The single most important thing you can add to your website to turn viewers into buyers

Owners of this small cabin in Sechelt, B.C., were able to more than double their bookings on Airbnb with photos like this friendly interior shot.—Photo courtesy Gary Bearchell & Jennifer Cox

How important are good photos to your website?

Take a look at the warm, inviting photo shown above. You’ll find this picture on an Airbnb listing of a 5 star rated cabin on Canada’s beautiful west coast near Sechelt. (I may be biased, as British Columbia is my home province). According to owner and superhost Garry Bearchell, bookings for his cabin took off after he added a new series of photographs to his listing. Fast Company used his cabin as example of How to Make a Killing On Airbnb. In that article Bearchell said, "I can't stress enough how important good pictures are.” 

Five ways to get better photos of your business:

1) Take lots of pictures

You simply can’t have too many pictures of your business. Ask any professional photographer what is their best camera and they will tell you “The one I have with me.” If you own a smartphone, then you have a great camera with you at all times. Google just released its photos app, which allows you to upload an unlimited amount of photos for free. Another benefit of taking lots of photos is that you will improve and your pictures will get better. Start today—in fact, start right now.

2) Take before and after photos

If you are a skilled craftsman you may already take photos of your finished work. But don’t forget to take a photo of what the project looked like before you began. Do you have a landscaping company or do home renovations? Including a before photo will make your finished work stand out that much more when compared to a poor before example. 

3) Make new customers feel welcome with interior photos 

Entering a business premises for the first time can be intimidating. Lessen the fear and increase walk-in traffic by letting potential customers know what they can expect. Use interior photos to show them what they will see when they first enter your store, where the front desk is, and any other areas you would like them to shop. 

4) Put people in the picture

Want to have viewers linger on your pictures? Try this experiment. Hand someone your phone and invite them to look through the thumbnails in your photo stream. Watch as they cruise through the beautiful scenery then stop and click on the people pictures.
You can have that stopping power with your business photos by including yourself and smiling staff whenever possible. Do you sell automobiles or real estate? Take photos of your happy clients in front of their new purchases. Do you own a restaurant, coffee shop or retail outlet? Have a customer appreciation evening and invite a photographer to join the party. 

5) Hire a professional

Do what superhost Gary Bearchell did with his Airbnb listing—bring in a professional photographer for a day. This is especially important in low light conditions like a dark seating area in a restaurant. Great images are the foundation of a website that turns viewers into buyers and will be used in your marketing materials for years. 

Have you taken photos of your business?

I would love to see examples of how you used photos of your business. Or do you find it a challenge to get great photos? I’ve worked with a number of photographers over the years and have assigned out hundreds of photo shoots. 
Please send me your challenges, samples, or a link to your website to hello [at] brandinggeek.ca.