When designing a new website, there are two key categories of criteria that any website, and any company, should be aiming to meet. These are defined as style, and functionality. Your website needs to look effective, and be visually attractive. But it also needs to be focused on functionality, and practicality too, so that it can meet the needs of your potential customers. Using stunning visual imagery and pictures is a good way to add style to your website. But these don’t need to be static. Instead, they can be used with a range of animation features to become useful, and practical, additions to your website. This includes the hover effect. But what are image hover effects? And why should you consider using them? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals, and we can help you to create a stunning, and effective website. From Wigan to Southport, we work with companies across Manchester and the North West to deliver effective web design solutions that can help to transform your business. As a result, we have produced this guide to the advantages of image hover effects.
What are image hover effects?
Image hover effects are effects that are applied to an image, activated when someone using a desktop, hovers the mouse over your image. Hover effects do not work at all for mobile devices, where you can either click the screen, or not. So, this is something to bear in mind when it comes to responsive web design.
Using image hover effects
Hover effects can be used for a range of purposes and with a range of styles, including:
- enlarging the image
- adding colour or fading the colour
- bringing up an informative text overlay, related to the image
However, you should be sure that any effect you apply is suitable for the style and theme of your website, as well as your company branding. A company that promotes an identity of seriousness should probably stay away from the more playful hover effects available. While a company that promoted fun and quirkiness as part of its identity could get away with hover effects that are more exciting.
Advantages of image hover effects
So, why should you use image hover effects? And what kind of benefits can you expect? Well, there are a number of potential advantages, including:
- Engaging with the audience- your website users might be browsing your website, when the image hove effect triggers movement or subtle change. This automatically draws attention to the image, and the connected text, and this can improve your user engagement and interaction.
- Increase sales- for eCommerce websites, hover effects can draw attention to different products, and by enlarging the image, or providing a zoom, you can show off the products that your users are interested in, without them needing to leave the page they are browsing, to click though to the product page instead. This improves the potential customers browsing experience, and this means they are more likely to make a purchase.
For more information or advice, get in touch with Manchester’s leading web design professionals today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.