# What makes a good website??



## ManhattanShutterBug (Aug 11, 2011)

I was asked this today by a photographer who is opening his company early next year. On my website I have an overview of my company, Testimonials, FAQ's, contact, portfolio and link (not in that order).No music.

I try to keep it simple, I suggested the same to him. What do you all think makes a good website?


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## brandibell (Aug 11, 2011)

I never thought of FAQ's what do you put for it?

I agree with simple and no music !! I rarely  see websites where music works

Mine I have about me, portfolio, testimonials, contact. I use to have pricing but was told it's better to not have it. What's everyones thoughts on pricing on s photographers website?


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## c.cloudwalker (Aug 11, 2011)

A good website is one that brings clients/customers to your business.

No matter how good it looks, no matter what it says, if it doesn't show up in searches it is absolutely useless. And of all the websites that are home made by people using templates and such who don't understand the intricacies of website design few actually show up in searches...

The other thing is that not everybody needs a website. My marketing is done through direct contact with buyers with a physical portfolio. Then again, I am not a retail photographer, I'm picky about my clients, don't feel like wasting time discussing someone's project when they can't or don't want to afford me, so I visit potential clients that I pick carefully.


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## ClickAddict (Aug 11, 2011)

brandibell said:


> ]I never thought of FAQ's what do you put for it?
> 
> [/B]I agree with simple and no music !! I rarely see websites where music works
> 
> Mine I have about me, portfolio, testimonials, contact. I use to have pricing but was told it's better to not have it. What's everyones thoughts on pricing on s photographers website?



FAQs on websites are a way of keeping the description of services / products section "cleaner" and still have the information available for those who want more.

So you can say something like 'I offer my services in the Boston area" in your main pages and in the FAQ can have something like "How far out of Boston will your travel:  For Boston city limits there is no extra fee, for such and such an area there is $$ extra cost etc....." (This could be a ful paragraph of info for various areas)  Keeping it out of the main information section just keeps the site looking less cluttered.  (FAQ pages are understandably longer)


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## brandibell (Aug 11, 2011)

ClickAddict said:
			
		

> FAQs on websites are a way of keeping the description of services / products section "cleaner" and still have the information available for those who want more.
> 
> So you can say something like 'I offer my services in the Boston area" in your main pages and in the FAQ can have something like "How far out of Boston will your travel:  For Boston city limits there is no extra fee, for such and such an area there is $$ extra cost etc....." (This could be a ful paragraph of info for various areas)  Keeping it out of the main information section just keeps the site looking less cluttered.  (FAQ pages are understandably longer)



Thanks for the info! Sounds good to have I may add it to mine!


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## bennielou (Aug 12, 2011)

You are selling photography, so don't be too wordy.  Show photos.  But only your best of the best of the best.


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## robb01 (Aug 12, 2011)

Something that beautifully exemplifies your work, explains your service, and gives people your contact information.


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## HikinMike (Aug 12, 2011)

Easy navigation. No clutter. No music. No Flash. SEO-friendly...if you care about search engines.


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## dnavarrojr (Aug 16, 2011)

When designing your web site, what about size?

I know the popular wisdom is to keep the width under 1024 pixels, but what about the height?  I've been playing with changes to my web site and I like the changes so far.  But I'm working on a desktop computer with large 1920x1080 monitors.  When I viewed the site on my wife's laptop the gallery slideshow was too large.  I'm wondering if I should reduce the size of the slideshow to fit on a laptop...?

Pretty much everyone I know these days access the internet via laptop or mobile device.  Desktop computers seem to be a dieing breed for the average consumer.  Or is my perception too limited?


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## Mesoam (Aug 16, 2011)

keep in mind simplicity as others have suggested, ease of navigation and don't over load on content


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## mjhoward (Aug 16, 2011)

Good photos.


