What to look for when picking stock images for your website
If you’re looking for a way to elevate your website, including visual interest is always a good idea. One approach for this is to utilize stock images, which can be great assets when trying to offer digestible content to your audience, especially if you don’t have the time or budget to orchestrate an entire company photo shoot. Like any other design choice, though, there are a few things to consider when deciding which ones to use. Obviously, when picking stock images for your website, you want to be sure to select high quality images – but, there are a few other considerations to keep in mind, as well.
Choose photos that support what you’re talking about – rather than distract.
If the meat of your message is conveyed through words, use photos to further illustrate or demonstrate that message, not distract or take away from it. The photos you choose should coincide with what you’re talking about; use them to leverage your message or offer your audience a clearer and/or different perspective. Visual interest is really important when creating content, so don’t be afraid to include it – just do so intentionally!
Photos should be consistent in lighting and coloring.
If you came across a site that was all over the place with its images, and nothing seemed to match or add value, would you be likely to pursue the company? At least for us, probably not…
Your website reflects your brand. The way you represent yourself on it is directly related to consumers’ perceptions of you; so, if your website (and, in turn, your brand) is all over the place, potential customers or clients may assume dysfunction or chaos in the way that you work. Obviously, this is something you want to avoid. So, make sure the photos you choose all share the same theme – demonstrate cohesion and consistency so that potential customers or clients will be more inclined to trust you and feel comfortable adopting your product or service.
Don’t be afraid to edit images you find to better align with your branding and website scheme.
Add text, brand elements, or whatever you see fit on top of images to ensure consistency with the rest of your content. You might find an image that perfectly depicts the message you’re trying to convey, but it just needs a little doctoring to exist on your website – so, doctor away! Make it your own; if the image itself is not one that you took, you can still find a way to let your personality and brand shine through it.
The people in the photos should resemble your target market.
You want your audience to view your content and resonate with it. So, in attempting to achieve this, seek out photos that your audience will see themselves in. Beyond this, make sure chosen photos resonate with your entire target market, not just one segment of it; be inclusive to ensure the greatest reach (age, gender, race, etc.). This way, they can imagine themselves as potential clients or customers, and the likelihood of a conversion becomes much higher. This one is simple, but often overlooked. It’s more tedious to find photos that depict the right scene AND include the right people, but it’s an easy adjustment and well worth the effort on the front-end.
Seek out candid photos – they're often more digestible.
Let’s be honest, painfully staged photos are just not as digestible as those that are natural or candid. A candid photo feels more genuine, more authentic. You want people who either seek out or stumble across your website to make a connection with it; if the way you portray yourself doesn’t resonate with them, you’ve lost a potential client or customer. While it is a relatively minor detail when thinking about the website as a whole, utilizing candid photos can help you to better establish that connection with those who interact with it (even if subconsciously). Give them a chance to envision themselves as part of whatever it is you do – being intentional about the small details can lead to big results!
Utilize attention-grabbing colors to stand out.
You have to stand out, right? Attention-grabbing colors and photos can help you do this. When people are mindlessly scrolling online, you have to really think about what will be notable enough to divert them to your page. Consumers are presented with an abundance of information virtually (literally 😉) all the time, so offering them something that will pull them away from everything else can be difficult.
One way you can approach this is to reflect on what catches your attention when you fall victim to mindlessly scrolling on social media – then, use this to inform your own design decisions. Oftentimes, and we’re surely guilty of this, as well, we think we know what people want to see (even if it hasn’t even proven true for ourselves). However, more times than we’d probably like to admit, we’re wrong. What sounds good on paper doesn’t always translate well to your audience. So, do your research, be intentional about the design elements you choose to employ, and make sure you’ve gained an honest understanding of your target audience so that you can accurately determine if they’ll be receptive to your approach.
Some of our favorite places to find good stock images: Adobe Stock, Unsplash, Shutterstock — the list goes on.
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