Several businesses underestimate the power of photography and its impact on websites. There is no doubt that the content of your website is vital, but your visitors are moved by visual display and creative illustrations, which also play a key role in building a memorable web experience for visitors. If you wish to draw the attention of your visitors and keep them engaged and captivated, then you might want to consider the following factors that are crucial when deciding on new imagery for your site. Let’s begin with defining the right path of choosing exceptional photos that not only cater to your budget, deadline but also your goals.
1. Photo Shoot vs. Stock Photography
If you are on a strict budget, then you might want to consider stock photography websites which harbour millions of images – all that are relatively low in cost. Because it is a massive directory of photos, there is some likelihood that other people use the exact same photos as you have. What’s more, in case your visitors identify the photograph that you have used with another person’s website, there are chances that they might view your website negatively. Another big problem with stock photography is that your visitors might spot such photos very easily, therefore, it is important to invest in authenticity, if you want to maintain your visitors’ trust.
Customised photo shoots on the other hand, are a better alternative to stock photography. This not only uplifts the visitor’s experience, but also instills trust, which in return leads to increased sales. Even though, hiring a professional photographer will be more expensive, but if you are concerned about building strong long-term relationships with your visitors, you might want to invest in a professional photographer. Always remember that photos provide a great illustration and sometimes meaning to your brand. You won’t have to worry about a thing after hiring a professional photographer because they have extensive knowledge about directing models, composition and lighting.
2. Identify Your Voice
Once you have chosen which path you want to follow, the next step is to make sure you maintain consistency. Way before selecting stock photography or hiring a photographer, think about what you want the photos to illustrate to your visitors. Do you want to include people in the photos? What colours and backgrounds are you aiming at? It is best to determine the overall tone of the photos so that you have a clear vision of your expectations from the photos.
3. Create Photos That Are Relevant to Your Website
In order to stay ahead of the rest, you need to keep updating your website at intervals so as to keep it interesting and engaging. You can do this by tossing out the old images on your website and create new ones that will captivate your audience. Other factors to consider include screen sizes and responsive websites. Lately, screen sizes have expanded, meaning that your images need to big enough with high resolution so that they aren’t pixilated.