Take a quick look at your favourite social media site, and you’ll see just how much people love images. From cute kittens to catchy quotes over a pretty background, they are everywhere. And we pay attention to them. They aren’t just a way to break up the text on a page.
When used wisely, the images on your page explain your ideas visually and help you emphasize your point or sell your product. In part one of this series we focused on understanding the copyright rules related to images. Now it’s time to look at how to use images most effectively so they actually perform a function in enhancing your website design.
Make Your Images Relevant
When selecting images for your page, it’s most important to remember all visual content should relate to the purpose of the page and add to its value or usefulness. People will notice the images on the page, so using too many or unrelated images can cause your page to lose focus.
For pages relating to a physical product, consider multiple images that show your item from different angles. Be sure to include at least one image showing the product in use to give your customers a sense of the product’s size. If your page is using stock images, be wary of the free selections that your visitors will likely see elsewhere.
Select Images to Add Impact
When choosing images for your website design, Calgary, it’s best to concentrate on the purpose of the page first, and then make choices that add to the overall message. Images and other graphic elements should not only direct visitors’ attention; they should also create a sense of urgency. For more Thought-Provoking Ways to Persuade Your Customer, visit our blog.
Choose wisely. Pick visuals that stand out distinctly from your background and text. Don’t use colour combinations (like reds and greens) that some users might have a hard time distinguishing. Finally, remember this about impact: if your images are too strong, they can actually detract from the content. If your site design relies too much on visual elements, your visitors will not focus on what’s really important.
Eye-catching visual content is a great way to engage your users, so why limit yourself to what everyone else does with them? Use your images to put a face on your company. Show your team hard at work or having fun together. Give people a behind-the-scenes look at how products are made. If you’ve got some interesting data, why not make your own infographics? Lane Jones, writing for Fresh Take on Content, has even more suggestions.
File Size Still Makes a Difference
Even though the days of dialup connections are long gone, the size of your image files is still important. If you’ve ever given up on waiting for a web page to load on your phone, you know this is true. Small files will reduce bandwidth and improve speed. If you need high quality images to fully demonstrate a product, use a thumbnail that links to a larger file.
If your website design in Calgary includes pages with slow loading images, you’re likely to frustrate your customers. Anything that slows down the user is bad for your business. Don’t risk losing customers by making them wait.
Titles Give Meaning
Remember, not all your visitors will see the images on your page, so it’s essential to use specific titles. By including a complete textual description of all visual content in the ALT text information for every image you will help users who might be using a screen reader, and it makes your images visible to search engines, which will improve your SEO efforts. Give your files descriptive names that will make sense to your website’s visitors, so they can easily find the product on your page, or—even better—share them on social media.
When used wisely, images can make a powerful impact on your visitors. But if used poorly or without careful consideration, the results can turn people away quickly. The days of marketing by Rolodex are long gone. You can’t afford a website design in Calgary that discourages potential customers. The team at Emphasized Design can help you get potential customers to discover your business and keep them interested in what you have to offer.
