Are you more of a visual learner?
Here’s a video version of this post.
How to find great images for your website
There’s no denying that using bad photography is a sure way to make your whole website look bad. The good news is, even if you’re on a tight budget, you can easily find and use really great and compelling images.
If you’re using those cheesy stock photos or low-quality images, your website probably WILL stand out, but only in a bad way. And that’s no good!
Images from a professional photoshoot would obviously be the best option. But if you don’t have any yet, don’t worry! There is an image for pretty much any subject matter you can think of available either for free or for purchase on stock photo sites. So start with stock if you’re on a budget and swap them out for professional photos as your business grows.
Free Images
First, you should know that opening up Google, doing an image search, and then simply downloading it is NOT legal, so don’t try to get images that way because you’ll likely be sued since these are usually under copyright. There are some really great websites though that offer photographs free from copyright restrictions.
A few good ones are:
Paid for images
If you don’t find a specific image you need for free, you may want to pay for an image. istockphoto.com, shutterstock.com, and gettyimages.com are really great sources if you go this route but keep in mind photo licensing as you select your images on these sites.
Royalty-Free
A “royalty-free” license allows you to use an image in multiple ways, for a flat, one-time fee.
Rights-Managed
A “rights-managed” license on the other hand only gives you limited, specific, per-use rights.
How to choose a stock image
When choosing a stock photo, you want to be sure it feels authentic. It would be awful to lose your viewers’ trust because an image you used is perceived as fake or set up, so be sure to look for photos that capture a less staged and more natural moment with people who don’t look entirely perfect.
Another thing to look for when selecting imagery is that your photos have the same tone and style. For example, if you’re choosing the large images that go at the top of each page of your website, sometimes known as the “hero image,” you wouldn’t want to have a few with really punchy, bright colors, a couple with muted, dark tones and then another one that is black and white.
The goal is to find a set of images that work together stylistically and trigger the specific feelings you want your dream client to feel when they see your brand.
And if you’re wondering, “How do I know what feelings I want my potential clients to feel?”, head on over to learn 4 steps to find your brand personality.
Hi, I'm Alli McAuley.
I help passionate entrepreneurs, like you, create a strategic brand and website that stands out to your dream clients so you can run a successful business online.
My ultimate goal is to empower you with the tools you need to live your best life by doing the work your love.
