How to reinforce your positioning

Want to reinforce your positioning as a vertical specialist?

It's simple: use images of people in your vertical on your website.

For example, if your vertical is attorneys, include images of actual attorneys throughout your site.

Like seeing a familiar face in a crowd, using images of your vertical clients signals to website visitors that you're a specialist in their vertical market.

Here's a quick challenge: go to your site right now and see how well you're already doing this (if at all).

Not good enough? 

Schedule a photo shoot at a vertical client's workplace. You'll get genuine and credible photos that will reinforce your specialization.

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do vertical-specific images matter so much on a website?

Because they signal specialization instantly, almost like seeing a familiar face in a crowd. A visitor from a specific vertical, like attorneys, recognizes themselves reflected in the imagery, which builds immediate relevance.

What's a quick way to check if a website is already doing this well?

Going to the site right now and looking at the imagery used throughout. If it's generic stock photography instead of real people from the target vertical, that's a gap worth addressing.

Why does using stock photography undercut vertical positioning?

Because generic images don't signal specialization to anyone. A visitor scanning a site for relevance won't feel the same recognition from a stock photo that they would from seeing someone who looks like an actual peer in their industry.

What's the most credible way to get vertical-specific images?

Scheduling a photo shoot at an actual vertical client's workplace. That approach produces genuine, credible photos rather than generic stock imagery that could belong to any agency.

How does this tactic connect to broader vertical specialization efforts?

It reinforces the same positioning built through messaging, content, and language, extending that specificity into the visual identity of the website itself, so everything a visitor sees confirms the same specialist positioning.