Website mistakes are easy to make – especially if you’re the kind of girl that loves a good old fashioned DIY. So today, I thought I’d share 5 of the mistakes that I see *the most* on equine photographer websites (plus ways to fix them on your own).
The Home Page (or Entire Website) Consists Only of a Loooong Photo Gallery.
I know it’s tempting to think that your website viewers are only popping by to see examples of your work – but that’s just not the case. Your photos can be stunning, and you’ll still lose out on clients if your website doesn’t have more substance.
Think of your home page as a sampler plate. You want to provide your viewers with a little taste of everything they can expect to see on your website. That’s why it’s good to include your bio, your mission statement, client testimonials, and service options. If you aren’t sure how to lay these things out, try using a template! There are tons of free ones available that you can customize to fit your brand.
Pricing or Investment Guides Are Nowhere to Be Found
Look, I know that the idea of placing pricing directly on your website is widely argued upon. But in my opinion (and experience), clients will be more likely to reach out if they *know* your services are within their price range. If you offer custom packages, you can include a starting price or range of pricing.
If you don’t want to display your pricing directly on your website, consider offering a downloadable pricing or investment guide. In exchange for an email, allow your clients to download a guide that will give them details about pricing and packages. A special bonus for this is that you’ll be able to learn more about the potential client and follow up with them as needed.
The Navigation Menu is Confusing as Heck.
Fancy, cutes-y names for pages on your navigation bar isn’t trendy. It’s honestly just confusing! The whole goal of your website should be to offer your potential clients a ridiculously easy way to get what they’re looking for. They want to know about your services? Click the services tab. They want to check out your resources? Click the resources tab. Keep your website navigation SUPER SIMPLE and straightforward. Your clients will thank you.
The Fonts and Design Aren’t Consistent Across the Site
I think this mistake is one that we can all be guilty of at times – especially if we’re constantly working on our websites (like we should be). But in reality, a website that has a million and one different fonts and a design that doesn’t flow can be a huge turn off for potential clients. It can also be confusing!
Try to pick fonts, font sizes, and colors that you’ll use across your entire site. Keep them written down somewhere handy and refer to them when needed. If you’re using a page builder like Elementor, you can also set up global elements. That way your new pages will automatically pull in your styling!
The Images Are Oversized and Slow Down the Website
As a photographer, your goal is to show off your high quality photos. I get it! But the problem comes when your potential clients aren’t able to see the photos because they’re taking too long to load. As a general rule, you should always make sure that your photos are sized appropriately before uploading them to your website.
Large image files not only slow down your website, but they also have a negative impact on your website’s SEO. Having appropriately sized images will increase your site speed while improving your site’s search engine rankings.
The easiest way to do this is to use a program like Photoshop to resize the images before they get uploaded to your website. If you don’t have this option, or often forget this step, you may want to consider using a plugin. WordPress offers a variety of different plugin options that will optimize your images for you. My favorite is WPSmush, but you can research and find an option that works for you.
Increase Your Client Inquiries by Fixing Website Mistakes
If you’re guilty of any of the mistakes I listed above, don’t stress out. They’re all pretty easy fixes that you can take care of in an hour or two. And trust me, your business will benefit from these minor changes. Don’t feel like making these changes on your own (or don’t know how)? No worries! Reach out to me, and I can give you a hand.
