When putting together or updating a website, owners are looking to invest minimal funds for maximum impact. One thing business owners should think about when making updates is ensuring that their website looks credible. This means that the design is good and the images on the site look professional.
(Pixabay / pixelcreatures)
When someone says the words “professional” and “photos” in the same sentence, you may start thinking of how much money professional photos will cost. While you will need to shell out some money for headshots of people in high up positions for your website, the rest of the photo content doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are several places you can go to get high-quality photos for your website for cheap or free.
- Rawpixel.com — Rawpixel offers free images to be used in the context of your business, instead of providing a lot of artsy images.
- Unsplash.com — This website is full of lifestyle images, great for personal or travel blogs.
- Pixabay.com — If you need royalty free images that are available for commercial use, Pixabay is a great resource. This website has a good selection of photos that don’t look too much like stereotypical stock photos, and they also have a search tool that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.
There are plenty more websites that offer high-quality pictures for your site, including 500px.com, freepik.com, graphicburger.com, pictography.co, publicdomainarchive.com, and many more.
After you know where to find quality images, it’s also important to know what you’re looking for. Here are some things to keep in mind while browsing through websites for images:
- Have a reason to pick the photo — It’s not enough to select a picture randomly because it looks nice. Before picking a picture, you should look at it carefully and ask yourself a couple of key questions: “What is this photo saying?” “Is the message on brand for my business?”
- Make use of faces — Marketing research has shown that people are drawn to advertisements that use people. When you are looking for photos, don’t be afraid to grab pictures of real human beings. Having a photo of someone who seems to stare straight into your soul will captivate those visiting your website and may encourage them to stay longer and explore your products.
- Make sure images are high-quality — When we say high-quality in this context, it has less to do with the quality of the photographer and more to do with the resolution of the images. If a photo appears fuzzy or pixelated, it isn’t a high enough resolution to be used online. Keep in mind that if you plan to use these images both online and in print products, you need high-resolution photos. Otherwise the images will print poorly.
- Find candid photos — While a lot of these photos are stock images, some look more natural than others. When searching for business shots, make sure you’re picking images that look more candid than overly-perfect and staged. Your customers will be able to tell the difference, and having photos that are more natural looking will give off a better impression and look more real to website visitors.
Choosing the right photo doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Chances are, if the picture catches your attention and relates to your business in some way, it will draw you in and have the same effect on your website visitors as well. It may be time-consuming work, but it will pay dividends in the end.
If the price and process of finding quality photos make you cringe, you should think of the pictures as an investment. High-quality images offer these advantages:
- They will make your website look more professional and credible, which will keep potential customers on your page and earn their trust.
- They can make your products or services more appealing.
- Visitors will often associate quality images with professionalism of a business.
Finding the perfect photos for your website doesn’t have to be difficult. If you know the right places to look and understand what you’re looking for, you will be sure to find the best photos to help promote your business and make a top-notch website.
Searchers and readers today would often prefer to look at visuals like images rather than reading lengthy texts. However, if you are not really fond of using Photoshop or taking your own photos for the website, you would find it challenging to look for photos appropriate for your content. This infographic provides free image sites and the various ways to use them.
