Imagine a website that only contains text. No photos, videos, or other visual elements. Boring, right?
That’s why it’s so important to find the right visuals for your business website. To help you get started, we’ve listed some things you should consider when choosing images. It goes without saying that you should consult a web designer and refer to their expertise in using images that will help to optimise the user experience of your site;
1. What story should your website images tell?
To answer this question, you need to know what story your business needs to tell. If you sell professional services, you need to tell the story of your experience, knowledge and ability to solve problems. If you sell products, your story will focus on why those products were developed and the benefits they offer. Paint the picture of success, happiness and having a problem solved.
2. Professional, DIY images, or stock photos?
If you are in a position to hire a professional photographer, this is ideal. Producing your own photos will add originality and will tell your story far more accurately. If not, there are millions of stock images available online. Some are free, some you will have to pay for. Use websites like Shutterstock or Pixabay and begin searching for phrases related to your product or service. You can find professional images that will look great and match the theme of your site.
3. Be picky about the photos you choose
Make sure the photos you use are appropriate – unoffensive and relevant to your business. Avoid miss-selling and showing something unrealistic. Try to match the colours in the photo with the theme colours on your website or branding.
4. Don’t be afraid to edit your photos
Resizing, cropping and applying filters, at least, are just small ways you can make photos work better within the structure of your site. Your web developer will do this for you as part of the build process.
5. Position your photos for impact
Your images need to appear in the right places and at the right times. Typically, the first fold of your website will display a ‘hero image’ – the large, main image at the top of the home screen. In addition, you will need product images, images to compliment content sections and perhaps photo galleries.
6. Optimise your images
Once you’ve done all of the above, you can make your images help you rank higher in search results. For example, make sure that your images have alt text. These are short texts that describe what appears in the visual. They help visitors who are visually impaired or using a screen reader to understand what’s on your site, and they tell Google more about your site. This is because Google doesn’t just read the headings and body texts on your website, but also the alt texts, making them a great place to use your keywords.
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How to Choose the Best Images for Your Website
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