It’s true. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Using great images on your website or blog will improve user experience, boost your search engine rankings, help you build trust and credibility and make your business stand out.

Here are seven reasons why your website images are just as important as your design.

1. People Want To Know Who You Are

Introduce your staff with great photos and short bios. Hire a professional photographer who has all the digital tools to make them look their best.

2. They Also Want To Know Where They’re Going

Welcome visitors with inviting exterior and interior photos of your business, and be sure to showcase your products. If you own a restaurant, have the photographer take pictures of delicious-looking food or decadent desserts. Or if you have a bed and breakfast, include pictures of the rooms. A dentist can boost prospective patients’ trust by showing comfortable waiting and treatment rooms.

3. Pictures Convey A Detailed Message Instantly

Studies show most visitors to websites are more likely to remember what they see than what they read. So if, for instance, you have a jewelry store, most potential customers will remember images of the items you sell, not the lengthy descriptions.

4. Images Improve User Experience

Not only do quality images provide important information, but they also make your website more appealing to visitors. You can use them to break up big blocks of text and make a page easier to scan. And visitors tend to spend more time on websites where they have beautiful pictures to look at, and that improves SEO by decreasing bounce rates.

5. Image Search Results Help With Ranking

Assuming the images you use are relevant to your text, your site will rank higher in search engine image search results. That could give your website quite a boost. According to Moz, Google Images accounts for more than 26 percent of searches.

6. Images Increase Conversions

Images that create positive emotions can boost conversions. Visitors who experience a website and feel a connection to it are more likely to buy.

7. Great Images Boost Engagement On Social Media

Everyone loves to comment on and share beautiful pictures on social media.

 

When you’re planning images for your website, think of them as content, not just decoration. Avoid stock photos. Use pictures of your business, your employees and your products instead. Make sure they’re clear and crisp and have backgrounds that don’t distract from the images themselves. Before you upload them, give them relevant file names. And when they’re on your site, don’t forget the alternative text and captions. The alternative text is how search engines find the gorgeous pictures you want everyone to see.