The word-magic that you deploy on your photography website is often what gets a buyer to choose you over someone else. 

As someone that works with photographers and female creatives on the regular to create word-magic for their photography website copy, I have a front-row seat to a lot of website copy mistakes. 

Here, I’m sharing the five creative and photography website copy mistakes I see, so you can stop making them in favor of moving the needle on leveling up your copy and attracting your dreamiest clients. 

03:07 — Why the minimalistic approach to copy isn’t helping you (and why your photos can’t do all of the work) 

04:43 — How to get more of the right leads with an FAQ section

06:15 — Are you overlooking the obvious information your dream clients need? 

07:52 — The easiest way for your clients to take the action you want them to take

09:09 — Don’t make your “About” page all about you — it’s all about your client

Mentioned in this episode:

VIP Days

Copy that is word magic, is personality packed and it's

unique to you as a business owner.

I know you probably hear that a lot, but as often as that type of copy is preached

and taught, it's also the thing that I see so many business owners missing.

You are listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.

I'm your host, Sarah Gillis, copywriter, word, magic maker, and owner of

what Sarah said on this podcast.

You'll feel empowered to show up online in a way that has you saying, that's so me.

Let's get started.

Welcome back to another episode and the first episode of Season

two of The Copywriter On-Call podcast.

I'm your host, Sarah Gillis, and I am logging some on-call hours today to

share five mistakes that you need to stop making on your photography website.

Before we get started, I am shouting out a special and hearty thank you to

all of you who listened, subscribed, and left a review last season.

Creating Season one of The Copywriter On-Call podcast was so enjoyable for me.

And hearing from listeners like you made everything so much sweeter.

I am sending you a big virtual hug, friends, and I'm thrilled

to be back for season two.

And now let's get into those mistakes you might be making

on your photography website.

As someone that works with photographers and female creatives

on the regular to create word magic, what I call website copy.

I have a front row seat to a lot of website copy mistakes, but before I get

into sharing those, let's chat for a minute about what I mean by word magic.

Copy that is word magic, is personality packed and it's

unique to you as a business owner.

I know you probably hear that a lot, but as often as that type of copy is preached

and taught, it's also the thing that I see so many business owners missing, and

I understand why this happens because as a business owner, sometimes completing

the task is better than perfecting it.

When you started your business, maybe you thought, I just need to

get a good enough website up and running so that people can book me.

So you settled for a website that presents basic information on how to work with you.

You added a contact form and called it good enough.

Something is better than nothing, right?

Yes, but not forever.

There comes a time when taking a step back is the very thing

you need to do to move forward.

and this is certainly true when it comes to your website and the

copy on your website specifically.

Now there are tons of people out there offering a similar service to yours.

So the word magic that you deploy on your website is often what gets someone

else to choose you over someone else.

So back to those website mistakes I mentioned, it was honestly hard

for me to boil it down to just five.

And we're skipping over the glaring errors here in favor of helping you to truly

move the needle on leveling up your copy.

So let's get into it.

Here are the five mistakes I see a lot of creatives making and how you can fix them.

Here's the first one.

Few or generic words scattered together with a bunch of photos.

Now I work with a lot of photographers and other creatives in similar

industries, and this is probably the number one mistake that I see.

To me, it likely stems from the belief that my work will sell for me, and

while displaying your work in the form of your portfolio can absolutely

support someone in making a purchasing decision, it's likely not the only aspect

of your website they're looking at.

Here's the hard truth.

Most photographers like you are good at what they do.

Each one can take a beautiful photo, add their own special twist, and

present it in an appealing way.

But what sets you apart from the other photographers, your story, your

words, your work alone just isn't necessarily your difference maker.

The words that you combine with your work, however, that's a good mix.

The key here is not to settle for generic words or phrases that everyone uses.

Instead, I encourage you to dig into who your client really is.

What words does your ideal or aligned client regularly use?

What do they value in working with a business?

What feeling do you want the images you sell to them to evoke?

What are their pain points and their desires, and how can

you speak to those emotions?

When your copy is written specifically like this, that's when your uniqueness

starts to shine, and you can draw in more of the right people.

Here's the second big mistake, no FAQ section.

When people are booking for your photography service, they typically

have a list of questions in their heads.

The best photographers in the room anticipate these questions

and they answer them without the client ever having to ask.

