Everything you need to know about website photography

The use of good website photography is critical to getting the attention of potential customers.
Especially at a time when our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, visual content is enormously powerful.
But it’s not enough to simply post your favorite photos.
There is much more to it.
A photo must be functional, the file must be optimized and the image must tell a story.

Why good photography on your website is important

Putting good pictures on your website is not something you do just because it’s pretty.
High-quality images give your website a professional impression and inspire confidence.
In addition, good photos are very important for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and for the conversion of potential customers.

Don’t underestimate photography. Keep it simple is not the right attitude in this case.
It is tempting to keep costs down by getting started with photography yourself or hiring one of the many novice photographers.
But consistency and quality is hugely important.
Therefore, we recommend choosing a (professional) photographer who is responsible for the entire image bank.
This will ultimately provide the best photos for your website.

First impression of your website

When a visitor opens your website for the first time, they will not immediately read all the text.
On the contrary, visual content often says more than a thousand words.
So that’s what we look at first when we land on a page.
Based on that, an initial opinion is formed about the service or product being offered.
Are the pictures not good or realistic?
Then that greatly affects the impression you leave with your potential customer and there is a high chance that they will not convert.

Trust and credibility

To convert visitors into customers, you need to make sure you come across as trustworthy and credible.
As long as you are smart about it, you can accomplish this well with photography.
Have a professional photographer visit your location and have the photographer take pictures of real people and your office.
Visualize the services you offer or portray the product.
This way, you make sure you come across as genuine and you are more likely to have a visitor actually interested in working with your company.

Consistency & branding

With consistent photography, you can give your brand a huge boost.
Unlike stock photos, where every photo is taken in a different style, you can create recognizability with your own photos.
By choosing a regular photographer, you ensure that the quality and style of all photos is consistent.
This contributes to the company or brand identity and increases the trust of the (potential) customer.

Better usability

Putting quality photography on your Web site is also good for the overall user experience.
This is because clear photos indicate what information to expect in a particular section of a website.
This allows your visitor to know at a glance what information is and is not relevant to the purpose with which he or she came to the website.
This saves a lot of (unnecessary) reading and thus time, leaving your visitor with a more positive experience from the visit than if your website does not have clear pictures.

Also important for SEO!

Something that is often overlooked is that using images also contributes to search engine findability (SEO).
It is important to optimize images by adding alt text and using the correct file names.
In addition, the size of the image is also important.
When files are larger than necessary, the page takes longer to load.
This is penalized by Google in determining rankin4g in search results.
However, you do want the quality of the photos to be good enough, so it is important to find the right balance.
If necessary, you can outsource your SEO to a specialist.
This way you can be sure that your online portfolio meets all SEO requirements.

Works converting

When the photography on your website exudes professionalism and confidence, visitors are more likely to choose your product or service.
For example, you can also take pictures of people who fit the target audience.
The visitor will then recognize themselves in the photography on your website, making it more attractive for them to convert.
Another reason why photography on your website is very important.

Packages photography website

Are you interested in photography for your website?
Then download our product sheet for detailed information about the content of our services related to photography.

Download product sheet

Some examples of good photography

Opcharge

The photos on Opcharge.com almost all contain the logo, real employees and the product that Opcharge provides.
This immediately gives you a good idea of the company and you know what to expect.

Frisse Koppen

Frisse Koppen is a “modeling agency for ordinary people.
On their website, of course, there are many portrait photos of models and these are hugely important.
But take a look at the ‘about us’ page, for example.
Here you can see that the whole team is photographed in a similar way and all other photos are shot in the same style and quality.
You get a clear picture of the people and the office.
In addition, you can take a look behind the scenes at a shoot.
So you immediately know a lot about this company without having to read even one sentence.

2manydots

We are very proud of our own website, so let’s highlight it as well.
Every employee of 2manydots gets their picture taken once in a while.
You can find these portraits all over the website, because we think personal contact is important and we like to show that.
During our shoot-day we also put some daily situations in scene, to give an idea of the atmosphere in our company.

3 tips from Driek

1. Don’t use stock photos

Many websites use stock photos, which is understandable.
This type of photography is generally fairly affordable and you can download them right away.
So it saves a lot of money, time and effort.
Still, I advise against it, because you will quickly fall through with photos that are obviously not “real.
In addition, stock photos often vary in style, lighting, contrast and color.
This further confirms that the photos are from the Internet and do not fit the company.

2. Pay attention to file sizes

Make sure the files are not too large.
This is because it will take longer to load the page.
That is not pleasant for your user and you want to avoid that as much as possible.
Google also takes this into account when displaying search results.
A page or website that is slow will be less likely to appear at the top and thus generate less traffic.

There is also a downside.
If your photos are too small, it can adversely affect the quality.
This does not look professional and detracts from the user experience.
So you really need to look for the sweet spot.

3. Licenses and copyright

Keep in mind that you may not use just any photo on the Internet.
This is because photos – like many other productions – are subject to copyright.
This means that the author (the photographer in this case) may determine who may use them.
Using photos by other photographers for which you do not have rights can be very detrimental.

There was a case in the past where the owner of a sandwich store had posted a photo of a bowl of pea soup on Facebook.
She had found this photo on Google, but did not have permission from the photographer to use it.
Result: nearly 5,000 euros in costs.

Want to know more about website photography?

So photography on your website goes beyond just the visual aspect.
It is super important for many more reasons.
So make sure you showcase the best works on your website.
Want help with that?
Then you can always contact us.