Before organising a website photo shoot, decide what each image needs to explain. A service business usually needs evidence of its people, process and work, not a collection of unrelated smiling faces. A short shot list can help a photographer capture material that fits the pages you are actually building.

Capture people, place and process

Plan twelve shots in four groups. People: the owner, the team and someone carrying out a normal task. Place: the exterior if relevant, the working environment and an identifying detail. Process: preparation, the main activity and a quality check. Work: a completed result, a useful close-up and a wider contextual view.

Adapt the list to your business. A mobile service business may use a vehicle and a customer-approved location instead of a shopfront. A consultant may show a workshop or approved working materials. Do not stage unsafe work or present borrowed facilities as your own.

Shoot for the intended layout

Tell the photographer where images will appear. A wide banner needs a different composition from a square service card or portrait team profile. Allow space for text where the layout needs it, and capture alternatives so important details are not lost on a narrow screen.

Ask for clean original files as well as web-ready exports within the agreed scope. Keep a simple index matching each photo to its intended page and usage permission. This saves time when a designer needs a different crop or a future campaign reuses the material.

Use truthful context and useful descriptions

Get the necessary permission before publishing identifiable customers, staff or private locations. Remove sensitive information from screens and documents. When showing a concept or demonstration, label it accordingly rather than implying it is a completed client project.

Google’s image guidance recommends placing images in relevant page context and using descriptive information. Write alternative text that explains the image’s purpose when it conveys information. Decorative images may need empty alternative text. Avoid stuffing service names and suburbs into every image description.

Prepare images for a fast page

Export images at suitable dimensions and use responsive versions where the website supports them. Check the crop, sharpness and file weight on the actual page. Reserve the image’s layout space so text does not jump when it loads. A large camera file should not automatically become the file sent to every phone.

Choose fewer, more informative photographs over a large gallery with little context. For a completed job, explain the customer’s problem and what the photograph shows. That combination gives prospective customers something concrete to evaluate and helps your photography support the service story.

Put this into practice

A useful website brief starts with a real customer task, a realistic scope and a clear next step. Explore how CodeMax can help, or send us your website and the problem you want to solve.

Sources and further reading

Google Search Central: Image SEO best practices. Checked 30 September 2026.