Make sure your website is pixel perfect!
Building a website can be compared to building a house. You have to get the structure of the website right, a bit like the foundations and layout of a house. And then you have to get the website content right, which is similar to interior design. Both are important in the design process and can make or break the final product.
So, how do you get the interior design of a website right? And by this we mean your website images. What are your options, the common mistakes and the opportunities?
Your website image options
You have multiple sources and ways to create images for your website. Your options include:
- Stock images – these are images that have been taken by photographers and uploaded to stock image websites for people to purchase and download.
- Personal images – you can use your own images if they have been taken with a good camera. You don’t want low-quality images on your website because they will reflect badly on your brand.
- Professional photos – you may want to pay a professional photographer to create images for your website.
Which images should you choose?
On the whole, there isn’t a golden rule when choosing between different images and image sources. You should prioritise relevant images that are of good quality. In fact, diversifying your images is highly recommended. On some website pages, it may be better to use stock images and at other times you should probably be using high-quality personal photos or professional photos.
But when is the best time to use which type of images? Here are some key pointers…
Consumers want to see themselves!
When your target market visits your website, they’ll start to imagine themselves using the product or service. Your website can play into this thought process by adding images that include a “client”, possibly handling the product or having a consultation.
Your images should include “clients” that correspond to your target market. You’ll need to consider the sex, age and ethnicity of the people in your images and make sure it matches the market you’re trying to sell to. If your products and services don’t target a particular sex, age group or ethnicity, you should diversify the people in your images as much as possible.
Sometimes you need to avoid stock images
There are times when you should avoid stock images. The best example is on your staff or team pages. Website visitors can lose trust in your business if you use stock photos to show your team instead of showing the real faces of your business.
Moreover, it’s best to avoid letting staff take their own images because you’ll end up with a selection of photos from different cameras or camera phones, all with different levels of quality and no consistency. Overcome this problem by taking the photos in-house with the same quality camera or by using a professional photographer.
Consider doing something unique
There are some alternatives to using website images, and some of them are highly creative. You could use sketch artists to make sketches or avatars instead of traditional images. Or you may be able to replace images with animations and videos to make your website pages come alive.
Whether you want website image advice, professional photography or other creative designs and videography, WEBPRO can help you. Get in touch to discuss your website needs, soon!
Recap: The best websites diversify their choice of images between stock images and professional photos. But there is a time and a place to use these different types of website images. Remember that your target market wants to see themselves in your images, and there are times to avoid stock imagery to protect trust in you.
P.S. WEBPRO also offers professional photography services for your website images!
