It’s a must for your watersport business to have high-quality pictures of your services and products on your website. Low-quality pictures can mean thousands of dollars in sales left on the table. Not only are high-quality pictures visually appealing, but they are also crucial to the success of your business.
Let’s discuss the importance of having high-quality pictures for your watersport business’ website and how to take awesome shots.
SEO and Google Ranking
Having high-quality pictures can affect your websites’ SEO and Google ranking. High-quality photos help with SEO — that’s how search engines rank websites. The more high-quality content on a page (including text and photos), the better chance it has of ranking well in search results when someone searches for something related to what you offer.
Be Careful With Social Media Photos
Saving from Facebook/Instagram is a no-no unless you have a WordPress plugin – photos are distorted by social media, so your best bet is just sharing on your Instagram Stories. If your photos are distorted by Facebook or Instagram, your audience will not be able to get the full effect of your product or service. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram compress photos when they are uploaded. As a result, photos can have low resolution. This means that your image does not look as sharp as it should be on your website or blog.
There are tons of different plugins out there that make it easy for anyone who knows how to use WordPress to create high-quality social media photos quickly and easily. Here are some of the most popular plugins to use:
Monarch Social Sharing Plugin
Simple Social Media Share Buttons
Easy Social Share Buttons for WordPress
High-Quality Images Benefit Your Google My Business Profile
Now is the perfect opportunity to get those photos updated on your Google My Business profile. Today, having a business listed on Google is no longer a luxury — it’s an absolute necessity. Not only is creating a profile on Google free, but you can easily customize your business profile with offerings, photos, and more.
How to Take Awesome Shots
A picture can say a thousand words. The better equipment, the better pics, but phones these days can be utilized as well! If you’re taking your own photos for your website, you must ensure that you are providing high-quality images whether you are using a digital camera or using a smartphone. Here are some shooting tips for taking high-quality pictures for your watersports business website:
Show Action Shots: The best shots are going to be those that show off what you do best and how it makes people feel. So instead of just taking photos of all the watersports gear and equipment you have and listing them on your site, try getting in close so that customers can really see exactly how fun or relaxing your activities are. Photos of people enjoying themselves will also go a long way toward making visitors imagine themselves joining in on the fun too!
Use Natural Lighting: When taking photos for your watersports business website, it’s best to shoot with natural light sources. Shooting with natural light sources means you can capture images free from shadows and lens flare. If you decide to take photos indoors, try finding a bright spot by a window, and make sure light sources remain in front of you so that shadows don’t get cast in your shot. If you are taking photos in outdoor settings, the perfect time for the best lighting is in the mid-morning to late afternoon.
Focus on the Subject: When you want to take professional-looking photos, you need to make sure that the main subject of your photo is in focus. Most digital cameras and smartphones have a focus box that allows you to tap on the viewfinder screen to focus on a particular spot. Tip: If you use an iPhone, you can lock focus by holding down a spot on the viewfinder while holding down your finger until a yellow lock alert pops up.
Utilize YouTube and Other Social Media Platforms
Make YouTube and other social channels your friends, as well as LinkedIn Learning. These platforms help to bring more exposure for your business. Photos are the first impression customers see. The more professional your photos are, the more likely people will be to trust you and visit your website.
All in all, make it about being aesthetically pleasing. Statistics show that better bookings come with better images, and with reservation software enabled. Reservations systems like WaveRez help to keep you organized and boost your online bookings, so schedule your free demo session with our sales team today or drop us a line to learn more about how we can help you grow your watersport business.