Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and your headshot on your Web site can either capture the essence of what your market desires or not. An online business should have a professional picture on their Web site that conveys their confidence and success in their business and attracts new clients.

Not only can you use the headshot for your Web site, it is excellent tool to have for use in trade magazines and other media and a valuable asset to add to your marketing budget regularly. Yes regularly keep this photo updated.

Don't deceive your clients by putting up a photo 10 years younger than you are or 50 lbs lighter than what you actually weigh. You may one day meet them and feel like a fool! Be confident in what you look like and that confidence will shine through to your clients. Why? If you ever meet a colleague or client, first, they won't recognize you and then secondly, when they do, they will feel cheated by you if you don't look like what they expected. I recently attended a Virtual Assistant conference and there were many people I couldn't indentify by their Web site pictures. There were also a few who I knew right away and could go up and introduce myself to easily. Guess who I choose to outsource to in future business dealings?

Your headshot should look like you!

Headshots don't have to be expensive either. Your local department stores (Sears, Wal-Mart, etc) sometimes have great low sitting fee packages to choose from. If you do choose to hire a professional photographer your picture will be even better since they know exact poses and tips that work for business headshots. Don't forget to make sure that you are given all rights from any photographer to your pictures to use in any way you wish. Have them also put on CD-Rom in high resolution .jpg format and not in .gif format which is used for vector images (cartoons)!

A few tips for a professional headshot for your Web page:

1. Don't go for the overly glamorized shot as this will detract from your professional stance. Being too sexy or for that matter too nerdy will not embrace your business like qualities.

2. Avoid dangly earrings, chunky collar jewelry, hairpieces, hats, etc. Keep it simple yet professional. If you regularly wear your eyeglasses, then include them in your picture else leave them out too as they can distract the viewer.

3. Dress professionally in modern (not the time for your goth dress ladies) office attire suited to the corporate world. Also leave the housecoat or sweats at home. Avoid patterned or white and black clothing. Pattern clothing distracts the eye and white or black clothing can blend too easily into the backdrop causing the opposite effect.

4. Choose a plain background colour that can easily be edited out in case your Web designer ever wants to add a different colour background to it.

5. Consider headshots poses at all angles looking left, right and center. This way when you place your picture on your Web site it will have you looking interested into the content no matter where you place it. Nothing worse then coming to a Web site and seeing the person looking away at the scroll bar outside of their Web site instead of focused onto the content to entice the reader to read their copy.

6. While you are there and if your budget permits, get some bonus full standing poses looking at all angles. You never know when you may use it on the Web to help promote your business online.

Your headshot will visually attract your clients to funnel through your Web site and read more. Make sure you pose with confidence so your business strengths shine forth to entice new clients.

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Tawnya Sutherland is the Founder of VANA the largest online portal for everything to do with virtual assistance dedicated to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs plus a Certified Internet Marketing Specialist, helping turn her clients clicks into cash.