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## KmH (Aug 16, 2011)

ManhattanShutterBug said:


> What makes a good website??


what makes a good website - Bing


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## 2WheelPhoto (Aug 16, 2011)

KmH said:


> ManhattanShutterBug said:
> 
> 
> > What makes a good website??
> ...









The top secret is out for professional web pages(search tools)


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## Crimsona (Aug 16, 2011)

A nice layout. Clean and simple - with your own photography integrated into the layout. I don't have a website but this is what I mainly look for. And good photo's, of course.


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## Wardy1987 (Aug 16, 2011)

dnavarrojr said:


> When designing your web site, what about size?
> 
> I know the popular wisdom is to keep the width under 1024 pixels, but what about the height?  I've been playing with changes to my web site and I like the changes so far.  But I'm working on a desktop computer with large 1920x1080 monitors.  When I viewed the site on my wife's laptop the gallery slideshow was too large.  I'm wondering if I should reduce the size of the slideshow to fit on a laptop...?


 
Hi all, i would have to agree with many of you. A good website it not easy to build as it should be:
- easy to use
- not to busy (images and colour not the number of views)
- eye catching
- original

I have found it best not to use flash. It is very good software and provides easy access to effects but not all devices support it these days. 

Just to answer the quote, dont have your image size decide the size that it is displayed on your monitor. If you look at java you should find some code that will look at the users monitor options and resize to suite each user.


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## Joseph Westrupp (Aug 18, 2011)

And something that hasn't been mentioned&#8212;load time. I've seen a few that take at least 10 seconds to display. It's difficult with a photography site, but the faster it loads, the better.


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## bennielou (Aug 18, 2011)

I agree with Joseph and many others.  Less and properly sized photos mean less load time.  Fast loading = Potential client sticking around to actually view them.

Put the most powerful photos first.  Medium but still powerful in the middle, and end with more powerful shots.

Numerous client studies have shown that most are not a fan of music.

Use minimum wordage, and sell with your photos.

USE THE SEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Otherwise you are making yourself hard to find, because you will buried by all the people who ARE using SEO, tags, and soforth.)

Make it easy to use.  Don't have too many click links.

Do NOT use exterior links.  You don't want people clicking off your site to go look at something else.

Hope that helps!


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## Joseph Westrupp (Aug 18, 2011)

bennielou said:


> Numerous client studies have shown that most are not a fan of music.


Yeah, I'm always shocked when I find a website with music these days. I find it quite offensive and intrusive.


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## P.D.P. (Sep 25, 2011)

It should clearly, simply & quickly give potential clients a good impression of your work.
It should provide them with any information they may require about your services.
It should be easily found / seen by potential clients.


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## P.D.P. (Sep 25, 2011)

oh, I almost forgot, and please no music!


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## waikiki (Sep 29, 2011)

I think a lot depends what kind of photographer is he or she. The general idea of web site is very simple but it is very important to create a *photography *web site that will fit the specific filed you are in.

Couple important things:

1. Easy to find and readable buttons.
2.Page has to load fast, people do not like to wait for the site to load.
3. *Photographs *have to load fast 

Those are general rules.

If you are wedding photographer you can include prices and descriptions of the pacages.
If you are fashion photographer you have to explain who you work what you do in a session if make p is included and so on.
If you are *fine are photographer *you have to clearly show your publications, awards, galleries and you philosophy of work.


Photography Black & White Photographer Fine Art Landscape


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## Kolander (Oct 6, 2011)

About the size: pics around 600 x 900 are enough for any screen, load in one second. And I recommend to process each foto in that size from the raw, not reducing a previous JPEG. A hassle, I know, but you must show the highest quality at first sight, nobody will think "Hey let´s visit the studio, perhaps he is able to make it better!"

Anoter thing is the quality in thumbnails. Yeah, they can spoil the galleries, an amazing shot would easily seem cheap and poor in 70 x 100 px, if you don´t take care.

And many pros connect the web to a blog about their experiences as a photographer, think about it.


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