What makes a website stand out among others?
The answer would be remarkable images integrated well into the design of your website. These elements are the main attribute that differentiates a well-designed website from a mediocre one.
Though it might seem easy to use perfect images for your site, it is not. There are some tips and tricks to get the right pictures. After spending the vast majority of my days designing websites, I will show you the Best Tips for Using Images in your Web Design, so, without any further delay, let’s get right to it.
1. Use less text in images
According to a study performed by Mind Tools in 1998, 65% of the population are visual learners. People understand things better with the use of images rather than words.
Any user will prefer a site with more images than text over one with the best design but fewer images. Pictures trigger memories and emotions. Hence they are better to be used to impress and captivate any user.
The images you choose should have significantly less text. The main idea of embedding images is to replace text. So, adding text to these images kills the whole motive.
2. Make your website’s above-the-fold area impressive
The upper part of a website that the user can see before scrolling down is called “above-the-fold”. Your site’s above-the-fold should be awe-inspiring to give your users a reason to scroll down and see the whole webpage.
Using images in this area is encouraged, but they should not be too large. They should not push any vital information downwards.
Studies show that 80% of the users spend most of their time on a website just looking at content above the fold. This percentage shows us that the above-the-fold area makes or breaks how long a visitor spends on your website.
No doubt, using large images is discouraged. If any photo is impressive enough or carries information in a better format than any text, make it sufficiently large.
3. Cropping and scaling
When you choose a photo, always keep in mind how it would look on your website’s page. Mostly, the website’s crop and scale images to fit the size of a window might not look very impressive.
So, it is essential to crop and scale your photos before uploading them. Cut out the parts that are not necessary. Centralise the areas crucial for the user to see.
Adopting this technique will not only help you save time, but the layout of your website will also improve.Â
4. Use original imagesÂ
Originality is an attribute well-versed in the online world. These days we all carry small cameras in our pockets (considering you have not been living under a rock and own a mobile phone). If you can take pictures or hire someone to take them for you, you should use your photos on your site – especially your product photos!
You can also customise your images any way you want without having to worry about copyright claims.
5. Use stock photos where applicable
Hiring a photographer can be expensive, and most people do not have the time or resources to shoot original photos. While you should be using original pictures for your products, you can use Stock Photos to compliment your product images.
It’s necessary to ensure you purchase relevant stock photos from reliable sources to avoid any copyright issues. And it would be best if you made sure that the stock photos you are buying are not overused.
6. Use multiple images for a single product
Shopping online can be tricky. You might not always get what you order. If you are developing a multi-vendor selling website, make sure that you can gain your customers’ trust.
The easiest way to gain trust is to describe your product correctly. What better way to give a product description than the pictures of the product itself? Using only one image of the product will not be enough.Â
Always use multiple images to help the user get a complete idea of what he/she is buying. It will allow users to trust your products and hence will increase your business success.
7. Keep the user interface (UI) in mind
The images have a significant impact on the user interface. They can make the screens look impressive and welcoming, or they can make them look unmanaged and dishevelled.
Always consider which images go best with your website. Pay special attention to the transition of pictures from desktop UI to mobile UI. If an image looks good on the desktop view, it might not look the same when opened on mobile. You can always outsource photo retouching to make it look better across all devices.
8. Use relevant and meaningful images
Continuity is the key to a successful website. If your content does not match your images, your users won’t find your website impressive.
The images should be relevant to the content. They should second or support the text. In other situations, they should provide a more precise and more in-depth understanding of the subject at hand.
Images that do not go well with the text or negate its effect are the worst thing that can happen to a website. Mould your pictures as per your content or your content as per your images.Â
Images play a significant role in your site and your content. Make sure to add meaningful and relatable photos so that people get inspired and motivated to use your website and return to it. If you have placed an image that does not attract your viewers or is unrelatable, you will quickly lose your audience.
9. Logo picture design to be top-notch
Pictures define your content. Especially when it comes to web designing, images hold a vital role. Whenever you open any website, the first picture you will encounter will always be that company’s logo.Â
A good logo on your web design page would attract your website visitors. Besides, it would create for you an identity that would stick with your company for a long time.
For these reasons, logo designs should be topnotch, and the logo image placement should be authentic and well placed.Â
10. Background images enhance the quality
What do we do when we get a new phone?
Among the very first things most people do is change the wallpaper. Now, why is that?Â
The psychological reason is that our mind only works with an item until it finds it appealing. To make your website attract people, you have to make its background or wallpaper generally enjoyable.Â
Similarly, the background picture of your website should be very gripping. It should appeal to all your users. There should be no blurred or stained impacts as they might not look good.
Using the right background pictures is vital as they set the tone of your site. So, whatever image you choose should convey the message of your site.
Images that make your site look dull or convey the idea not associated with your site will harm the site’s traffic.Â
11. Distinguished graphics
The last thing that you want on your website is graphics that look like ads. Who likes ads popping up all the time? Until and unless they are suited to us, ads can be pretty irritating.Â
If your site has images and graphics that look like ads, that’s not a good thing! You have to make sure the idea you will be using will enhance that image to a limited point. Use it on your site in a way that will attract the audience.
If you are placing your images in the banner or at the bottom, shape them to ensure it doesn’t give the feel of an advert. Otherwise, it might be ignored, or chances are, readers are never going to pay attention to it.Â
12. Using images that do not slow down your site
A Slow website is a significant distraction and can cause you to lose your audience. Make sure that the images you are using enhance your website and do not repel your audience away. You can optimise your photos to help you create a better experience for your customers.Â
There are various online tools available to help you reduce your image size. A couple of good ones are Resizing.app and TinyPNG.com
13. Clickable label images
More and more web designers are using images for links instead of text. This practice is generally good because images draw more attention than text as they are much bigger and easier to click.
However, it would help if you always labelled them with descriptive links and text. Tagging your images will not only self-explain the pictures but also inform the readers where they link to.
14. Choose the right image type
While looking for the images to use, always keep what file type you want them in. Using the wrong file type will not only impact the interface but will also increase the loading time.
Hence always keep in mind the type of file format that will be best for uploading images to your website. Some suggestions in this case are:
JPG
It would be best to use the JPG file format when dealing with images of vibrant colours. This type of file format makes it easier for the colours to retain their originality. JPG works excellent for all kinds of photographs. Unless you want your image to have a transparent background, you should always upload JPG images to your website as these also have a smaller file size than PNG images.
PNG
While dealing with images and graphics having flat colours, PNG should be your format of choice. This format also helps to store large photos while keeping the load time minimal. PNG is excellent for screenshots, and it is the best format to upload to your website if you want your image to have a transparent background.
GIF
Are you looking to show animated graphics on your website? You cannot go wrong with GIFs. They have a faster load time than PNG but limit designers as the image has less than 256 colours. A good alternative for this file type is animated SVG, although this requires a knowledge of CSS.
15. Use images of real people
Images of real people attract audiences as they trigger an emotional response. You have much better chances of increasing your visitor’s engagement with your website when you have something on it that adheres to human emotion.
Ensure that your web design uses images of real people that relate to your content and your site. Â
These were all the tips and tricks for the best ways to use images in web design. I hope I was able to help you with your conquest towards making an attractive website.
Follow my tips, and there will be no stopping you.
Good Luck!
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