livebooks blog

If you are trying to grow a profitable photography business, chances are you already know how important a strong website is for long-term success. And while you may have a great eye for composing and editing beautiful images, you may not have the right level of expertise to know what does and doesn’t make a great website.

As you work on your new website’s design, be sure to avoid these common mistakes made by photographers on the web today.

Too Little Content

Even if you have some of the most stunning photographs and would prefer to let them do most of the selling for you online, it doesn’t mean you should rely too heavily on only letting them do the talking. Content is still a vitally important piece to your website’s user experience!

Not only do people who visit your website want to know what you offer, but they ideally want to have enough information to connect with you personally before even reaching out to you through your contact form. You’ll also reap the benefits of higher search engine rankings with a strategic content strategy as well.

Too Many Images

As the artist, you probably have a similar challenge to most other artists out there: you have a personal love for all of your work. Although that is completely understandable, it doesn’t mean every image you’ve ever taken deserves to be front-and-center on your website.

Whether you ask friends and family (or other experienced photographers) to help you, or you practice being a little more critical of your own work, it’s extremely beneficial to narrow down to the best of the best before putting them online.

Why? For a couple of great reasons. First, you should make sure that the work you publish online depicts your best and most relevant work that speaks to your brand and ideal clients. Secondly, too many images (especially with large file sizes that aren’t optimized) can slow down your site load speed, preventing users from enjoying your site while also harming your SEO.

Lack of Contact Information

You also want to make sure your contact information is easily accessible across your website. Far too many photographers make the mistake of linking to social media handles and a contact page, but forget to list a phone number or email address. Be sure that anyone who comes across your website and is interested in hiring you for your photography skills can actually contact you.

Start Your New Website Design Today

With a liveBooks website, you’ll be able to use our stunning, customizable website templates that look great on any mobile device!

We’ve also got a top-notch support team who’s here to help you every step of the way. Start for free today!

Not all websites are made the same, and certainly shouldn’t be! Every company will have a unique set of ideal audiences, branding style choices, and industry standards for web design. And wedding cinematographers are no exception.

If you are a wedding videographer looking to build a brand new site or redesign one you’ve already launched in the past, be sure you follow these simple steps to ensuring your website is engaging and effective in connecting you with engaged couples out there today.

Spotlight Your Favorite Video on Your Homepage

If you have one (or two) wedding highlight films you’ve created within the last year that really speaks to your brand and style, showcase it by placing it within your homepage’s design!

Like many others within the wedding industry, you’ll want to promote your best work up-front, especially the one that most closely aligns with the types of weddings you want to book more of.

Add a Gallery Page for Samples of Work

Instead of placing all of your videos on your homepage, create a gallery page on your website solely dedicated to showcasing your previous work.

Why? First, this is better for search engine optimization (SEO). When potential couples visit your website and explore multiple pages (such as arriving on your homepage and then clicking on the menu to visit your gallery page), this increases your average page per visit (the number of pages website visitors click through on average within one session). A high pageview rating on your website will tell Google that the information on this website is valuable and that visitors are interested in multiple pages you are providing.

It also is a sign to Google that people are staying longer on your website, since they won’t be “bouncing” or leaving right away. And this, too, helps your overall search engine rankings.

And lastly, it makes for a great user experience! Having your top videos in one place makes it easy for website visitors to find and watch (or binge) through.

Embed Videos

It’s important that you focus on embedding videos on your website rather than trying to upload them as normal files, which would otherwise slow your site speed down. Instead, upload your films to a service like Youtube or Vimeo, and then embed the code they provide in order to show it on your own website. If you’re on liveBooks, head on over to this article to learn how to embed videos onto your website!

Include Text Areas to Describe Your Work & Process

Don’t just let the videos do all the selling; be sure you are providing descriptions about your company, your experience and your work process, too!

Add text areas on your Home and About pages to allow potential couples to learn more about who you are, how you started in this line of work, and why they should consider hiring you instead of another videographer out there.

Start Your New Website Design Today

With a liveBooks website, you’ll be able to use our stunning, customizable website templates that look great on any mobile device!

We’ve also got a top-notch support team who’s here to help you every step of the way. Start for free today!

Your homepage, or start page, is the entryway to your entire website. It’s what your visitors see when they first access your website. It’s the best opportunity to catch their interest – it’s where their focus is at its finest. So why not use this to your advantage?

