3 Mistakes Boston Companies Make When Using Professional Headshots On Their Website

Websites have become the new business card in this new digital realm, and that will only increase as people become more tied to the internet. Not everyone will read the entire copy on your website, but they will look at your professional headshots.

As Boston businesses move forward with their digital transformation, there are some key considerations to keep in mind when designing a website. The use of professional headshots and visuals overall is incredibly important in this context because it gives people visual cues. Here are some key mistakes companies make when using photos on their website:

1. Only using stock photos, not real professional headshots of real people

While there is certainly some room for stock photos on your website, many companies choose to only use stock photos rather than their own photos. This makes websites look a bit drab and boring on an aesthetic level, but it does more harm than that. It makes companies look impersonal, which makes it harder for new and existing clients to build a connection.

Using a mix of professional photos and stock photos helps strike a balance between professionalism and approachability. Stock photos can be great in certain contexts, but relying on them completely will leave your website devoid of any personality.

2. Using old and outdated images

The other common mistake companies do is using old and outdated photos of the staff and office. Think about it, if you want people to see your new office or the fact that you’re expanding quickly, how do you show that? If your photos are too old to convey your current state, why not refresh them? Updating photos can be costly, so setting timelines can help keep the cost under control.

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Updating the photos on your website every year or two will suffice but it is all about setting your best foot forward.

Work with your photographer beforehand to identify key staff and locations that should be included in the photos, and explain where you envision them to be on your site. This helps ensure that the photographer knows what kinds of shots to take, and you can refresh these every so often without having to repeat this work.

3. Not using professional headshots

Most companies tend to have an ‘About’ page or more information on the company. This is a key part of the website because it gives visitors a chance to learn more about the business and the people behind it. Not using professional headshots on these kinds of pages does your company a disservice. A faceless company makes it harder for people to build connections, and it can be a source of distrust. Professional headshots of key team members allow people to get to know companies a little better, understand the structure, and put faces to the names. They help people get a better sense of who your company is, and who is the team behind the operations.

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Many people refer to this as ‘harmless stalking,’ so give visitors the information they want. Identify which roles are most important and/or client-facing, and make it a point to add these headshots and refresh them as needed. Team members will come and go, so setting a reminder for yourself to go through and update these shots is important.

Using photos on your website can be a great way to boost traffic. There are a lot of ways to use photos on your website effectively and create a more personalized experience for website visitors. Please do not hesitate to contact us today to learn more about what types of photos do best on websites and how we can help.