Web Solutions Blog: 5 Reasons Why Stock Photos Are Essential for Web Design

Stock photos might not seem exciting at first glance but they’re actually valuable tools to impress and entertain website visitors. For example, posts with an image are more likely to be shared on Facebook — which can increase the number of people who visit your site. This means that your content and any products or services you’re selling are available to more potential customers. Your stock photos are absolutely an essential part of your web design and should be closely vetted and considered before you choose one to add to your site.

Small Investment, Large Impact

Stock photos don’t have to be an investment that break your budget. They’re available at all price points, from free to very expensive. The more expensive ones are often custom work or images that are only sold to a certain number of people. While individualized images can be an asset to your site, they aren’t strictly necessary. There are millions of stock photos online and thus no doubt that you can find one to suit your purposes. Don’t just check out the large stock photo sites either; you can locate relevant, high-quality pictures on smaller sites too. Just make sure you read the licensing terms for each stock photo you choose.

Grab Attention and Increase Visit Time

Images on your page might help you keep people on the page longer. The length of time someone spends on your website is important because it not only gives them more time to explore, but it increases the chance they’ll remember you later. Since part of the process for buying products or services is simple searching, it’s good to make an impact that lasts even after a person closes their browser. High-quality, interesting images can help you make that impact.

It’s all about engagement. People can scan through search results and a list of websites quickly. You want to make sure they pause when they open your site and images can help you get that essential pause so that they don’t navigate away. This doesn’t mean that you should inundate your page with images; a few well-selected ones are going to make more of an impact than choosing many and making things too busy. You want your page to look uncluttered and cohesive.

Images Resonate with People

Since humans can identify images quickly, using them can also help transmit a message about your site or the business it represents. According to MIT, people keep processing an image even after they see it. That means that if you put an image on your site, it’s making a longer impact than text might make — especially because it takes time to read and absorb text.

People like pictures and using stock photos to add more to your site will just make it better for your visitors. Make sure you vary them and don’t repeat images on every page unless it’s a design choice. Signing up for an account at a stock photo site like DepositPhotos can help you keep track of which images you’ve used.

Images Help Visual Learners

Some people just don’t process text as well as images. Offering a mix of text, images, and other media can help people with every learning style use your website and take away a positive impression. Pairing images with text can help stimulate people’s’ long term memories and in that way keep your website in their minds for longer than if you used text alone. This is especially important since 65 percent of people learn visually. Making your website more accessible to every visitor is a good way to reach the widest audience possible.

Images Improve Your SEO

Every time you put an image on your site, you give yourself another chance to appear in search results. Major search engines don’t just search text — they also perform image searches. When someone performs one, they might get a result from your site, click on the result, and then be able to view your site.

The trick is to use the right metadata when you’re adding photos to your site. You want to make sure it’s descriptive and also relevant to what people interested in your niche will be searching for. Images can also appear in your listings and help enhance them and increase engagement. According to Search Engine Land, customers are much more likely to react with businesses who have images attached to their search results.

Stock photos are completely essential when you’re designing a website. Whether you’re selling a product, promoting a service, or simply trying to find a following on the web, stock photos can help you attract and keep site visitors. Not only does using stock photos make the page more interesting and shareable, but it can also make you more visible in search results. Since there are stock photos available at every price point, there’s no reason not to dive in and start using stock photos to enhance your website today.

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