The 5 Different Types Of Photos You Need For Your Website

How Do You Choose The Best Photos for your website?

Your website is your brand’s home base, & you want it to show off exactly what you & your business are all about!

If you want to build a strong online presence for your business, the photos you include on your website should represent your personal brand, tell your story, display your products or services, & create an immediate connection with potential clients or customers.

What types of photos do you need for your website?

To get started, take some time to go through your website & begin to make notes of all the places where you currently use photos or would like to begin using photos. If you’re just getting started or you’re going through a rebranding process, try to sketch out a rough outline of your website. As you put together a list of the types of pages you’d like to have on your site, you’ll begin to understand what types of images (& how many images!) you should create during any upcoming photoshoots you may have planned.

In this post, I’ll be sharing a list of the five must-have brand photos you need on your website. These are image ideas that will work well for every type of business - these photos will help you to connect with your ideal clients & customers, to stand out in a sea of competitors, & even to increase your sales.

Let’s get to it & gets some ideas flowing!

#1. Headshot or Portrait for Your "About Me" Page

The number one photo on your shot list should be a classic Headshot or Portrait. This type of photo you can use for anything & everything - for your profile photos on your social media accounts, on the jacket of your new book, the cover of your podcast, the about me page on your website, print marketing, speaking engagements… the list goes on. Many people have their Portrait or Headshot on their "About" or “Contact” website page. Your “About” page is where potential clients or customers can learn about who you are, your values, & your experience, & it's important to pair that information with a professional portrait that accurately represents you & your brand. If you have a business partner or work with a team, be sure to include them in your photos as well!

Pro Tip: For the best brand recognition, pick one headshot to use as your profile photo & keep it consistent as your profile photo across your website & social media platforms.

The five types of photos you need for your new business website by miranda kelton photography — *Example: My client Leslie is a coach & podcast host - she chose a great portrait from her photoshoot to use for her “About” page on her website*!

#2. Header Images for Your Web Pages & Blog Posts

The next set of images you’ll need for your website are header or banner images. These will be often the first thing people see when they come to one of your web pages, so make sure you use high-quality images that really represent your brand & that also make sense for the topic of the page. Header images can be a photo of you, your products, your workspace, or of anything that you feel represents the main focus of that particular page. Talk to your web designer to see how many header images you’ll need for your site - some websites have a banner image on every page, & some websites only have banner images on a few pages, so be sure to consider this as you’re planning your next photoshoot.

Pro Tip: Always include plenty of horizontal images on your photoshoot shot list! Images with a horizontal orientation are the best for banner images for your site - be sure to create some images that have some negative space to allow for easy text overlay as well.

*Example: My client Emily is a TedX speaker & Author - she needed a variety of horizontal images to use to promote her new book & to freshen up her website!*

#3. Creative Process & customer journey Photos

If you sell products or provide a service, it's important to have photos on your website that showcase your offerings in the best possible light. Think about how you can show you chatting with a client or providing a service to a customer - this will help your potential clients envision what it will be like to work with you! These types of images can add a personal touch to your website & will give future clients or customers a glimpse into the inner workings of your business. These can also include photos of your workspace, your client workflow, or any special steps of your process that you go through as you create your products or provide your services.

Pro Tip: Consider bringing along a friend to model as your “client” during a photoshoot! This way, you can create photos of yourself interacting with someone - having a meeting, showing them a product, demonstrating your service offering, etc.

How To Pick Photos for your website by miranda kelton photography — *Example: My client Ginger meets with many of her customers via Zoom - we created a set of photos showing her workflow process using props like a laptop, notebooks, phone, etc.*

#4. Specific Product or Service Photos

Do you have any exciting launches or project deadlines coming up? New physical or digital products, online classes, workshops, a new book or album, the grand opening of a new retail space, etc. - spend some time thinking about what specific images you will need to market specific things. What do you want to highlight? What products or services are you trying to sell to your customer base? If you need special content to use for advertising or marketing purposes, be sure to add these ideas to your shot list.

Pro Tip: Always try to include your brand colors & relevant props whenever possible! Even if you’re looking to create images that will only be used for one specific marketing campaign, make sure your advertising photos match the overall look & feel of your brand.

Example: My client John is a musician who needed photos to promote his new singles - here on his website he is using a portrait for his Spotify profile photo, with a banner image of him playing the piano in the background.

5. Behind-The-Scenes & Lifestyle Photos

This is your chance to really get creative! These photos can be a bit more personal - be sure to include a few lifestyle photos of you enjoying a favorite hobby, cuddling with your dog, hiking with your partner, etc. Behind-the-scenes photos help your clients to feel connected with you on a deeper level. Many people will put these types of photos on an about page or in a “get-to-know-me” blog post - relatable, everyday images will help you to develop trust with your potential clients & customers.

Pro Tip: Take a look through your smartphone’s photo albums to find some shots like this for your website - behind-the-scenes photos don’t have to be perfect. A few informal iPhone photos are ok! If you don’t have any photos you like that show off your personality, go ahead & add a couple of ideas to your branding photoshoot shot list.

*Example: My client Jay is a Somatic coach - in her free time, she loves to ride her motorcycle! We took some fun photos of her with her bike to use as personal images on her website.*

Having a catalog of high-quality, bespoke images is essential for building a strong online presence for your personal brand or small business. Don’t forget… if you have social media accounts, an email newsletter, utilize print marketing, or have any press features or speaking engagements coming up, you’ll need a variety of photos for those projects too! Each type of image plays a unique role in telling your story & will help you to connect with your target audience. If you’re investing in a personal branding photoshoot sometime soon, make sure you include these five types of photos on your shot list - these images will help you to elevate your website & to stand out in today's competitive digital landscape!

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