You’ve opened the inbox again. Nothing from the website.
Before you spend money on a redesign or lose another weekend changing the homepage, find out where the enquiry journey is getting stuck.
A quiet inbox can mean people aren’t finding the site, the wrong people are finding it, or visitors can’t get the information they need. It can also mean your form isn’t working. Very different problems, with very different fixes.
First, is anyone reaching the website?
Check your analytics for visits to the homepage, portfolio, pricing and contact pages. If you use cookie consent, remember that your analytics may not record every visitor. Treat the figures as clues rather than a complete headcount.
Then look at Search Console. Which searches bring up your pages? Are they about booking a wedding photographer in an area you cover, or something less relevant?
If hardly anyone reaches the website, changing the button colour won’t resolve the main issue. You need to look at discovery: accurate location and service information, useful content, referrals and links from places where suitable couples might find you.
If people are reaching the site, here’s where I’d look next.
Can they tell what you offer and where?
A beautiful opening photograph can do a lot. It cannot explain your entire business.
Somewhere near it, say that you photograph weddings and which areas you cover. If you travel, explain that too. You don’t need to squeeze a list of towns into every sentence. You do need to stop a visitor having to search for the basic facts.
I’d also look at the service description. “Your story, beautifully told” could belong to a photographer, filmmaker or copywriter. Keep the personality, but give it some useful information beside it.
Does the portfolio help someone choose?
Your favourite image may be a spectacular portrait. Keep it if it represents your work. There isn’t a rule that candid photographs always sell better than posed ones.
What I’d want to see next is enough context to understand your photography across a wedding: people, details, changing light and the moments between the big events. A selection of complete wedding stories can give that context alongside a shorter highlights gallery.
Choose work that fits the service you want to sell. You don’t have to demonstrate every possible aesthetic to be useful to the right couple.
Is there a useful indication of price?
I favour giving people some budget guidance. That could be full packages, a starting price or a realistic range with an explanation of what changes it.
“From £X” needs to mean something. What does that booking include? Is it short coverage, a full day, or something else? A very low starting figure that barely resembles your usual service can create more confusion than it removes.
You can still prepare a tailored quote. The aim is to help someone decide whether a conversation makes sense, not to price every possible wedding on one page.
There’s more detail in what to put on a wedding photography pricing page.
Have you explained what working with you feels like?
“Relaxed and natural” is a start. What does that look like when a couple feels awkward in front of a camera?
Explain how you approach portraits, family photographs and the rest of the day. If you offer gentle direction, say so. If you mainly observe, explain what couples can expect. Be accurate rather than trying to sound like every photographer they might like.
A photograph of you and a specific client review can help here. Use real reviews, with permission, and keep the meaning intact. You don’t need to turn the About page into an awards cabinet or remove every credential either. Give the experience some context.
Try the form yourself
Open the live site on your phone and send an enquiry. Did it arrive? In which inbox? Did the visitor get a confirmation, and does that confirmation say anything useful?
Then look at the questions. Ask for what you need to respond properly. Name, contact details, date and venue or location may all be useful; there isn’t a magic three-field limit. If you don’t need a full timeline before the first conversation, leave that for later.
Where possible, accommodate someone whose date or venue isn’t confirmed. And give a response time you can keep. A clear “I’ll reply within two working days” is more useful than promising a reply tomorrow and regularly missing it.
Check the phone experience, not just the desktop
Look for slow or oversized images, text that disappears over photographs, awkward menus and buttons that are hard to use. Try moving through the site with a keyboard too. Check that you can see which control is selected and understand each form field.
You don’t need to diagnose every technical issue yourself. But a page that looks lovely on your laptop deserves a proper check on the devices people may use to enquire.
What I’d change first
Start with a broken form or anything preventing someone from using the site. Then address missing service, location and pricing information. After that, look at the portfolio, copy and page structure.
A few focused changes might be enough. If the content and layout need working through together, you’ll have a clear reason for a larger project.
That’s what my Website Review & Action Plan is for. I look at the content, navigation and mobile experience, then give you a prioritised plan. See the review and design options, or tell me what’s happening with your website on a free discovery call.
Related reading: what couples need from a photography website and writing your About page.
You might also find this useful: wedding photographer website design service.
Tagged: