Do you use images for your website? Sure you do, what a question for me. More or less consciously we all know the importance of audiovisual content for any type of web
Can you imagine that you are browsing the internet and finding a site without images, videos, or any type of icon? Text only from start to finish.
No sounds good, right? We need the images because they help us understand the message faster, accompany the texts, and allow the design to breathe and be more friendly. Therefore, within web content, images play a key role.
What options do you have to add graphic material to your website?
If you have a personal brand, you will not need the same material as if you have an e-commerce or a portfolio. Even so, these are the three basic sources to get quality images.
- Image banks: Some of the best known are Pixabay, Freepik, or Bonus Design, although there are many more. Each website has its operation with free or paid alternatives. The main advantage of using these image banks is the great variety that you have since you can find not only photographs but also illustrations and vectors.
- Your photographs or illustrations: Having exclusive photos of yourself designed for your brand and your products or services is, without a doubt, a great advantage. It allows you to personalize and display something unique that only you offer. To get a good result you can hire a professional session or have a good illustrator. It is more expensive, yes, but you will have photos that will convey the added value of your brand and denote greater professionalism.
- Custom images: not too much and not too little, why not take stock images and give them a personal touch with an editor like Photoshop or even Canva? It is a very effective resource with which to spend less money and still maintain originality and differentiation.
How to optimize images for web pages?
Now that you have your images selected, put into practice these 5 tips to optimize them on your website.
Choose the image format
It is a subject that many people do not pay attention to. But the small details are what make the difference. So keep them in mind.
Choosing the right format will determine the quality of the image, the depth, and the colors and, in addition, it will make it possible to better optimize the weight of the photo.
The three main formats we come across most often are PNG, JPG, and GIF. Without going into too many technical details we recommend you differentiate them according to their use:
- PNG: These images are usually heavier so I only use them for photos or icons with a transparent background.
- JPG: This is the perfect format for large background images.
- GIF: Take advantage of the animations (the same ones you send on WhatsApp when an emoticon doesn’t do justice to your joy) but without going overloaded so it doesn’t get overloaded.
Take care of the size of the image
Last week we talked about how to improve the loading speed of a website. High Contrast Images play a very important role in achieving an agile and fast website.
If you do not optimize them well, you will immediately begin to notice the slower loading speed and that is that if you are careless, a photo of more than one Mb can slip through (which is crazy for your website).
It is recommended that they always weigh less than 100 Kb. To achieve this, the first and most important thing is to look at what we upload.
Optimize the image for SEO
It is a resource that is not usually paid much attention to, but it does not cost anything and can help a lot. Just like you do with your texts, optimize the images.
Every time you add a new one, put the description, the title and the alternative text always incorporating the keyword. It will take two minutes and in this way, you will get them to find you thanks to your images.
Respect copyright
In the same way that you would not like your texts or ideas to be copied, the best way to respect the work of others is by following their instructions.
In some cases, some people put their photographs for free use in exchange for mentioning the author.
Maintain the visual identity of the business
Whatever you decide, don’t forget the most important thing: brand consistency. It must always go in line with your business’s visual identity.
As much as you like an image, if it doesn’t fit your style, avoid adding it. It will create confusion and is something we don’t want.
And so far for today with the visual content. Do you have any questions about how to choose and introduce the images for your web page? Ask me in the comments and we’ll keep talking.