One thing that we know from building websites is that if you’ve got great photography, our job just got a whole lot easier! Even with the sleekest website design in the world, a bad photo still looks bad. Having great images on your site can make a huge difference to the conversion, and ultimately the custom your website generates.

Here’s why you should consider getting some professional photography to really make your website pop!

It shows you’re serious

A slightly blurred, tiny photo doesn’t exactly shout ‘professional’. No matter how great your product or service, it comes down to perception. Does your website say that you or your product is as good as it really is? If not, it’s often the photography that’s letting you down. Professional head shots are great if you’re selling to businesses, and if you’re trying to shift product, the photo becomes one of the single most important factors in converting people to that shopping cart.

It captures attention

Would you rather look at a web page with images or a web page packed full of text? Photos capture the attention of visitors, they make them pause and look a bit closer. A huge block of text, however, is much less appealing.

You only get one chance to make a first impression

Working on a similar theme to the point above, you only get one chance to catch someone’s attention and impress from the outset. Quite often a website will have a large slider on the home page; what’s in those sliders? Does it encapsulate the imagination? Do they do you justice? Convey the message you want them to convey?

If you’re going to spend on photography then this is the place to get it right. Also remember that blog posts that have an image tend to get up to 96% more clicks!

Evoke feelings

They say a picture speaks a 1,000 words, and they’re not wrong. Poor quality images evoke negative feelings, whilst a high quality image evokes positive feelings. Professional photographs will create a sense of trust, which is vitally important when purchasing from a business that they’ve not dealt with before.

It doesn’t just go on your website

Having a go-to set of high quality images is practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. Flyers, images for press, brochures – these all require photographs. Investing in high quality ones means that you will be able to use them across a range of formats.

High quality images can be expensive, but they are worth the investment. There are three main ways you can get the best images possible for your site:

Hire a professional

No matter what you do we would personally hire a professional. They don’t cost the earth and the value they add to your business far outweighs the cost of the shoot. If you’re getting product photography done then make sure it’s something the photographer actually specialises in. Getting some lifestyle or headshots, perhaps some team photos? Take a look through their portfolio and see what you like. We work with some great photographers so if you do need a recommendation then let us know.

Ask your designer

Designers are called designers for a reason. If you don’t want to fork out for a photographer, then make use of the many stock photos available on the web. Asking your web or graphic designer for advice and a selection of stock photos is the best way to make use of stock images as they will know what will look good or bad, as well as what will work with your site and brand.

Pick for yourself

There are loads of great stock photo websites out there, filled with photos suitable for your site. Always ask for a second opinion on the photos you’re choosing; you’ll be very close to your business and it can be easy to lose sight of what things look like from the outside.

The go to sites for this sort of thing include:

istockphoto
Shutterstock
Creativemarket

For more information on how we can boost your online presence give us a call on 01566 784860 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk