A good website is imperative if you are to succeed as a photographer. I’ve won business with the aid of a good website. I know, because the client in question told me so. It was a tasty contract too. I’m pretty sure I’ve also lost work because of a website, though that’s much harder to gauge. If a prospective client doesn’t like your site, they will go elsewhere and you won’t know about it. The only indication they were ever looking at you is an extra notch on the Google Analytics breakdown.

But what is a good website? More specifically, what is a good website for a photographer? Ask a dozen photographers and you’ll get a dozen answers. Thing is, photographers are the wrong people to ask. We should be asking our clients, rather than our colleagues.

So when Rob Haggart (whose A Photo Editor blog, while US-centric, is a must read for editorial photographers and a good source of insight for commercial photographers in general) started offering websites through his A Photo Folio company, I was interested to find out more. Here’s a guy with years’ experience as a photo-buyer. He knows what those commissioning pictures want to see and how they want to see it. He knows what switches them off and what turns them on. Most importantly, he has the inside track on how photographers should present their work in a way that is going to give them the best shot at connecting with buyers and commissioners.

So, the predigree looks good. So too is the price. $1,000 to sign up and get set up with one of the two, now three, templates and $17 a month hosting.

The templates are hugely appealing, not to mention customizable. Most importantly, they are geared towards giving picture buyers what they need quickly and efficiently – ie. your photographs. There are no whistles or bells. The name of the game here is to get your pictures in front of the potential client promptly so that they can decide quickly whether you are right for the project.

Pedigree, price and presentation are all well and good, but from a photographer’s point of view there are more considerations, not least of which is the functionality of the back end. Photographers have peculiar demands of their websites. Key are galleries that can be updated easily and regularly.

Without going in to detail, the back-end interface chosen by Rob is excellent. It is intuitive and flexible. It also includes a bunch of useful tools that are so easy to use. Want Google Analytics code on all of your pages? Peasy – just paste the code into one specific box and you’re done. Want to personalize the colour scheme? Just enter the relevant colour codes and you’re in business. Sure, you’re working with templates, but you can bend and shape them to your own taste and needs.

You can also chose to link a blog to the site. Rob will even set it up for you using the WordPress platform – a bonus for me as I was already using this platform when I signed up. Keeping my blog was simply a case of entering the link in the right place.

I like good customer service. I will pay more for a product or service if I know the customer service or after-sales services is good. Similarly, I’ve walked away from cheaper alternatives if the customer service feedback has fallen short – even if the quality of the product or service itself is excellent. Rob has this sorted. Seriously, he will respond personally to your emails. At least,that’s the impression you get; it could be a staff member signing off with his name, who knows? Quite honestly, it doesn’t matter. Even if it isn’t him signing his name, you still feel you’re getting a personal one-on-one service. Not only that, responses to emails are quick and things get done. Any problems I had or questions were dealt with swiftly and I felt I was dealling with the man himself. That gives you confidence. [UPDATE: It really is Rob. He emailed to say so]

So, from my own perspective, the back-end is easy to use and the company is nice to deal with. What about the end product – the website itself? All I can say is that I’ve have had nothing less than stellar feedback from clients and business associates alike.

The new site is up and running at www.rogeroverall.net and while there are some modifications in the pipeline, including the addition of video, it serves my current needs very well. Importantly, APhotoFolio’s flexible back end will allow the site to develop in tandem with my development as a photographer. I have plans, and they will change and morph over time. Thanks to A Photo Folio my site will be able to change with me, while still giving picture buyers the viewing experience they want.

I’m a big fan.