One of the many liveBooks features allows you to set any page on your website to be the homepage. Here are just a few ideas on how this great tool can work in your favor:

Set a Campaign page as homepage – online campaigns can help you gain more visibility. When running a campaign on your site, instead of editing your homepage, you can use another one specifically designed for your marketing purposes.

Set your Shop page as homepage – when you’re running sales, or have new merchandise you want to bring the attention to, this is the way to do it.

Set your Events page as homepage – any shows, fairs or other events you want to invite a large number of guests to are better shared the instant your visitors set their eyes on your website.

Set your Contact page as homepage – when you’re updating your contact information, email, phone number or physical address, you can opt to direct your clients directly to the Contact page for a set period of time.

To give any of your pages the homepage attribute, you need to follow these seven easy steps:

1. Log into your account.
2. Go to your Content editor.
3. Choose the page you want to use as homepage and click the Settings gear associated with the page.
4. Select Use as homepage.
5. When prompted on your decision, choose Yes. 
6. Your new homepage will have a small house icon next to the Settings gear. 
7. Publish your changes.

Unless you hide your original homepage, it will still appear on your website and function as any other page, leaving all your initial info intact. The only thing that will be different now is the first bit of information your visitors see when they enter your website.

As all businesses differ, so do the services and products they offer, and there are tons of ways to design your homepage with the liveBooks platform, whether it is a temporary one or the one you wish to settle on for a longer period of time.

To gain access to all the wonderful tools liveBooks has to offer, sign up for a free 14 days trial today!

If you’ve ever struggled with the decision of whether or not to publish your prices online for all to see, you’re not alone.

No matter your industry or niche, there are a few important pros and cons to consider before determining if it’s a step in the right direction for your business.

Challenges of Listing Your Prices and Packages Online

1. Those who are just “shopping around” may pass you by, strictly based on price alone without meeting you or talking with you at all. Many business owners out there call this the “sticker shock” factor, and it’s a big valid concern.

2. Competitors may see your prices and undercut you. Although not guaranteed, this is a possibility, and it does scare entrepreneurs into keeping prices hidden behind closed doors.

3. You’ll have to manage your website pricing information on a semi-regular basis. Do you plan to change your prices every year? Although changing content on your website isn’t a terribly difficult task, it can be something you forget to do at the right time.

4. Listing prices or packages can be hard to do if you offer custom work or services. Whether your customers come to you for customizable options or each of your services may vary greatly in size and scope, listing only one or two prices can be a significant challenge.

Benefits of Publishing Prices and Packages on Your Website

1. Fewer emails from price shoppers. If you’re struggling to get inquiries as-is, this may worry you at first, but don’t be alarmed. By publishing your prices online, the inquiries you do receive will likely be more serious about purchasing from or hiring you. And you may even hear from people who would have assumed you to be out of their budget’s price range, but are now excited to speak with you after knowing your prices up-front!

2. You’ll be more transparent. Here’s the truth: customers of all kinds these days want pricing information, and not just those comparing rates left and right. The internet has made everything easier and faster to do electronically. By listing this information publicly, your potential customers will be more likely to appreciate the honesty.

3. You may gain more confidence. It might surprise you, but by putting your pricing out there and hitting the publish button, you might feel a bit more confident in yourself. Many entrepreneurs, especially those within the first few years of doing business, know the “panic” feeling of getting another inquiry in their inbox. Should they send the rate they sent someone else? Are they charging enough? Too much? Many of these doubts and fears may fade if you are more “sure” of your rates and list them online.

4. Others in your industry may not be publishing their prices. And by sharing yours, you may win out against them!

5. Publishing a starting rate can be a great compromise for businesses with customizable package options.

6. Less “sales”. Hate the process of “selling” your business? Cut out the initial portion of those types of conversations by listing prices on your website. By the time they speak with you, you won’t have to talk about pricing as much as you would have otherwise, and likely less time haggling with them.

7. You’ll save time and energy! 

Create an Impressive Website Today!

Whether you end up deciding if publishing your prices online is right for you or you’ve realized it’s not a good fit, be sure your website can help you seal the deal with all of your potential customers.

liveBooks offers mobile-responsive, customizable website templates for creative professionals and businesses worldwide.

The best part? Our website designs are ready for search engines and look great on any mobile device!

We’ve also got a top-notch support team who’s here to help you every step of the way. Start for free here.