Quality Photography: The Make or Break of Your Website

Photos surround us everywhere we look. On television, the Internet, books, billboards, magazines, etc. They also can grab your attention on websites and their quality can either make or break the design and feel of the site. You can invest in great website design with us, well-written content and structured navigation for the users, but if the photography isn’t up to today's standards then you might want to reevaluate.

The Internet is a visual environment, visitors judge with their eyes and will only digest the content if the whole experience is a memorable one. Your company’s imagery highlights your professionalism, enhances the look of your site and improves your own credibility. Your website is your storefront to the world. This is your chance to display what your company has to offer. This is why photography and videography should not be an afterthought. It should be what drives your design to work as a whole. If this is your year to embark on a website redesign or a new website, here are a few recommendations to consider when it comes to your photographic needs.

1. Take the Leap and Invest in Professional Photography

“We already have photos we took a while ago.” “You can just pull the photos off our current website, right?” “Someone in our office has a cell phone and can go take some pictures.” These are usually the responses we receive from the question, “Do you have photography for your website you would like to use?”

Taking the leap and investing in professional photography is the key. You will want to do some research and see who specializes in imagery for web/print. I would suggest checking out some of their work and see if it matches your company’s vision for the future.

2. Ask Your Designer for Direction

Your designer usually has something in mind about the direction they would like to take your new website design. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be involved with the photo shoot, but I would suggest sharing the wireframes/designs with the photographer in advance to give them some background on the look and feel for your new site. This can help avoid the designer having to compromise their design to fit the type of images received later on. For example, wide landscape shots of a building, staff or additional images may need ample white space to the left. This will give the flexibility for the designer to crop or layer a caption over the image if needed.

3. Use Stock Photography Sparingly

Stock photos can be useful if an image is needed, but it can also be very impersonal. With trying to sell your company online, you want to gain prospective customers' trust and you want them to know what your business is all about. Being able to communicate to users what YOUR business, YOUR products/services, and YOUR people are all about will go a long way with gaining potential trust. Even though stock photography might be a cheaper alternative, REAL authentic photography will outweigh any potential upfront costs you paid for hiring a photographer.

4. Use Images That “Fit” for Your Business

You want to make sure your imagery “fits” for your business. Our websites at Spinutech are responsively designed to be viewed across all devices from smartphones, tablets, to desktops. It is important to remember that images viewed full size on a desktop computer might not look the same on a smartphone. You have to make sure your product pictures are adaptable for both platforms. Ask your designer for their advice on what would present your business at its best.

5. Sometimes Less is More

Using fewer, bolder photos can be better than lots of little photos with no meaning behind them. Less is more. Make sure each photo has significance.

Overall, the photography on your site portrays your brand's image. It's important that you focus on how you present your identity, and whether the images selected showcase your company in a positive light. Authentic, real-life photographs give users a glimpse into your brand's culture and identity. Though it may take a little more time and money, investing in a professional photographer could really give your site a clean and polished look for long-term use. We know it's not easy. If we could build entire sites off of selfies we probably would. Reach out to us and we can guide you through next steps so you can ensure that your site's photography makes (and doesn't break) your site!