Here’s the hard truth: If your website makes prospects feel like they’re on a frustrating treasure hunt, you’ll lose them as clients.

When people bounce (leave quickly), it’s because they can’t find the information they need or simply get lost in the labyrinth of your site.

The first mistake I see photographers make with their website is how much they talk about themselves and in how many pages they do this.

The days of actually reading websites are over. The attention span of the average consumer is super short. So the shorter and more to the point your website is, the better.

I for one have completely removed my entire bio page from my site because honestly, no one cares.

How do I know this?

I use analytics to track which of my pages are most visited and for how long.

Here’s a pro tip for you. Sign up for Google analytics and among other things start tracking your website’s bounce rate (when someone quickly leaves your site).

You want that number to be as low as possible. And before you ask me what that number should be, start with your own number. If your bounce rate is 50%, aim to bring it down to 20%.

The second mistake I see photographers make is they create confusing navigation.

Here are a few menu items you can check off to make sure your website works to get you clients instead of scaring them off:

1. Make sure all menu links are clear, concise, and easy to understand.
2. Make sure at least one menu link leads back to the homepage.
3. Avoid confusing visitors with menus that change on different pages. OMG this is a big one.
4. Avoid having too many menu items. So the shorter your menu items, meaning the smaller your site, the faster your prospects will find what they’re looking for.

Your website is your online storefront. Make it welcoming, easy to navigate, and informative while also being concise.

Stay away from boasting about your accomplishments and instead provide the information your prospects need and watch your analytics improve.📈

Of course you’ll also see the improvement with increased bookings!