Your website can serve them in this way by having a frequently asked

questions or FAQ section that leaves them thinking, oh, wow, they knew

exactly what I was going to ask.

Now, some people tend to shy away from an FAQ section because they

think that certain answers will turn people away, but here's the truth.

This section actually gives you a chance to sell and to directly address potential

objections that someone might have.

For example, you should expect your potential clients to

be curious about your rates.

Holding this information back because of the fear that someone won't book

with you because it's out of their budget, is a missed opportunity.

With an FAQ section, you have the chance to first and foremost provide the

information such as a starting price for that offer or that package, and then

you can build the value around that.

Instead of just saying, starting at 3000, you can say, this package

starts at 3000 and includes X, Y, Z.

The magic is in the X, Y, Z, and you get to let your full service client experience

and your intuitive way of anticipating their questions shine through your words.

Here's the third mistake, not naming where you're located, what

area you are in or your niche.

Now, I know that each of these things might sound obvious as need

to know information, particularly if you're serving clients in person.

But these elements are often forgotten when you're writing your website copy.

Just like people want to know your prices, they also want to know where you're

located, what additional areas, regions, cities you serve, and what your niche is.

These elements together are what I call the positioning statement

because it literally communicates your position in the market.

For example, if you're a photographer that's located in Southern California,

but you willingly travel to Arizona and Nevada for your clients, You

need to make sure that that's clearly identified on your website.

Without doing this, you're taking the chance on someone skipping over

you because they don't think that you serve them in their location.

This same idea applies when it comes to your niche.

It can be clear that you do photography, but what type of photography?

A new mom looking for someone to snap newborn photos of her precious baby wants

to find the photographer in her area that is skilled in that, not the one that might

be top rated for engagements and weddings.

And if she can't clearly identify who you serve, she probably won't hire you.

You can help that new mom and lots of other potential clients avoid confusion

by being clear about who you specifically serve and where you serve them.

We've already talked through my top three mistakes.

Let's keep going.

The fourth mistake that you might be making on your photography

website is missing a call to action or a CTA on every page.

Again, this might seem like it's a fairly obvious website element, and

yet I see it commonly as a mistake.

I see people who don't include calls to action or CTAs on every

single page of your website.

Now, when we talk it out like that, it may sound a bit like overkill.

But when you think about the actual purpose of a cta, a call

to action, it's simply to guide someone into their next action.

So by including a CTA on every page of your entire website, you are removing that

barrier for your reader by not making them think or wonder about what to do next.

Instead, you're telling them what action you'd like them to take.

Sometimes all this means is including a learn more button that drives

them to your services page, or maybe on that services page, you ask

them to take a bigger action, like book a call or secure your spot.

Either way, the whole point is to guide them through your customer journey

in a way that truly serves them.

Here's our last mistake.

Making your about page all about you and not them.

want to know the counterintuitive truth about your about page?

It's not just about you.

Now I'm all for you hyping yourself up.

But your about page isn't necessarily the spot for this kind of energy.

Here's the truth.

Your potential clients don't just want to get to know you,

so they can be your bestie.

They want to get to know you so they can see if there are any glimpses of

themselves in you and in your business.

It's about relating to your potential client.

Instead of simply sharing a list of random facts or your life story, you

should use your about page to present who you are, what you do, and who you

serve, but in a way that keeps the reader your potential client top of mind.

You want to create a connection with them so that they really

want to choose you when they're making that purchasing decision.

I'm going to tell you like it is friend, because I truly care.

Okay?

Your potential client unfortunately, doesn't care where you went to college

or what your favorite coffee order is.

What they do care about is why you're passionate about your

business and what you do and what that ultimately means for them.

So I encourage you to let that information be what takes

center stage on your about page.

If it makes sense to weave the other details in some way, like a favorite

things roundup, by all means go for it.

But don't treat it like your autobiography.

That is a major turnoff.

When you address these five areas on your website and make sure they're optimized,

that's when you can create great impact, and that's what I want for you.

If your website copy feels like a looming to do that, you can't

quite master, I'm here for you.

I encourage you to take a peek at my services page and book a half

or a full day v i p slot this fall.

I'd love to work together to create word magic for your business.

I'll put the booking link for you in the show notes.

As always, thanks for listening, and until next time, this is your

copywriter on call signing off.

Thanks for listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.

If this episode has you feeling all sorts of inspired to show up as yourself online,

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