With standards for websites rising continuously, you need to make sure your web design stays attractive, personal, and efficient. And one way you can accomplish that is by employing images. So whether you are a provider of web design in Detroit or an SEO specialist elsewhere, you need to know how to properly use images when making websites for clients. For your convenience, below are a couple of simple pointers to try out.
Consider Relevance
Images enhance your web pages by providing visual aids for your content. So don’t just add images for the sake of doing so. Instead, make sure the ones you use for a specific page are relevant to what it’s all about. For example, if you’re writing an article to help people check their car’s engine oil, use photos or cars with open hoods.
At the same time, your images must complement your pages. That means the photos must be something viewers will expect when visiting your website. And they must add value to the page, bringing the texts in it to life and giving your audience a clearer presentation.
Use Pictures With People
Believe it or not, people tend to look for faces when viewing photos. So while designing a page or site, best use “people pictures” (i.e., images with people on it). That way, you can harness this magnetic power to make your websites more attractive.
Now there are two ways to add people pictures: either you get images with people already in it or add a person to an “empty” photo before using it. Skills in Photoshop will be needed to seamlessly accomplish the latter. Oh, and aside from the page’s images, you should also consider giving your site’s chatbots faces so they’ll feel more real.
Check Image Resolution
To make sure your website keeps attracting new people, it must feature crisp, sharp, and beautiful images. So better check the resolutions of the photos you plan to use before adding them.
Checking an image’s resolution can be done in several ways, each depending on the tool you’ll use. For example, you can check a photo’s resolution using Adobe Photoshop by opening the image through the app, clicking on the Image Size tab, and checking the resolution section. The process is even easier if you’re using Adobe Acrobat. Just open the image file and set the view at 300%. If the photo stays crisp even at that setting, then it has a high resolution.
Avoid Using Too Much Stock Photos
Stock photos may be easy to get, but you shouldn’t rely on them too much. You should certainly avoid using it altogether on your website. Not only can it lower your pages’ conversion rates, but it will also make your website look less authentic and trustworthy. Besides, other people will probably use it since they can also easily get it.
There are two alternatives to stock photos. One, you can create your own images. That means investing in people who have good eyes on photography as well as top-notch image editing skills. Two, you can get “empty” stock images (i.e., those with no people on it), and insert your team in there as seamlessly as you can.
Use Faces or Add Arrows for Visual Cues
As mentioned above, using photos with faces on it helps add magnetic power to your website. But to truly make the most of it, you need to use these faces as visual cues. That means taking advantage of that “you look where they look” phenomenon and adding call to action texts or buttons in the general direction the face is looking towards.
Alternatively, you can employ arrows instead of faces to direct your viewers’ attention to wherever you want it to be. In fact, a study made by CXL reveals that arrows are even more effective than faces when it comes to redirecting a visitor’s attention.
Add Call-to-Actions to Your Images
Using relevant, high-resolution images will no doubt keep visitors to your website hooked and engaged. But if you want to convert them into customers, you need to add them alongside a good call-to-action. And to make sure they see the call-to-action text or button, it’s highly recommended that you insert them in the photos rather than place them nearby.
Take Starbucks for example. Since they constantly bring out new products, they made it a point to add their call-to-action buttons on the images in their online menu. This resulted in higher conversion rates since people can catch a glimpse of the beverages they’ll get before ordering them.
Make the Most of Images When Designing Websites
Through meaningful photos, you can improve how people view your website, organically drawing their attention and triggering the right emotions. So from now on better take image usage more seriously when designing websites. Oh, and don’t forget to follow the tips above.
