Small Business Website Photo Checklist

Start with the photos buyers expect

Most small business websites need the same core image set. Gather these first:

• Logo files in PNG, SVG, or PDF format.
• Exterior photo if customers visit your location.
• Interior photo if your space affects trust or experience.
• Team photo or owner photo.
• Service photos that show your actual work.
• Product photos if you sell items in person.
• Before-and-after photos if your work creates a visible change.
• A few detail shots of tools, rooms, equipment, signs, or materials.

These photos help visitors confirm that your business exists and matches what they need. A salon should show the space and the people. A contractor should show finished work. A fitness studio should show the room where clients train. A mobile service should show the van, uniform, equipment, or finished result.

Do not send twenty versions of the same image. Pick the strongest two or three from each group.

Use stock imagery for gaps, not fake proof

Patchwork Sites includes stock imagery because many small businesses launch before they have custom photos ready. Stock can fill a hero section, background area, or general service block.

Use stock photos when you need:

• A clean visual for a service category.
• A background image for a simple section.
• A temporary image until you take your own photos.
• A visual style guide for a future shoot.

Do not use stock photos to pretend you have a team, office, customer, project, or result that you do not have. Buyers notice when a local business site looks like a template. Google users also compare your website against your Google Business Profile, reviews, and photos.

Stock imagery works best when the rest of the site names your real services, location, pricing path, and contact options.

Take useful phone photos if you do not have a photographer

A current phone can produce website-ready images when you control light and framing.

Use this quick setup:

1. Clean the space or object before you shoot.
2. Turn on room lights and use window light when possible.
3. Hold the phone at chest height for rooms and storefronts.
4. Step back so the image has room for cropping.
5. Take horizontal and vertical versions.
6. Tap the screen on the subject before you shoot.
7. Skip filters, portrait blur, stickers, and screenshots.

Shoot more than you think you need, then choose fewer images for the site. A messy folder helps your designer less than a tight set of clear options.

If you can hire a photographer, give them this checklist and ask for website crops. Ask for wide hero shots, medium service shots, headshots, and detail images. Tell them the photos need room around the subject for text overlays and mobile crops.

Match photos to your site pages

Each page needs a different kind of image. Do not place a generic smiling customer on every page.

A contact page should help a visitor find you or feel comfortable reaching out. A service page should help a visitor understand what you do. An about page should show the people behind the business.

Get permission before using customer photos

Customer photos need clear permission. This matters for salons, medical offices, fitness studios, home services, contractors, auto detailers, and any business that shows private property.

Use customer photos only when you can confirm:

• The customer agreed to website use.
• The photo does not reveal private details.
• The image matches the service you describe.
• The business can keep the image online after launch.

For before-and-after photos, avoid claims you cannot support. Describe the service in plain language. Do not turn a photo into a case study unless you have real approval and proof.

When in doubt, use a service detail photo instead. A clean tool, treatment room, finished surface, product shelf, or branded vehicle can support the page without exposing a customer.

Send the right file types and names

Your web team should not have to guess what each image shows.

Name files like this:

• logo-primary.svg
• storefront-front-door.jpg
• owner-headshot-jane.jpg
• service-hair-color-chair.jpg
• team-front-desk.jpg
• before-after-deck-repair-01.jpg

Send original files when possible. Do not paste photos into a Word doc. Do not send screenshots from Instagram if you have the original image. Use a shared folder instead of a messaging app when you can.

A simple folder structure works:

Decide what to hide

Good website photos also protect your business. Before you send images, remove anything that should stay private.

Check for:

• Customer names, addresses, license plates, invoices, and medical details.
• Staff-only screens, documents, calendars, or internal notes.
• Messy counters, trash, boxes, or half-finished setup.
• Old signs, outdated pricing boards, or expired promotions.
• People who did not agree to appear on the site.

If the image distracts from trust, skip it. A simple stock photo often beats a real photo with private or messy details.

Build the website first, then improve the photos

You can launch without perfect photography. Many small businesses wait too long because they think the site needs a full photo shoot first.

Start with the images you have. Use stock where it helps. Replace stock with custom photos when you get them.

Patchwork Sites can launch a professional site with stock imagery and client-provided copy. If you choose the Launch tier, you get up to 5 pages without a CMS. If you choose Grow, you get up to 7 pages plus Sanity CMS, which makes photo and content updates easier after launch.

Use this order:

1. Pick the site tier.
2. Gather the core photos from this checklist.
3. Mark the sections that need stock imagery.
4. Launch the site.
5. Replace stock images when better custom photos exist.

A real website with a few solid photos beats another month of waiting.

Photo checklist before you send files

Before you send the folder, confirm each item:

• Logo files included.
• Homepage image selected.
• About page people photos selected.
• Service images matched to each main service.
• Contact page location or entrance photo included if relevant.
• Customer photos approved for website use.
• File names describe the image.
• Blurry, duplicate, private, or outdated photos removed.
• Stock-image gaps noted.
• Photos sent through a shareable folder, not pasted into a document.

If you want Patchwork to keep the project simple, send the best 15 to 30 images and name your favorites. That gives the builder enough options without slowing the kickoff.

Pick the site tier that fits your photo plan

A photo-heavy site may need more structure than a basic five-page website. Match the site plan to how often your photos change.

Launch works when you need a clean site and your photos will not change often. Grow works when you want Sanity CMS so your team can update pages, announcements, photos, or posts. Custom fits when the site needs more pages, custom forms, API work, or multiple CMS content types.

Need the affordable version first? Start with Tier 1 and bring the strongest photos you have. Patchwork can fill the gaps with stock imagery and keep the site moving.