Did you know photographs are important for websites and play more of a role than just making it look pretty?
They can help you share your brand-story and play a key role in creating a positive visual impact. They are also important for making your content accessible and engaging, and increase your chances of being found on the web.
How?
Well, here are the top five reasons why images are important for your website.
1. Capture Attention
Our attention spans are short these days.
If we don’t get to the point of a website fast, the chances are we will leave to find a site that does capture our attention. Website visitors often leave webpages within 10 to 20 seconds, so it is vital to capture their attention if you want to reduce bounce rate and increase your click-throughs.
Quality photographs are one of the best ways to grab that attention.
2. Sharing your unique story
The images that you choose to have say a lot more about you than you think.
From the style of image you choose, the editing, the story within the image, it can pass on a lot of information quickly. More importantly, they can help share a feeling. Perhaps empathy, or happiness, or success.
Great photography tells a story. They should be explainable in just a few sentences, and they should be compelling.
This will help your audience browse your site without having to digest a lot of information all in one go.
3. Connecting with your audience
The right kind of image will help you convey your brand-story fast, and will help you establish a sense of trust and loyalty when your audience can see that they are reflected within them. Quality images show that you care.
4. SEO
Search Engines like Google use algorithms to rank and categorise websites. They are looking for quality content, and using the right images helps you create the kind of quality that will improve your rankings.
In fact, an original image will have much more of an impact for SEO than something from a stock website where it may be shared many times by other businesses.
Using captions and Alt-Tags with those photographs will help you improve the accessibility of your website to those who are visually impaired. But they are also considered high value by Google, who use those Alt-Tags to help them determine the content of that image.
5. Structure
Images can help you with the structure of your website. From creating balance with negative space, connecting your words with meaningful content, and help your website come alive.
Conclusion
Why are images important for websites? They’re not just important but they are essential for any modern web design. They provide the appealing real-life visuals that give a sense of place for your products and services, and in the right way.
But it’s all about choosing the right image that will help you to connect with your audience. Get that right, and you will be able to connect with your audience better.
About Claire
Claire is a commercial photographer based in Falmouth, Cornwall. Claire understands that, to successfully market your business and personal brand, you need quality, engaging photographs that will connect with your audience.
You can learn more about Claire and her incredible photography on her website LLE Photography
Claire also runs a fantastic podcast “Focus on Cornwall”. You can listen to the amazing stories here – Focus on Cornwall