The easiest way to help communicate a message on your website is through images. Whether the images are infographics, stock photos, photos of your services or products, etc., chances are users are skimming the content of your pages and paying more attention to photos. With this in mind, there are a few things that should be taken into consideration when adding photos to your website.

Image Don’t

– Don’t use images found in google search – Avoid the $1,000 (or more) fines by not using photos you find in a Google search and instead use resources specifically for reusing photos. Even if you’re using Google’s image search with the option to reuse selected, you could still find yourself in hot water. Rather, use one of our favorite resources: Dreamstime.com, Shutterstock.com, Freeimages.com and Pexels.com.

– Don’t forget to add images to your sitemap – Adding an image sitemap increases the optimization of your website, although there is not a guarantee all photos will be indexed.

– Avoid using low quality photos – In addition to your website looking professional by using high quality photos, you also increase the potential of social shares. If you’re using low quality photos, your website could see a spike in the bounce rate which ultimately effects your SEO. It is important to remember the quality of photos is more important than the quantity.

Image Do’s

– Use images relating to the content – Photos say a thousand words and you want to make sure the ones you’re using on the pages of your website are supportive to the written content.

– Appropriately sized images to improve page load-time – Your website should load within 3-5 seconds, depending on the device, and images that are too large can increase the load time. Tip: When saving photos in Photoshop use the option, “Save for Web” where you can adjust the quality of the photo. If you don’t have Photoshop, Pixlr.com is a free online photo editing resource.

– Use descriptive alt tags – Search engines are unable to see the images on your pages, but by using descriptive alt tags you’re able to communicate what the image is about. Keep in mind, you should avoid stuffing the alt tag with keywords as this could negatively effect your SEO.

By using free image resources found across the web, you are on your way to increasing the optimization of your website. For further reading, check out our blog post on Visual Presentation from our three part blog series on the importance of first impressions.

We at Advanced Digital believe one of the most important factors in creating an effective design for web or print is a client-designer relationship. 1-on-1 meetings with our clients throughout the process fosters not only an end product wherein you, the client, are happy but also leaves little room for surprises.

Initial Web Design Meeting: Everyone wants more clients or an increased revenue, but what are the specific goals of your business? Are you looking to sell a specific product or service? How long have you been in business? What colors are your brand? These questions and more are what will be gone over during the initial design meeting.

During this initial design meeting, we also request a few things from our clients, such as written content, photos, etc. As well, we will go over designs that highlight different functionalities (social media integration, IDX Real Estate search features, etc). The overall goal for the initial web design meeting is for our designer to obtain as much information as possible in order to begin creating a product that is in line with your vision.

Design Presentation: After our initial design meeting, the team will put together unique and effective designs for your company’s consumers. This meeting allows you to give feedback on designs and make any changes such as the color scheme, content layout, etc. Once we have your feedback, we will make the requested changes or move forward to our finalizing process. It is truly a collaborative effort.

Final Presentation: For websites, we will present you with their programmed website, account information and set up a training session if it is needed. All photos and content have been populated. By this point you should see a final product that includes much, if not all, that was discussed in your initial design meeting as well as the design presentation. As we said, our goal is to present you with a product that best represents your brand based on an effective and collaborative client-designer relationship.

We pride ourselves on the ability to build and maintain client relationships. All of our services are collaborative efforts so you are not left in the dark.

Chances are your website provides customers a first impression of your business. Is the website clean and organized? Can products or services be found easily? Many of us are visual people and you form an opinion of a company from what you see first. For example, if an e-commerce website is unorganized and the website looks outdated, you will probably go elsewhere for the same product. The messy layout and outdated look is going to lead you to believe the company is old, the factory is disorganized and it may take you longer than you want to receive your item.

When your potential customers come to your site, they essentially want everything laid out for them above the fold. Much like when eating at a buffet, you’d like everything set out before you so you are able to pick and choose what you would like. Put simply, the easier you make navigating your website, the lower your bounce rate and higher your conversation rate.

Key Components To Keep in Mind

Some key components to keep in mind when it comes to the usability of your website:

• Are the services or products your website offers easily identified and accessible from your home page? Potential customers should be able to tell what services you offer and what your business is about by your menu, slider (or hero image), call to action buttons, etc. Various heat maps of websites show users tend to put all of their focus on the top of the page, as you go down the page users are clicking fewer links.
• Are your web pages loading at an appropriate speed? You don’t want users to feel like they’ve traveled back to the dial-up days. Choosing the right host, reducing ads, enabling cache and compressing images are just a few of the things that can help speed up your website. Slow page-loading times could increase your bounce-rate and result in the loss of a conversion.
• How are website errors handled? Instead of having a 404 Not Found page only stating, “404 Not Found,” you may want to offer them other options. Latest blog posts, service pages, about your company and most importantly the contact us page. Like we stated earlier, you potential customers want everything laid out in front of them, they could become increasingly frustrated with the usability of your website.

Is your website user friendly and attracting potential customers?

The Advanced Digital team is focused on providing the best customer service to all of our web design, search engine optimization and marketing clients. Our goal is to be accessible, approachable and responsive, while guaranteeing customers confidence in doing business with us. If you have any questions about our services, you can reach out to us via email, live chat, phone and even social media!