Creating Content for your Website: Images
It’s very important to make use of images while building your website in order to add meaning, as well as have a visual appealing. Images when used properly, can be a powerful type of content that can be used to enhance the user’s experience on your website. While images can help improve the user experience, it is important you choose the appropriate images for your main target group with respect to all their expectations, abilities and limitations.
Here are some guidelines to follow while using images on your website:
People generally prefer images over text
There are many reasons that explain why people generally prefer images over text. For example, visual information is very convenient. Instead of reading a lot of text, which requires effort and concentration, we rather quickly scan an image. Images are usually very engaging because they’re able to trigger emotions and memories.
Use Images that draw attention & trigger emotion
Images are an easy way to improve the user experience of your website. Images can be used to draw visitors to your website and keep them engaged with your content. Also, images can be used as emotion triggers when it comes to presenting important information on your website.
Use images with purpose
Make sure the images you will be using on your website serve a predefined purpose. Start by asking if there are any benefits for using a particular image. For example, does a particular image show off my product or service well? Does this image help create an emotional appeal by helping the customer visualize himself or herself using the product or service being featured in the image? Will this image convert visitors and facilitate the buying process?
Those are some of the questions you need to ask and have answers too, before going ahead to use an image on your website.
Use images of real people
Images with humans are a very effective way to get visitors to your website engaged. Using images with faces of humans help draw other people’s attention and also establishes a trust relationship with visitors to your website. Use high-quality images of people, who can help describe the product or service being offered by your brand.
Here’s an example of how Karma Wifi uses an image of the human hand to market their product.
Optimize the file size of your images
While images can have a great impact on the user experience of your website, they can also increase the time it takes to load a website and by so doing, counteract a positive experience.
There are various free applications that can help you optimize the file size of your images. Here are some of them:
• Kraken Image optimizer
• PNGOUT
• TinyPNG
• JPEG Optimizer
Ensure you use images properly on your website because when used the right way they can serve as a powerful type of content that will enhance the user’s experience on your website.
