Why you should have your own images on your website .
The images you use on your website play a huge role in establishing your brand and your position in the marketplace.
Most businesses will invest in some graphic design and have a company logo. This logo will be the basis for your visual branding and set the tone for the look and feel of your online presence. Because the logo belongs to you, there’s no problem with using it anywhere you want to. When it comes to other images/pictures it can be quite a different story.
Many businesses decide to use stock images from organisations such as Shutterstock, iStock or Getty Images. As long as you have paid to use the image and are using it within the agreement guidelines there’s no problem. If, however, you’ve done a Google search and found a likely image and use it without researching who owns the copyright you could end up paying large amounts of money to the license holder. (One local company was recently charged over £1000 for inadvertently using a copyrighted image on their website.)
If you want to source images that are free to use then look for those that are offered under a creative commons license. It’s important to include an attribution for each image you use and follow the guidelines provided with each image.
The most effective way to have a striking web presence is to have your own images created. By using the talents of graphic designers and photographers you can make your online presence a memorable and have a look that is totally unique to you and your company. There’s the added benefit of a boost to your search engine optimisation too, particularly if you share your images on social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram.
We take our own advice here at Red Box. Have a look at our Meet the Team page to see what a difference bespoke images can make.
If you’d like to know more about making the images on your website really work for you then get in touch with us. We can help you with both graphic design and photography to make your online shop window memorable for all the right reasons.