A Guide to Choosing the Right Images for Your Website

When it comes to building a website, one crucial element that often gets overlooked is the selection of images. Images play a significant role in conveying your brand, engaging visitors, and making your website visually appealing. 

However, not just any image will do the job. To create a website that truly stands out, you need to carefully choose and optimise your images. In this blog, we'll walk you through the process of selecting the right images for your website and provide essential tips for image quality, formats, and licensing.

Understand Your Brand and Audience

Before you start looking for images, it's essential to have a clear understanding of your brand and your target audience.

What message do you want to convey?

What emotions or impressions should your website evoke? Knowing your brand's identity and your audience's preferences will guide you in selecting images that align with your website's purpose.

Prioritise Image Quality

Image quality is paramount. Blurry, pixelated, or low-resolution images can make your website look unprofessional. Always opt for high-quality images that are sharp and well-composed. If you're using photographs, make sure they are in focus and properly exposed.

Use Original Images When Possible

Original images can set your website apart from the competition. If you have the means to create custom images or hire a photographer, do so. Original images give your website a unique personality and help you avoid common stock photo clichés.

Optimise for Web Performance

Website speed is critical for user experience and SEO. Be sure to optimise your images for the web to minimise file size while maintaining quality. You can use image optimisation tools or plugins to help with this. Consider image compression and choose the appropriate file format.

Choose the Right File Format

JPEG, PNG, and GIF are the most common image file formats for the web. Each format has its strengths:

JPEG: Best for photographs and images with many colours. It offers high-quality compression and is ideal for visuals with intricate details.

PNG: Suitable for images with transparency or a need for high quality and sharpness. Great for logos, icons, and simple graphics.

GIF: Primarily used for animations, but it's not suitable for most photographs due to its limited colour palette.

Consider WebP for Web Optimisation

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that offers significant advantages in terms of both image quality and file size. It's particularly effective for websites that prioritise speed and performance.

Here's why WebP should be on your radar:

Superior Compression: WebP employs advanced compression techniques, resulting in smaller file sizes without significant loss of image quality. This means faster loading times for your web pages and a better user experience.

Lossless and Lossy Options: WebP supports both lossless and lossy compression, giving you the flexibility to choose the level of compression that best suits your needs. You can use lossless compression for graphics and images where maintaining every detail is essential, while employing lossy compression for photographs and images with more forgiving quality requirements.

Transparency Support: Like PNG, WebP also supports transparency, making it an excellent choice for images that need to blend seamlessly with various backgrounds.

Wide Browser Support: While WebP was initially developed by Google, it is now supported by many web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. For browsers that do not support WebP, fallbacks to other formats can be easily implemented.

To use WebP on your website, you can convert your existing images to the WebP format or export new images directly in WebP. Many image editing tools, such as Adobe Photoshop and online image converters, support WebP. Additionally, there are plugins and scripts available for popular content management systems like WordPress to automate the process.

When implementing WebP, don't forget to provide fallback formats (e.g., JPEG and PNG) for older browsers that do not support WebP. This ensures that your images remain accessible to all users, regardless of the browser they are using.

Licensing Matters

When using images from external sources, be mindful of licensing. There are various types of licenses, such as Creative Commons, royalty-free, and rights-managed. Always ensure you have the appropriate rights to use an image on your website. Websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Shutterstock offer a wide range of images with different licensing options.

Consistency Is Key

Maintain a consistent visual style throughout your website. This includes image sizes, filters, and editing techniques. A coherent look and feel will help create a cohesive and professional web presence.

Test Responsiveness

Ensure your selected images are responsive and adapt well to different screen sizes and orientations. What looks great on a desktop may not work as effectively on a mobile device. Test your images on various devices to guarantee they remain visually pleasing and informative.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of web design and includes ensuring that everyone, including those with disabilities, can access and understand your website's content. When it comes to images, adding descriptive alternative text, or "alt text," is an essential accessibility practice.

Alt Text

Is a brief text description of an image that is read aloud by screen readers for users with visual impairments. 

It serves two main purposes:

Providing context: Alt text describes the content and purpose of the image, helping users understand its significance within the context of the page.

Ensuring accessibility: Alt text is crucial for compliance with web accessibility standards, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

When writing alt text for your images, keep these best practices in mind:

Be descriptive but concise: Describe the image's content without being overly verbose. A good alt text balances detail with brevity.

Include essential information: If an image conveys vital information or serves a functional purpose (e.g., a button), ensure that the alt text reflects this.

Avoid "image of" or "photo of": Redundant phrases like "image of" or "photo of" can be omitted, as screen readers already identify the content as an image.

Be mindful of context: Consider the surrounding content to provide an alt text that fits seamlessly into the page's narrative.

By incorporating proper alt text for your images, you enhance the accessibility of your website, making it inclusive and user-friendly for all visitors.

Regularly Update and Refresh

Your website is a dynamic entity. Don't forget to update your images periodically to keep your content fresh and relevant. Regularly reviewing and refreshing your visuals is essential for maintaining a modern and engaging web presence.

Regularly reviewing and refreshing your visuals is essential for maintaining a modern and engaging web presence. Here are some considerations:

Product Updates: If you offer products or services, ensure that product images, descriptions, and pricing remain up-to-date. Removing outdated or discontinued items is equally important.

Seasonal Changes: For businesses that cater to different seasons or holidays, updating your imagery to reflect these changes adds a fresh and relevant touch to your website.

Relevance: Evaluate the relevance of your images over time. Are they still in sync with your brand's message and audience preferences? If not, consider updating them.

Optimising for Trends: Staying updated with design and image trends is a smart approach. Periodically assess whether your website's visuals align with the latest trends in web design.

Performance Monitoring: Regularly analyse your website's performance metrics, such as page load times and user engagement. If you notice issues, optimising your images further might be necessary.

A well-maintained website, complete with current and engaging imagery, can contribute to increased user engagement and a more positive impression of your brand.

In conclusion, choosing the right images for your website is a multi-faceted task that requires careful thought and attention to detail. By understanding your brand and audience, prioritising image quality, optimising for web performance, adhering to licensing regulations, and considering accessibility, you can create a visually stunning and user-friendly website that captivates your audience.