Why should you use images on your web pages and blog posts?
Every business has a story to tell, and there is no better way of telling a story than through photos and videos.
You can even use them to help create a mood or atmosphere around your topic.
Images are responsible for more than half of all the information transmitted to potential customers.
Research has shown, on average, that people spend about two seconds viewing a website before they leave! Use images to quickly catch their attention!
10 Important Benefits of Using Images
1 An image can tell a story or convey an emotion that words cannot.
Let’s say you sell garden items and you want to introduce a new nozzle. A fun picture shows more than just the product, it helps create a good feeling, and that helps with sales.
2 Images can help readers understand the message you are trying to convey. A glimpse of a picture can convey the full meaning of your message.
Sometimes all it takes is a great image and a little bit of text to create a strong message.
Here’s a screenshot of part of the home page of the Cape & Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund.
3 Before-and-after pictures not only show your work, they add to your credibility, demonstrating that you can fix their problem.
Below is an image slider showing before and after of the Orleans Fire Department website home page.
In the image below, click and hold the circle to drag the slider left/right.
4 Images make your blog posts and pages more visually appealing. They help break up text, making your content faster and easier to read.
Your images don’t have to be super-sophisticated. Here, the Eastham Windmill Weekend uses a cute image to add a little fun to the event details.
5 Images often help people retain information faster and better than text alone.
For example, just a glance at the stats below shows that Monomoy Social Media can prove they get results for their customers.
6 Images can help you get more traffic because they’re eye-catching. People can identify with them, and when they feel a connection they’ll be more engaged and likely to share. The Cape Cod Foster Closet in Orleans has many catching images.
7 Readers tend to stay on a page with an image longer than one without an image. It’s important that they stay on a page for as long as possible because it increases the likelihood they’ll click around more – so this means more views, leads, and sales.
8 Using an engaging image for your post will help you gain traction on social media. Use that image on your social media posts to get more shares and more traffic to your website.
TIP: use your logo as an image periodically, to help with brand recognition. ProCreations Cape Cod in Wellfleet has a cute seagull logo.
9 If you have a blog post that has lots of information, an image can be used as a visual aid. A good example is when you’re writing a “how to” article, and want to provide guidance on a particular step in the process.
Or if you want to show statistics in a way that’s easy to grasp. Let’s say we wanted to impress you with the number of people who are using their smartphone for shopping.
10 Images can help your website or blog posts rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Images are also good for SEO because they provide context about what you’re discussing in the article. This is especially true with infographics, and using keywords in alt tags for photos.
Get Psyched About Your Website!
5 General Tips for Image Use on Your Business Website
If you’re trying to create a web design that will work well for your business, then be sure to remember the importance of adding images. Images can help attract more customers and make it easier for visitors to understand what is being offered.
Choosing an image or set of images requires careful consideration; there are many potential benefits, but poor choices will reflect badly on you, and your business.
We hope these tips give you some guidance on how best to choose, integrate, and use images in order to improve your website’s effectiveness in getting new sales leads and making current ones happy too!
Using images in your content will improve search engine optimization
Use appropriate alt text for each image, including keywords that describe the content of the image and its importance within your post (this helps search engines find and understand your content)
Include captions, letting readers know where they are relative to your written words
Include a title tag for the photo with keywords related to what’s shown in the picture (e.g., “Fancy Dining Room Table”)
You don't need expensive software like Photoshop
There are free tools that will give you the ability to edit and apply different effects. It can be easy and cheap to customize graphics for any size screen.
There are free sources of public-use images
Be careful to try to find images that are relevant, and follow the usage guidelines. Sometimes even free images need attribution.
Be careful with image sizing
Make sure that the images you use are big enough, that they have a high enough resolution. That way people won’t see pixelated versions of them when they view the page on their phone or computer.
Don't overdo it with your images
Be careful not to go overboard with too many images in one post or page. Too many images can turn people away.
