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Website images and their quality can make or break a site!

One greatly overlooked area in web design are the website images chosen to be used on the site.  There is a balance to be struck between using images which don’t look out of place with your design, and not making your site look like a stock photo library.

What images should I use on my site?

The images you use ideally need to be relevant to the information on your pages.  For example if you are a plumber, then a picture of a plumber or piping would be good to get the message across.  Photographs you have taken of your work, or your work vehicle/premises are all relevant – but ensure that they are of a high quality.

The image I have added to the right in this section for example comes from a stock photo library, and can be used pretty effectively.  However that image on the wrong site, perhaps used as an image on a contact us page for a self employed plumber may seem a bit strange.

I would suggest perhaps an image of the plumbers van may work better.

Can I use my own photos on my site?

This entirely comes down to your preference, but I’m happy to steer you where necessary. If you plan on using your own website images or photos, then you need to consider:

• That they are relevant for the content which you are displaying on your site to avoid confusing visitors to your site.
• Previously edited photographs may have lost resolution or been cropped too small to fit correctly.  Always make sure you have access to the unedited original photos from your camera.  I will edit the images to fit the site design, not try and stretch the design to fit the images!
• That the style of the image fits with the style of the page.
• Basic photography rules – not too dark, not too light, not blurred etc.

Stock photos are so expensive…

They can be unless you shop around, but if used correctly they can really make a difference to your website.  Many of the stock photo libraries will have offers open from time to time, and it’s worth visiting a few to weigh up the option.

What else can I use images for?

The most common use website images is to break up large sections of text, or to feature a particular bit of information on that page.  Depending on your website there are many ways to use images other than to aid the page layout.

One specific way is to create a photo library containing images of the work you have carried out for your clients.  The tiled images can be clicked on a viewed full size, or displayed as a slideshow by the sites visitor.[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”dropshadow” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”#0F6187″ bordersize=”1px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text]A product portfolio can also make heavy use of website images to illustrate your services.  The portfolio on this site is made up of screen shots of my previous site builds.

In summary

Good quality, relevant website images will enhance your online presence. But remember to make sure they worthwhile looking at!

A picture is worth a thousand words

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