“Do I really need professional photos for my website?”

It’s a question many small business owners and entrepreneurs ask. As a professional commercial photographer, I can confidently tell you it’s worth the investment! 

Your website is one of the first impressions people will get of your business. Beyond streamlined design and excellent copy, you need images that make people feel an immediate connection. 

There are some definite downsides to using amateur or stock photography on your website.

Customers want to know, like, and trust you before buying your product, booking your service, or reaching out to schedule a call.

No matter how excellent your work is, a website with DIY photos (or no photos at all) can make you look more like an amateur.

Today’s web users expect high-quality visual elements on a website.

When they don’t see the faces of your team, snapshots of your process, or interiors of your location, it can make them uneasy.

Professional stock photographs can be beautiful, but they intentionally lack personality to make them flexible for many uses. That’s why stock photos often fall short on small business websites. They take up valuable space but communicate nothing about your unique vibe and what sets your brand apart! Plus, anyone can purchase your chosen stock photos, including your competitors. Seeing the same images associated with multiple businesses can confuse potential clients. 

Professional photographs reinforce your brand’s personality.

Even if hundreds of others do what you do, the thing that makes your small business stand out is YOU. Professional brand photography can capture the personality, values, people, and processes that make your business unique.

Believe it or not, most people can distinguish between a stock image and a personal brand photograph.

Custom photos are instantly more engaging.

Seeing your smiling face as you sit in your actual workspace builds connection. Staring into the dead eyes of a picture-perfect model posing in a generic desk chair . . . does not. And who doesn’t love a behind-the-scenes look at how you make your product or work with clients? These are the images that build excitement for your brand. 

Custom brand photography helps you stand out. 

Your customers and clients are likely looking at many websites as they search for the solution to their problem. As they open tab after tab on their browser, the sites that pair clear copy with professional images will stand out.

In a consumer survey conducted by BrightLocal, sixty percent of the respondents said they were more likely to consider or contact local businesses based on the images in the search results!

The more visually appealing your site is, the longer people will stick around (hello, awesome SEO boost!). When you plan your brand photography session, you can select wardrobe, backgrounds, and props that complement your web design and work within your brand color palette.

By unifying the look of all of the images throughout the site, your site will immediately look more professional—giving an instant boost of confidence to anyone considering doing business with you.

You can capture the exact images you need to support your copy and design.

Instead of searching for photos that are close to what you need, you can plan out the precise shots to support your site design and goals. 

Need a full-width hero image that immediately draws people in and has room to overlay a tagline? We can specifically create that! Want a photo of your process that captures your passion for your work and makes people beyond excited to reach out and book a call? We can create that too!

A business website needs to build connection and convert visitors to customers. Engaging images that show your service or product in action can give people the exact info they need to navigate your site and take action easily. 

Brand photos have added value beyond your website. 

In addition to working wonders for your website, having a collection of branded images will also help you build consistency across all of your marketing channels and materials.

You can use brand photography in your:

• Social media posts and profiles
• Podcast art
• Brochures and rack cards
• Direct mail pieces
• Print and digital ads
• Email marketing

The bottom line?

Customers expect to feel the same personal connection to your brand on your website as when they connect with you on social media.

Successful small businesses must show up authentically on all platforms—website included—and professional branding photos help them do it well.

Want to learn more about how I can help you set your brand apart with dynamic, joyful, vibrant commercial photography? 

<Contact me to learn more.>