Using Photos and Images in Your Website

A picture is worth a thousand words according to the old cliché.  Yet an image is worth much more than that when it comes to a website.

A perfectly placed photo will engage the reader’s eye, provide a break from walls of text, and ultimately help keep a guest interested in viewing your page much longer.  Photos will also add a more personalized touch to your website; an element that will allow it to stand out in a way that cannot be exactly duplicated from the competition.

While anyone can add a photo to their website, truly savvy people will stick to a few rules in order to maximize the picture’s overall effectiveness on the website.  These rules are designed to ensure the photos act as an extension of your company’s overall character, which could in turn allow guests to feel confident that what they experience online and what they experience in person is one in the same.

Photos are Important

The biggest rule regarding photos is to never underestimate their importance.  People are visual by nature, and a well-placed photo can draw their attention to your website quickly.  Plus, the right images can provide visitors with vital information about who you are and what you do without having them scour through your text.

Pull Back the Curtain

Be sure to add some photos of you and your key staff on the website.  Customers like to meet the people that are behind a successful business in the real world, and this tendency is still present in the virtual one.  Placing a photo of yourself on your website will prevent your business from appearing as some faceless entity, which will in turn make it easier for visitors to foster a sense of trust – a trust that could lead to conversions.

Stay Away from Stock

You may be tempted to just purchase stock photos and place them about your website as a means to save time and effort.  Avoid this temptation of all costs.  There are many issues that exist behind the use of stock photos, including:

• Their look – Stock photos have a tendency to look fake or staged.  Jarringly bad staged stock images could cause readers to lose their focus.
• Their general nature – Stock photos can be used by anyone, including your competition.  If a visitor sees the same image on multiple sites, they may not remember who you are and what makes you unique.
• Their lack of character – Stock photos are generally designed to be utilitarian in nature.  As such, it is impossible to convey the genuine spirit of your business.

Make Things Personal

Make sure that your website contains a few personalized photos of you and your staff.  A crisp, clean headshot may look professional, but it doesn’t necessarily make you approachable.  Putting photos that demonstrate your company’s personal side will foster a stronger sense of trust.  This is because they will enable you to look like a business that can connect on their level and not one that demands their customers reach to their strata.

Keep Things Relevant

Only post photos on your website that is relevant to your business’s nature and objectives.  You may have an adorable dog that you would love to share the world, but if you are not running a pet industry-related business or if your pooch is not part of your company logo, it has no business on your site.

These rules will allow your website’s photos to stimulate and engage visitors in a manner that is efficient and easy.  For those that are looking to take their conversion rate to the next level, these rules could speak volumes.

If you would like to discuss a web design project with us in more detail, get in touch on 0800 690 6250 or alternatively email us at enquiries@lemongrassmedia.co.uk