Choosing The Right Photographs For Your Website
Choosing photos for your website is not as simple as picking out stock photography from a generic photographic website. Thanks to the burst of social media, people are much more savvy about photography used in marketing campaigns and advertising. These days, businesses and designers have to elevate their image choices and carefully choose photos that actually relate better with their customers and take the plunge to actually be unique. Luckily for you, we have a few good tips on picking out effective photography for your website.
Don’t Get Sucked In By Cliches
It’s an easy trap to fall into - go to a stock photography site and pick out some photos that you think look nice and represent your business. However, this is the “easy” and “convenient” way out. Unbeknownst to you, other businesses are very likely using the same images, making your website, products, and services blend into the background. It’s time to take the challenge and get those creative juices flowing. Brainstorm concepts and ideas that will be much more effective as a photo. What is the heart of your business? What makes your products/services so special? It’s these questions that you need to be asking and use images that highlight the strengths of what you are trying to communicate with your audience.
Know Your Audience
Designing your photos around the mass market is pretty tempting, but it’s also a bit “been there, done that”. Don’t fall into the same slump. Take the time to know your audience and research to find your target demographic. Is your business geared more for younger individuals? If so, you probably have the license to be a bit edgier and can afford to take some risks with your photo choices. Remember, people start using the computer at a younger and younger age these days and have seen it all, so you want to stand out and be bold. On the other side of the spectrum, if you are targeting a more mature audience, you want to pull back on being bold and edgy. This demographic is more attuned to classic marketing techniques, so you will want to use imagery that speaks to them, not at them. Don't go for the generic white hair and too bright smile - be real. Your audience will thank you for being honest.
Use Photography Advances To Your Benefit
It’s not all about clean lines and sharp images. A recent development in the design world has been a growing popularity of film. More and more photographers are using film development to create the mood for their photos. This might mean an image isn’t perfect, perhaps slightly blurry or the colors have been muted. Techniques using light, grain, and unique colors can be used to achieve a particular look that tells a story. It’s not always about the content. Sometimes a picture can share a hundred more words than your words ever could.
Testing
Last, but not least, test your photos. You may have hand selected a variety of photos that will be perfect for your website, but which ones stand out the best? It’s time to put them to the test. There are lots of tools and companies that you can use to test the effectiveness of your photo selections by running A/B tests. With testing, you can track the click-through rates, bounce rates, and effective measurements of your images. This will help you see which images relate best with your targeted audience and which images you will have the best success in terms of uniqueness.