Professionalism. A clean headshot gives credibility as a professional. Potential clients who find you online are (most likely) interested in doing business with an actual person instead of a faceless corporation. Your headshot puts a face to an employee in your company, someone that potential client can talk to!

First impressions. According to this article in Forbes, you have 7 seconds to make a first impression. Your website, company profile, or LinkedIn headshot might be that first impression. Think about yourself as a consumer, have you ever seen a picture of someone on a website and made a snap judgment of their ability? If so, that’s probably happening to you as well. A professional headshot can go a long way to making you stand out.

Build Trust. When people visit your website, LinkedIn, or other profile, they want to get to know you! A clean headshot with a great smile can go a long way to giving potential customers a positive impression of you and shows them who they are supporting when they choose you over the competition.

Stand out from the crowd. How many profile photos have you seen that are simply a cutout from a group picture that someone thought was “good enough.” Now compare that to a professionally lit and retouched headshot, which do you think will be the visual cue for someone to connect with you in particular?

Branding. Your company. Your brand. Your image. Regardless if you work for a Fortune 100 company or are self-employed, your image represents your company and brand. Your client will associate the image you show them with your company. Make sure that image portrays you in the best possible light!

Consistency. Having a consistent look in the headshots of your company employees gives a client the feeling that the company puts out work of consistent quality. Since headshots can be used in multiple places, having similar styles between your company, LinkedIn, and other profiles helps build your image consistently.

Credibility. By now, the message should be sinking in: Professional headshots build credibility and give your business a more professional look. According to LinkedIn, profiles with an image get fourteen times more views! Probably because others associate that profile with an actual human being instead of just a name. People want to spend money with those they feel they can trust. Present yourself as a person, instead of just a name!