As we often say on our blog, your professional website is your Internet storefront. A potential client could see your website before they even meet or speak with you. So, it's a good idea to invest in a unique website showcasing your best work.

You can do that yourself or hire a professional. Either way, you should treat it with as much regard as you would your actual storefront/studio. That means there are some things you should do.

Below are seven things to do or not do on your website:

1. Poorly Curated Portfolio: Carefully select the images you upload. What do you want people to know about you, your business, and your work? The pictures you put on your website should be nothing but your best work.

A poorly curated online portfolio can mean lost business. Be sure that your online images (photo gallery) represent your talent well and reflect the type of business you want to pursue. In other words, if you are a wedding and family photographer, but want to focus strictly on family portraits, you might not want to display wedding pictures.

2. Don't Upload Huge Images: While you want to select high-quality images, you don't want data-intensive images. The industry standard for websites is 96 PPI.

3. Take Your Time: Take your time creating your website or working with a professional to create a standout site. As we said above, carefully curate everything you put on your website, both images, and content. Poorly written content looks sloppy and unprofessional and will certainly be a turn-off. It can take several months to create an excellent website carefully. It is not a rush job.

4. Do Not Pick the Wrong Template: If you're creating the website yourself, be sure to pick the right template for your style and images. Choosing a photography template only because it's beautiful doesn't mean it's the right one for your business.

The best templates for photographers are ones that highlight the images and have subtle background colors. You want the viewer's eyes to be on your photography, not the background. (Check out our previous blog post on creating photography websites.)

5. Regularly Update Content & Blog: Do not leave old or outdated content on your website, including your blog. That's another turn-off for future clients. A professional website for any small business today needs to be regularly updated (and should include a blog). Be efficient and transparent in your communication and content.

A dynamic website with regular, new blog content helps draw new visitors from internet searches like Google. Be sure to schedule time on your calendar to routinely update your site - a minimum of once a month!

6. Not Understanding SEO: A big mistake business owners make is not understanding SEO and trying to tackle it themselves. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is how search engines like Google recognise your content to drive searches. You can educate yourself on this somewhat complicated and enigmatic subject, but sometimes it's just easier to hire an SEO specialist when creating your website.

Good SEO practices include regularly updating your website and blog, as we mentioned above. SEO can be a fickle and somewhat mysterious thing. If someone says they're an expert who can guarantee your website will be at the top of all Google searches, be very skeptical.

7. Link to Social Media: Your website is like your storefront. It's not social media. You shouldn't communicate on your website or blog like you would on a social media site. Instead, include links on your home page to your social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram.