Everyone knows that images can be powerful marketing tools, triggering emotions, memories, or thoughts that words alone cannot; indeed, there’s a reason for the saying “a picture’s worth 1,000 words.” For business owners who are looking to attract more users and make a bigger impact, it’s not just about using images, but using images effectively. Here are some tips for how to use images on your website—to learn more, talk to our website design and content marketing professionals at NUVEW today.
Source Images Appropriately
It’s tempting to want to pull a great image that you’ve seen on an online newspaper or a Google image search, or even another company’s website. However, it’s important that your website only uses images that are properly sourced; most of the images on Google images are protected by copyright laws. Here are a few options for sourcing pictures:
- Take your own—this is a great option for anyone with a smartphone, an eye for beauty, and time.
- Use open-source sites to source images—there are a number of free websites for sourcing images, such as Unsplash.com.
- Purchase images—if you have the means, you can purchase images online.
Choose Great Photos
Not only do you want to choose photos that you’re legally allowed to use, but you also want to be sure to select photos that are relevant and engaging. Photos that feature people are often a great option. If you are taking your own photos, think about angles, lighting, color, and subject. It’s worthwhile to take multiple shots from various angles to capture the perfect shot.
If you’re deciding between a couple of different images, test them out by putting them both up on your website and comparing them. In some cases, it might be worthwhile to try A/B testing.
Use Descriptions and Tags
Once you’ve selected the perfect image, make sure you optimize them by using descriptions, title tags, and alt text.
Alternative text (alt tags) is important for accessibility and makes your website user-friendly for a wide audience. Alt text tells visually impaired users what the image is.
Descriptions are a great way to throw in a few keywords and provide more details than may be captured by the alt tags.
Finally, title tags just refer to titles. Make sure your image has one for SEO purposes!
Get Help from a Skilled Professional
For the busy business owner, figuring out images on a website can be a headache. At NUVEW, our website design and content marketing gurus can help. Reach out to us today by phone or online at your convenience to learn more about how.
