Although there are millions of websites out there, you will no doubt occasionally come across some that are either overloaded with images or contain some which are not quite up to scratch. Images are a highly important element of a website and their value could be very easy to overlook, but their use requires careful consideration and perhaps a degree of caution.
Sharp and Clear
Visitors to a website will undoubtedly notice the images before anything else and if you’re like me, a blurry or wrongly sized image will immediately put you off the site.
Not only do they look slapdash and unprofessional; they convey a lack of care and attention; something that will certainly drive visitors away. Sharp, clear images will do more than just look good on your site, especially when accompanied by well written copy.
Relevance
Images should directly relate to your products or services and not make visitors have to think what it’s all about. Being ultra-creative with images certainly has its place and can work well but visitors don’t want to spend time working out the link between the images and what you have to offer.
Size
Website loading times play a vital role in deciding whether visitors actually arrive on a site, and as great as they may be, images that are too large should be avoided at all costs as they will slow down loading time and reduce visitor numbers. Images should be small and always optimised to ensure the fastest possible loading time.
Everything in Moderation
Going overboard on images won’t make your website any better even if they are of a high quality. As I said before, visitors will look at images before anything else and good web design should ensure an even balance between images and copy which should complement each other, not compete for prominence.
Until next time.
