When people visit your website, they want something engaging and visually appealing to look at, instead of just lines of text to read. When going through the web design process, we can’t stress enough how important it is to make quality photo and video content part of your new website. And while stock content can do the trick, client-generated content (i.e., content that you provide us that showcases your work and operations) can turn a standard website into one that gets real results.
Here are just a few reasons why selecting photos and videos during the web design process matters so much:
- Capture visitor attention – Today, people’s attention spans are short, and visuals speak louder than words. A photo or video can stop people from scrolling and draw them into your site.
- Build credibility and trust – If you have high-quality images and videos on your website, this shows customers that you deliver value when you provide services.
- Drive engagement – Social platforms, like YouTube and Instagram, are all built on visual content. Posts that include photos or videos, instead of just text, will consistently receive more likes, shares, and comments.
- Improve conversion rates – Having an intentional photo or video on a post or your website can make the difference between a casual viewer and someone who contacts your business.
- Boost SEO – Not only do photos and videos look good, but they also help search engines find your website. If you have visuals with alt text and file names, this can improve your site rankings, in addition to increasing the amount of time visitors spend on your site.
- Tell your brand’s story – When you add photos and videos to your site, you’re doing more than just selling a product – you’re connecting with your audience and creating a narrative they can support.
Taking & Sharing Photos: Tips to Shine Online
Now that you know why adding great photos to your website matters, we have a few suggestions for taking and finding photos that will help tell your brand’s story:
- When selecting photos to send to your marketing manager, gather a mix of landscape & portrait photos. This will help us have good options for your website and online presence. For example, landscape photos work best for slider banners on websites.
- Make sure your photos are high resolution. Resolution is usually measured in terms of pixel dimensions, such as 1920×1080 pixels, or 4000×3000 pixels, which could be considered high resolution depending on the context. Most phones today are capable of taking high-resolution photos.
- If there’s something you don’t like about a certain photo, don’t worry! We can take care of post-editing to make your photos truly capture your brand.
- Don’t hold back when sending us photos and videos. We usually need 8-10 photos just for the home page, along with 20-30 other photos to use on other places around your site. Having plenty of photos will give the designer what they need. And even when we’re done creating your site, keep sending us new photos of your team, company vehicles, projects, your location, etc. to help establish your business’ personality.
- Try to include a wide range of photos that depict all the services you offer and want to showcase on your website. We ask that the photos you send us are well-lit and in focus, so we can get them right on your site.
- When you’re ready to send photos to us, name the files by services, so we can accurately place them and optimize them for SEO.
Make a commitment to provide us with high-quality photo and video content, and your web marketing efforts will garner better overall results. For more information about the role video and photos play in the web design process, contact us today.
