A beautiful gallery is not a business. Many photographer websites look great and still do not book anyone, because visitors cannot tell what you shoot, where, how much it costs or how to book. Run your site through this checklist.
The first screen
1. What you shoot and where, in the first line. "Family and wedding photographer in Raleigh, NC" beats "Capturing moments". Clients and Google both need to know in two seconds.
2. One strong image, not a slideshow. Sliders hide your best work behind animation and slow the page. Pick one image that represents the work you want more of.
3. A clear next step. "See packages" or "Check availability", visible without scrolling.
The gallery
4. Your best 20 to 40 images. Not 200. Curate hard. Every image should be work you want to be hired for.
5. Sorted by session type. A family looking for a photographer wants to see families, not weddings. Short galleries per session type work better than one long scroll.
6. Fast on a phone. Most visitors arrive on their phone. Large uncompressed images make the page crawl. Test your site on mobile data, not your home wifi.
Packages and prices
7. A page for each session type. Family sessions, headshots, weddings, minis. Each with what is included, how long, how many edited images and when they arrive. Separate pages are also how you show up for each search.
8. Real prices. At least a starting price per session, such as "family session from $325" or "headshots from $175". "Contact for pricing" sends people to the next photographer.
9. Add-ons next to the price. Extra edited images, rush delivery, prints, albums, wall art, a second shooter, travel. Clients who see them while choosing a session add them on their own. A $365 family session with 10 extra images and a canvas is a $765 order. Read how to sell prints and albums.
10. Your offers. Mini-session dates, the deposit that holds the date, and your referral credit, written in plain words.
Booking and contact
11. A way to book or check a date. A booking link, a calculator that leads to an inquiry, or at least a short form. Ask only what you need: name, contact, session type, date.
12. A phone number you tap to call. Some clients still call, especially for weddings and business headshots. Make sure someone answers.
Trust
13. Reviews near the prices. Three or four short Google reviews where people decide.
14. An about section with your face. People hire a person. A photo of you and a few honest lines about how you work.
Getting found
15. Pages for the towns you serve. "Family photographer in Cary" and "Headshots in Durham" are separate searches. A short page for each town with local work helps you show up. Keep your business name, phone and address the same as on your Google Business Profile.
How to test your site in five minutes
Give your phone to a friend who has never seen your site and ask three questions after 30 seconds:
- What does this photographer shoot, and where?
- About how much does a family session cost?
- How would you book?
If they cannot answer all three, the site is losing clients. Then test speed: open the site on mobile data in a parking lot. If the first image takes more than three seconds, compress your images. Finally, send yourself an inquiry through the form and check how long it takes to reach your phone and what the client sees after they press send.
What to leave out
Old work you no longer like, session types you do not want to shoot, music that plays on its own, pop-ups before the gallery loads and long welcome paragraphs. Every one of them stands between the client and the booking.
Bonus checks
- A page title and description on every page that says what and where
- Image file names that describe the photo ("family-photos-pullen-park-raleigh.jpg")
- A blog with useful posts, such as the best places for family photos in your area
- A privacy note if you use a contact form
How LensPilot handles it
Every LensPilot site is built with this list: your gallery from your photos, a page per session and per town, session packages with prices and add-ons in a calculator, booking with reminders and a tap-to-call number, on your own .com. See photography website for details.
Fix the items in order. The first three alone often change how many visitors become inquiries.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos should be on a photography portfolio website?
Twenty to forty of your best images, sorted by session type. A smaller, tighter gallery reads stronger than hundreds of photos.
Should photographers put prices on their website?
Yes, at least a starting price per session. It filters out bargain shoppers and brings inquiries from people ready to book.