Presenting a Professional Image

Once your potential client finds you, you need to hold their attention. You only have a few seconds to do that. If your homepage is crowded, has 'advertising' on it (not your own), links are hard to find, too much flashy stuff (and I don't necessarily mean a site that's based on Flash), or my personal pet peeve - poor imagery - you're not going to keep them there.

I've seen website that are beautifully designed, yet the images are very poor. I'm not going to point fingers - you've all seen them. However, a professional, well designed site, not only has simple navigation, a decent colour theme and graphics - it also has professional imagery. Why spend the time and money on creating a beautiful, and functional site if the images are poor?

This is especially true of sites where the people are the company. The product is professional knowledge. Some examples might be lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, consulting companies, engineers, architects and others. If your business falls under one of these or similar companies, your people are the product. I've seen some sites, lawyers for example, that tell you what they do - but don't have any images of their lawyers. Why do you think Real Estate agents all have a head-shot? They know that they are the product.

Here is an example of a page which includes good design, colour coordination, simple layout and excellent imagery (if I don't say so myself ;).

This isn't the home page, but very similar. You can click on the image at right to view the actual website. This page features the lawyers. Notice the simple layout, the main navigation is still available at the top with four simple choices. The header photo of the lobby is well lit, nicely composed and draws the viewer directly to the firm's name.

And the photos of the lawyers coordinate with the theme of the site but are not just 'photos', but professional business portraits. They're sharp, clear, have a depth to them to make them come alive on the page. The horizontal crop adds a dynamic element to the composition and fits the design of the page very well.

The point of all this is to be aware how imagery can make or break a website. To make your site stand out, to hold the attention of potential clients and customers, you need to invest in not only the design and graphics (your logo, for example), but also the professional images that represent not only your company, but you as well.

If your site is in need of updating, either graphically or photographically, give us a call for a free consultation. Our network of marketing partners can assist in web design, SEO, use of social networks, graphic design and of course, photography.

Mike Guilbault, MPA