Making Your Photography Website Effective

The curiously named Burns Auto Parts has a great article about photographers websites - essential reading if you have or would like your own website.

“Generally speaking, forget about the fancy Flash animated intro. These are particularly disliked, as evidenced by the survey ABs’ responses: 17% said they “always hate them” and 70% said they “bother them but it’s not too bad as long as there is a ‘skip’ button.” When 87% of your target market is at some level bugged by a part of your marketing, dump it. In fact, you might want to skip any use of Flash. It can be a memory hog and many people don’t like to have the plug-in on their machines at all. Flash can even crash some computers, especially if it is not done just right. And, contrary to some claims, it does not provide any real protection against someone using your images illegally (i.e., downloading the image from your site). So, think hard about using Flash, and if you do, make sure you have an HTML version of you site clearly available from the main page.”

Website: Photographers’ Websites – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Published: Monday, April 18, 2005

Reader Comments

1. Now why would a guy with such a boring site be an expert on art websites? Not buying this one.

   Barbara at 10:50pm on Monday, April 18, 2005

2. Barbara,
   
   Because the topic is "effective" not "how much worthless eye candy can I jam onto a single page."

   phule at 02:26pm on Tuesday, April 19, 2005

3. Sorry, I did not find his site effective. I wish him good luck, but its uninteresting. Presentation is important. Especially in the visual arts. Worthless 'eye candy' is one thing, effective visual presentation is something else. If he can show a balance of that in his site I would be more inclined to accept his point of view. I am not dismissing him, just saying he has not proved his point.

   Barbara at 05:25pm on Tuesday, April 19, 2005

4. Sorry Barbara but you are completely wrong.

   phule at 02:57am on Wednesday, April 20, 2005

5. If you look that their reference sites - the two I clicked on are 100% flash. It looks a case of "Don't do what I say", which is going to loose creditbility. The sites looked ok, simple and direct with strong content.

   Sailesh at 06:53am on Wednesday, April 20, 2005

6. My website is clean and easy to get around. The hardest part is attracting visitors there. We at cameramad.com (Nikon dealers in the main)are at a loss how to do this when all we really want to do is give our products to the world to appreciate as much as we do...IE: do you want an Optach camera strap or a Nikon one that is supplied with your camera at point of sale? Anyone with any know will know what I mean...but! Bless you all.

   PAtrick at 09:17pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2005

7. Its not a matter of right or wrong, its all perception. You have to be able to first attract visitors, then keep them.
   
   To attract - you need something for the search engines to grab - keywords, and lots of them. Do an internet search to find advice. But do be careful about paying a lot of money for help.

   Barbara at 11:13pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2005

8. Barbara, you truly are a star and your advice is invaluble...just wish I could sit down with you here in England over a glass or three and chill out, chatting to you and listening to more of your expert advice,
   I thank you, Patrick cameramad.com
   
   Please note: We do not even try to compete in price with some online retailers (who advertise their goods at staggeringly lower prices than our’s), knowing as we do that our goods are of genuine UK stock and guarantee (and not likewise grey-area cheaper imported products from afar) and do in general arrive with you direct from their manufacturer very rapidly, indeed.

   Patrick at 11:51pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2005

9. Goodness, Patrick. Talk like that will sweep a girl off her feet....
   
   But seriously, being seen is tough. There are some free sites that will do some minor coding for you and that will help. Other than that, you will have to pay someone to get you on the path. Try this one- http://submitexpress.com

   Barbara at 03:43am on Wednesday, October 26, 2005

10. Barbara, I am truly, only an imperfect man with a perfect heart...and always speak in consequence, the truth. Thus your kind words are accepted here with likewise gratitude as mine to you were intended in original. And! all the way across the Atlantic! Sincerely, too, I, and many of us this side of the water, right now are praying that the hurricane weather experienced in your back gardens isn't too severe as we are so regularly informed to understand that it is in New's bulletins, over here. Your day is my night, xx from England!

    Patrick at 04:38am on Wednesday, October 26, 2005