You've had a nice website made. The texts are correct and SEO-friendly. But you don't have any suitable photography yet.
Professional photography on a company website is very important. The photography needs to match your company and brand. A newspaper can't do without photography as an illustration for its text. In the past, you'd have a brochure or annual report made, and that included beautiful professional photography.
Good photos clarify and provide context. They tell a story.
Even as a supplier in the industry or a manufacturer in the production industry, you have a story. You want to passionately explain why you supply and make your products. I therefore always find it important to bring back the human touch in business photography. You have skilled professionals in your employ who supply the service or make the product with passion.
Many companies opt for stock photos. You'll often notice they use non-British personal protective equipment. The American safety helmet differs from the European one. Safety vests vary between Asia and what we use in Europe. Safety shoes are often not mandatory in the United States, whereas here in the Netherlands, you can't enter a factory, production site, or construction site without them. You can usually tell immediately if a photo was taken at a location that doesn't suit your company.
If you photograph the professionals in your own factory, production site, or construction site, you show how your company handles its product and how your employees make it with passion and craftsmanship. You give your own professionals a stage; they are just as much a part of your entrepreneurial story.
Website Photography Options
There are a few options to fill your website.
Do it yourself:
There's always the director's nephew who can also take nice photos. Or the financial director's father who also has a nice camera. Or the young marketing employee has a smartphone that can also take fantastic photos.
All solutions to fill your website with photography. It is a cheap solution to quickly get images on your website. It is just not professional. Because how do you deal with light. Are the right people in the picture. Is everyone lit well? Does the photo tell what you want to tell? Does it fit the story on the page? Does it look neat and professional.
All questions that a professional photographer can help you with.
Even if you're just starting out, I advise hiring a professional photographer to provide your company website with great images. These can be created so you can also use them for your social media channels. It's the start of your company's image bank.
Stock photography:
You can, of course, also opt for stock photos. You might think stock photos are cheap. And in principle, they are. But you pay for usage. So, if you want to put a photo on your website, you take out a licence from the stock agency or image bank, and that's how you arrange usage. If you want to use a few stock photos on your website, the bill can quickly add up.
The problem with stock photos is that they are generic images. Often made in the United States and therefore not unique to the Netherlands or even your company. Intended to appeal to the largest possible audience and sell as often as possible. They don't show your company culture. So they are not unique to your organisation. And don't tell your story.
Professional website photography :
To make the photography on your company website unique, it's naturally better to hire a professional photographer. Together with a professional photographer, you'll decide what story you want to tell and what images you need. By using the right equipment and their experience, a professional photographer can translate your photography wishes into beautiful photos in the right way.
A website often needs unusual aspect ratios. We all know the extra-wide banners at the top of the page. Or a landscape photo that's automatically cropped to a square photo when the website is viewed on a smartphone or iPad. As a photographer, I take this into account. I also always ask the website builder about the website's design so that photos always fit perfectly.
As a professional photographer, always try to look beyond just the website. I therefore always advise to also place the photos we take for your website in your company image bank. You can then reuse them for social media. A brochure, an advertorial in a magazine or a press release. You have them available when you need a photo.
Just make sure you update the photos regularly. Search engines like Google are sensitive to changes, and if you regularly change or update something on your website, Google sees it as a non-static website, which will help you rank higher in Google. Maybe that's not your goal, but it's certainly good for your customer who is looking for your product or service.
Do you also want new photos for your website? Call me on +31613503345 or get in touch
