the work they need, and then send them onward. Open with one strong image and a short line saying what you photograph and where, with an obvious button to your portfolio or enquiry form.

• Say plainly what you do. “Wedding photographer in Lincolnshire” beats a clever tagline.
• Show a small selection of your best work, not everything you’ve ever shot.
• Add one short piece of proof, such as a testimonial or a venue or publication you’ve worked with.
• Pick one main call to action and repeat it further down the page.

If you want the whole site done this way, our website design for photographers service loads fast and turns visitors into enquiries.

How should you organise portfolio galleries?

Give each type of work its own gallery: weddings, portraits, headshots, events, products. Someone hunting for a headshot photographer shouldn’t have to scroll past weddings. Keep each gallery to your strongest images and put them in a deliberate order, so the first few pictures a visitor sees are the ones most likely to make them get in touch.

Write a short caption or introduction for each gallery, because it tells people what they’re looking at and gives search engines some text to read. Use descriptive filenames, and alt text that actually describes the picture, as Google Search Central’s image guidance recommends. Don’t stuff it with keywords.

What should an about page say?

People hire photographers they feel comfortable with. That’s why the about page often ends up among the most visited pages on the site. Write it for the client. Skip the career history.

• A friendly, well-lit photo of you, ideally at work.
• How you work and what it feels like to be photographed by you.
• Where you’re based and where you travel.
• A few relevant credentials, such as memberships or training, if you have them.
• A button to get in touch.

Should you put prices on a photography website?

There’s no single right answer. Giving some guidance usually saves everyone time, though. A starting price, or a “packages from” figure, tells visitors if you’re in their range before they enquire. If you quote every job individually, say what drives the cost: hours and location, the number of edited images, usage rights.

Explain what happens after someone gets in touch as well. A short outline of the steps makes the whole thing feel simple and takes the hesitation out. Consultation leads to a quote, then booking, the shoot and delivery.

Where should testimonials go?

Put them where doubt runs highest. That means the home page and your service pages, and right next to the enquiry form. Use real words from real clients, with their name or first name and the type of shoot, and only with their permission. Short, specific comments beat general praise. Never make up a review, or edit one so it says something the client didn’t.

How should the contact and booking page work?

Keep it short. Ask for name and email first. Then the date or timeframe, where the shoot is and what kind it is. Finish with a free-text box. Each extra field costs you enquiries. Say how quickly you usually reply, and make sure the form confirms on screen that the message has gone, so nobody is left wondering whether it reached you.

Add your email, phone number or social links for people who’d rather use those, and test the form on a phone before you launch. Lots of visitors will arrive from Instagram on mobile, so this page has to work with one thumb. Our overview of marketing for photographers shows how the website fits with the rest of your promotion.

Do you need a blog on your photography website?

Not at launch. Over time, though, it helps. A blog lets you show full shoots and venue write-ups, and answer the questions clients ask, and each can pull in people searching for that topic. Tell each shoot as a short story with a handful of images. A bare gallery dumped into a post does much less.

Only start a blog if you can keep it going. One whose last post went up two years ago does more harm than none.

What legal pages does a photography website need?

If your site collects any personal data, through an enquiry form for example, you need a privacy policy. The ICO says organisations must give people privacy information at the point of collection, in clear and plain language. That information covers purposes and retention periods, and who the data is shared with. Link to it from your footer and next to the form.

Cookies need their own attention. Under the ICO’s cookie guidance, you have to tell people about non-essential cookies and get their consent before you set them. Consent needs a clear positive action. Simply carrying on using the site doesn’t count. Check which cookies your analytics and embeds set (gallery tools too), and configure your banner to match.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you’re unsure, get advice on your own situation.

How we can help

We design and build websites for photographers that load fast and are set up for search from day one, and that steer visitors towards an enquiry. There are working photographers on our team, so we know how galleries need to look and behave. We agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any work begins.

Sources

• ICO: Cookies and similar technologies
• ICO: The right to be informed
• Google Search Central: Google Image SEO best practices