Selecting photos for your website
The images you use on your website are a key part of telling your marketing story and communicating your brand message. Professional photos make your website and business appear more credible.
Ask yourself: What images would my customers relate to?
If you haven’t already, start by defining who your ideal customer is. By understanding your ideal customer, you’ll be able to identify what images they would relate to.
Focus on your customer, not the product. Show the customer engaging with your service, or using your product and enjoying it.
Review each image and ask yourself, what am I trying to say with this image? How does this picture tell the story of my brand?
Plan the type of photos you need
Write a list of the type of images you need for your site.
As a small business owner, you probably don’t have a big budget for commissioning professional photos, so you need to be a bit craftier.
See what’s available for free!
There are some awesome websites that offer free stock images. My two favourite are:
When you’re searching for an image, make use of the helpful filtering tools:
Orientation – allows you to filter images by the shape you need
Colour – allows you to select a base image colour so you can create a more cohesive look across the images on your site.
Identify the gaps
What photos do you really need that you’re not able to supplement with stock images?
Perhaps you need photos of your products or services, or a professional photo or you or your team for your About page. If so, you’ll need to hire a professional photographer.
Prepare for your photoshoot
Prior to turning up for a photoshoot, send a brief and a list of the photos you need to capture to the photographer.
Think about what props you might need, or what you might like to wear. If you’re getting photos taken of yourself, consider wearing clothing in a similar or complementary colour to your brand colours. Bright coloured clothing often looks better on a website than black or white.
Select the best photos
Most photographers will provide an online gallery of the photos for you to select your favourites.
As you are choosing your selection, think about how each photo would look on your website and how you could use it for social media posts or email campaigns.
With a carefully curated selection of images across your website and social media, your business will look cohesive and professional.
Need a professional photoshoot?
If you’re based in Auckland, Conscious Digital offer a professional photography package that includes:
Photoshoot
Digital selection album
40 professionally edited photos
Online gallery
USB with high-resolution images
