Do you remember the last time you met someone you never saw before? Their hairstyle, posture, and clothes probably gave you a quick impression of them. If you spent more time with them, you probably got to know them a bit better and got to see whether that first impression was true or not. Businesses often don’t get the chance to do the latter: visitors can leave right away without ever getting to know the business.
This is where images come into play: they give you the opportunity to quickly show what your business is about. But what’s the best way to use images?
Here are some things you should check
1. Are your pictures crystal clear?
This is especially important if you have a webshop. Visitors of your website often like to see the products you’re selling up close. A good way to make this possible is to have crystal clear pictures that can expand. Would you like your images to stand out even more? Then it’s a good idea to place it against a contrasting background.
Do you have a service-based website? Then crystal clear pictures of people are often a good option. These can, for example, be pictures of happy customers, business partners, or employees.
2. Make sure your images are consistent and fit your brand style
No matter what kind of business you have, it’s important to have good images that fit the color scheme of your website and your brand’s style. Always make sure you use similar styles, image sizes, orientation, and backgrounds. This will make your website look like a whole, make it recognizable and clear.
3. Are you using your own pictures?
A good way to make your website stand out and be authentic is to use your own, unique pictures. To do this you can invest in a professional photographer. Is that not an option? Then you can always use stock photography.
Do you need help with stock photography or videography? We’re more than happy to help!
4. Are your images the right size?
To prevent your website from having a slow load time, it’s important to keep image files as small as possible. Also, make sure you have not more than 5 large images per page. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t make the images too small. Making them too small will make them look blurry and distorted when expanded or added to a larger space.
5. Are the images the right format?
Your images should be JPSGs or PNGs (only if transparency is needed). These work the best on websites. If your images have a different format, it’s important to convert them.
6. Give your image a good name, and fill out captions and alternative text
This has to do with your SEO. Don’t call an image “Image1.jpg” or “Screen Shot 2020-06-05”. Give them descriptive names such as “big-ben-01”. Furthermore, it’s important to fill out the captions and alternative text of your images. Alternative text gives search engines a better idea of what your images are about. This is especially important if you have a webshop.
