Photography or copy? Converting your website visitors into paying customers!

Photos, as you might imagine I’d say, are an especially valuable tool for marketing your business.

But while I have pointed out before that photography enables you to visually communicate your message and showcase your brand in a way that words alone cannot. That isn’t the whole picture (pun intended)!

While I am biased toward photography for obvious reasons, your copy is arguably more important than your photos. Well written copy is an especially important element of a successful online presence and investing time and resources in crafting effective copy can pay off in terms of both engagement and conversions.

Great content combined with great imagery can be turned into compelling marketing material that attracts your ideal clients and customers.

While visually appealing images are important for creating an engaging and aesthetically pleasing experience for website visitors, drawing them in and getting them to take a look around, the words on a website are what truly convey your message and the value of your offering.

Well-written copy will help to explain the benefits of your products and services, address potential objections, and provide a compelling call to action that encourages visitors to take the next step, whether that's making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

With both your photos and your copy you should strive to give people an emotional experience. People will remember how you made them feel, not what product or service you’re selling. When you provide an emotional connection to your offer, pair that with the benefit they can expect to receive then you’re away! Copywriting and photography can work together, to build that emotional connection, in several ways. Here are a few examples:

• Visual storytelling:

  A website with compelling copy and high-quality photographs can help to create a cohesive visual narrative that engages visitors and helps to communicate your brand's message. Similarly, photography and copy can work in tandem to engage your social media audience. Use an attention grabbing headline with a relevant photo to stop the scroll!

• Supporting content:

  Photos can help to break up blocks of text and make a website more visually appealing, while copy can provide context and additional information about the images.

• Calls to action:

  Effective copywriting can help to guide visitors towards taking a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

Photos can be used alongside to support calls to action, by highlighting products or features that you want visitors to take notice of.

• Search engine optimization:

  Both copywriting and photography can impact the search engine optimization (SEO) of a website. Well-written copy that includes relevant keywords can help a website rank higher in search results, while alt text associated with images can also be used to include keywords and improve a website's SEO.

Photography or copy - which one first?

It's important to consider both copywriting and photography as integral parts of a website's design and functionality, and to ensure that they work together to effectively communicate your brand's message and goals to visitors.

But which should you do first, the website copy or the photos?

If you have a clear idea of your brand messaging and the overall tone that you want to convey through your website, start with the copywriting. This will allow you to create a solid foundation for the content of your website and ensure that the photographs I create align with your brand's messaging.

I prefer to see your website design and copy before I pick up my camera. That way I can create visuals that work alongside the words and your brand message, as well as creating visuals that match the overall aesthetic of your website. This helps to ensure that your images are integrated effectively into your website design.

Both copywriting and photography are essential elements of a successful website, and careful attention to both can help to create a strong and effective online presence.

Ultimately, which you choose to do first will depend on the specific needs and goals of your website. It may be helpful to create a plan or outline for your website before diving into the content creation process, ensuring that you have a clear idea of what needs to be done and in what order.

And remember, not only can your copy and photography be used to create amazing online content, they can be used for offline assets and marketing too!

Together, professional photography and copywriting help to create a cohesive and persuasive brand message, effectively communicating the value of your products or services and converting your audience into paying clients.