What makes a good website??

[ManhattanShutterBug]

I was asked this today by a photographer who is opening his company early next year. On my website I have an overview of my company, Testimonials, FAQ's, contact, portfolio and link (not in that order).No music.

I try to keep it simple, I suggested the same to him. What do you all think makes a good website?

 

[brandibell]

I never thought of FAQ's what do you put for it?

I agree with simple and no music !! I rarely see websites where music works

Mine I have about me, portfolio, testimonials, contact. I use to have pricing but was told it's better to not have it. What's everyones thoughts on pricing on s photographers website?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

A good website is one that brings clients/customers to your business.

No matter how good it looks, no matter what it says, if it doesn't show up in searches it is absolutely useless. And of all the websites that are home made by people using templates and such who don't understand the intricacies of website design few actually show up in searches...

The other thing is that not everybody needs a website. My marketing is done through direct contact with buyers with a physical portfolio. Then again, I am not a retail photographer, I'm picky about my clients, don't feel like wasting time discussing someone's project when they can't or don't want to afford me, so I visit potential clients that I pick carefully.

 

[ClickAddict]

]I never thought of FAQ's what do you put for it?

[/B]I agree with simple and no music !! I rarely see websites where music works

Mine I have about me, portfolio, testimonials, contact. I use to have pricing but was told it's better to not have it. What's everyones thoughts on pricing on s photographers website?

FAQs on websites are a way of keeping the description of services / products section "cleaner" and still have the information available for those who want more.

So you can say something like 'I offer my services in the Boston area" in your main pages and in the FAQ can have something like "How far out of Boston will your travel: For Boston city limits there is no extra fee, for such and such an area there is $$ extra cost etc....." (This could be a ful paragraph of info for various areas) Keeping it out of the main information section just keeps the site looking less cluttered. (FAQ pages are understandably longer)

 

[brandibell]

FAQs on websites are a way of keeping the description of services / products section "cleaner" and still have the information available for those who want more.

So you can say something like 'I offer my services in the Boston area" in your main pages and in the FAQ can have something like "How far out of Boston will your travel: For Boston city limits there is no extra fee, for such and such an area there is $$ extra cost etc....." (This could be a ful paragraph of info for various areas) Keeping it out of the main information section just keeps the site looking less cluttered. (FAQ pages are understandably longer)

Thanks for the info! Sounds good to have I may add it to mine!

 

[bennielou]

You are selling photography, so don't be too wordy. Show photos. But only your best of the best of the best.

 

[robb01]

Something that beautifully exemplifies your work, explains your service, and gives people your contact information.

 

[HikinMike]

Easy navigation. No clutter. No music. No Flash. SEO-friendly...if you care about search engines.

 

[dnavarrojr]

When designing your web site, what about size?

I know the popular wisdom is to keep the width under 1024 pixels, but what about the height? I've been playing with changes to my web site and I like the changes so far. But I'm working on a desktop computer with large 1920x1080 monitors. When I viewed the site on my wife's laptop the gallery slideshow was too large. I'm wondering if I should reduce the size of the slideshow to fit on a laptop...?

Pretty much everyone I know these days access the internet via laptop or mobile device. Desktop computers seem to be a dieing breed for the average consumer. Or is my perception too limited?

 

[Mesoam]

keep in mind simplicity as others have suggested, ease of navigation and don't over load on content

 

[mjhoward]

Good photos.

 

[KmH]

What makes a good website??

what makes a good website - Bing

 

[2WheelPhoto]

What makes a good website??

what makes a good website - Bing

The top secret is out for professional web pages(search tools)

 

[Crimsona]

A nice layout. Clean and simple - with your own photography integrated into the layout. I don't have a website but this is what I mainly look for. And good photo's, of course.

 

[Wardy1987]

When designing your web site, what about size?

I know the popular wisdom is to keep the width under 1024 pixels, but what about the height? I've been playing with changes to my web site and I like the changes so far. But I'm working on a desktop computer with large 1920x1080 monitors. When I viewed the site on my wife's laptop the gallery slideshow was too large. I'm wondering if I should reduce the size of the slideshow to fit on a laptop...?

Hi all, i would have to agree with many of you. A good website it not easy to build as it should be:
- easy to use
- not to busy (images and colour not the number of views)
- eye catching
- original

I have found it best not to use flash. It is very good software and provides easy access to effects but not all devices support it these days.

Just to answer the quote, dont have your image size decide the size that it is displayed on your monitor. If you look at java you should find some code that will look at the users monitor options and resize to suite each user.