Your Website is Your Most Powerful Marketing Strategy
There are countless marketing strategies vying for your attention. Social media marketing, email marketing, Pinterest, YouTube, podcasts, vendor events, networking … it’s overwhelming, isn’t it?
I am a firm believer that you should focus your marketing efforts on one or two primary strategies. Imagine your precious, limited time is a pitcher of water. Would you rather fill 5 cups with a trickle, or one or two fully?
Most importantly, what you choose should be strategies that you enjoy. We all know how hard it is to make ourselves do something we don’t want to do.
Let me introduce you to my favorite marketing strategy - your website!
Your website, when designed correctly, can serve as a powerful marketing tool to attract your ideal clients (and weed out the not-so-ideal ones) 24/7/365. And once it’s up and running you don’t need to dedicate countless hours each month to keep it going - unlike many other marketing strategies.
What’s not to love about that?
I’d also venture to say your website is the most powerful marketing tool that you have.
So - if you’re neglecting your website or treating it as a holding space in the online realm – a pretty business card, if you will – you are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity. And if you’re not sure why having a professional website for your photography business is important in 2025 and beyond - take a look at this blog post!
Why Your Website is Powerful
Let’s start off with just why your website is so powerful.
Search Engines
I have a scary statistic. 97% of consumers search online for local businesses.
And just to make it worse, 75% of those users judge your credibility based on your website.
If that doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, I don’t know what will.
A professional website is a necessity, not a wish.
You cannot afford to neglect your website.
Marketing Funnel
For 99% of you, your website is the final step in your marketing funnel. It is likely where your inquiry form is located.
All other avenues - social media, in-person marketing, email marketing, podcasting, etcetera - likely point to your website as the first step to inquiry.
You may even have a direct scheduling platform on your website so individuals can book consultations or sessions without contacting you first.
Your website needs to professionally, quickly, and easily let interested parties begin the booking process. If your website doesn’t impress your visitors, you’re doomed to lose countless clients, no matter how impressed they were before they reached your website.
Website Reach
Unlike social media marketing, where you market on a platform run by other businesses, you are in control of your website. When your website is designed correctly, your website will target and market to your ideal audience.
You don’t need to worry about how many of your followers will actually see your posts, and you don’t need to pay to extend your reach. Even individuals who have never heard of your business before will find your website if you market to them correctly.
This is why your website is so powerful.
How to Market Using Your Website
So just how does your website market for you 24/7/365?
Your website needs to focus on strategic SEO, powerful copywriting, professional design, and user-friendly navigation.
Strategic SEO
The first benefit of a professional website is getting your business found. No one will book with you if they can’t even find you.
A website designed with careful, strategic SEO (search engine optimization) has a much higher likelihood of showing up in search engine results pages (also known as SERPS, for all of you acronym lovers!).
A lot of careful strategy goes into search engine optimization, but this is how it begins:
Careful use and placement of keywords in your headings and body text. Keywords are words or phrases (formally known as long-tail keywords) that tell search engines what your website is about. Keywords help search engines display your website when it's relevant to a search inquiry.
Optimizing your website for search engines by correctly formatting text (including headings and body text) on your website.
For information on how to format text on your website: Design Your Wedding Photographer Website: Part 4 - Text
Formatting your website images to improve page load times and accessibility. Google can get grumpy, and no one wants a grumpy Google suppressing their website.
For information on formatting your website images: Design Your Wedding Photographer Website: Part 3 - Images
Psychology-Based Copywriting
Your website utilized powerful SEO to show up in SERPs, and now a potential client has arrived. Yippee!
Time for another scary statistic - you have just eight seconds to convince that visitor to stay on your website. Eek!
So how do you do it?
Design is important - your website should be aesthetically pleasing and professional. BUT design isn’t everything. The text on your website is the true captivator, and ultimately what will convince a visitor to become a client.
Your photography is powerful, but it won’t seal the deal. Oof - I’m sorry. I know it’s hard to hear. But it’s the truth. (Sending you virtual support hugs).
This is why careful copywriting - composing all of the text on your website - is vitally important. In the end, your text will determine if a client books with you.
Copywriting that utilizes psychology and careful strategy to lure in your ideal client (and gently nudge away those not-so-ideal clients) is a true game changer. You can’t just throw random text onto your website. In a competitive market, it just doesn’t cut it.
Instead, you need carefully constructed, comprehensive website copy that will speak to your ideal client. You need to identify and address their fears, put their minds at ease, and convince them that you are the best choice for them, above all your competitors.
You need copy that will make your ideal client say, “wow, she knows exactly how I feel!” This is what professional copywriting accomplishes.
Keep reading … ⬇️
Who knew words on your website could be so important and impactful?
And powerful copywriting goes hand in hand with aesthetic design …
Professional Design
Now, I know I said earlier that your copy will determine if someone books with you. That doesn’t mean we can just throw design out the window. Websites that look DIY, haphazard, unorganized, or unprofessional are a surefire way to lose clients.
While your copy convinces your visitors to book with you, your website design impresses them. Design includes the spacing, color, and images that you choose to incorporate. For more information on each of these topics, check out these blog posts!
In addition, a professional, powerful website utilizes a curated portfolio to showcase your photography.
Your wedding photography portfolio shouldn’t just be a collection of your best photographs. Instead, every photograph needs to earn its place and show your ideal client:
Your unique style
What sets you apart from your competition
What you can offer them
Why you are the best - and only - choice for their wedding
Keep reading … ⬇️
User-Friendly Navigation
Your website may look great and speak to your ideal client, but if it’s hard to navigate and leaves visitors confused or frustrated, you can say goodbye to client conversions.
Careful web strategy takes into account your website navigation and web of internal links. A powerful website will naturally guide website visitors through your website to your ultimate goal: beginning the booking process.
Learn all about how to design your website with user-friendly navigation: Design Your Wedding Photographer Website Part 5: Navigation
The Next Level: Blogging
You’ve set your website up for success. You’ve mastered strategic SEO, careful copywriting, a powerful portfolio, and user-friendly navigation.
If you’re ready to take your website to the next level of marketing success, I can’t overstate the power of strategic blogging as a marketing strategy.
Why does this pair well with your website?
Google likes websites that are updated frequently. By regularly blogging, you show that your website is relevant, and this helps Google rank it better in SERPS than websites that sit stagnant for months.
In addition, unlike many other forms of marketing where your efforts are short-lived, strategic blogging continues to draw clients to your website for months and even years. Plus, when done correctly, it targets your ideal clients, too!
But strategic blogging is more than just sharing photos from each wedding. Learn more about strategic blogging in this blog series!
I know your wedding photography business can feel overwhelming. I have heard from wedding photographers time and time again that they are overwhelmed. Tired. Worn Out.
It’s hard to be a one-woman show and run a successful business. It's a lot of hats to wear at once.
If you’re ready for a professional, powerful website that markets for you 24/7/365, but you don’t have the time, energy, or capacity to do it yourself… that’s why I’m here!
My Peach and Pine Experience focuses on all of the web strategies discussed: SEO, copywriting, portfolio creation, navigation, and comprehensive web strategy.
I’d love to visit with you to discuss your website goals and dreams - schedule your complimentary consultation and let me handle your website so you can focus on what you love most!
If you have any questions or a topic request for a blog post - send me a message.
As always - I’m cheering for you!
Kylee
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