Choosing good stock images for your website

web design manchester

Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. And we work with companies and clients around Manchester, and the surrounding region, including Wigan and Southport, to provide stunning and effective web design solutions. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about how to select an effective stock image.

What are stock images?

Stock images are images that you can select and use as part of your web design. Some companies offer subscription packages for multiple stock images a month, while others offer a one off payment, or even offer some stock images for free.

What are the problems associated with stock imagery?

There are a number of problems that are associated with stock imagery. These include:

  • Overuse- because these images are available for any company to buy, or use for free, there may be a large number of different businesses using the same imagery. This can make your website look unoriginal, and can even harm your company branding.
  • Staged- a lot of stock images of people tend to be very staged, with over dramatic or over enthusiastic expressions and poses. This can be more difficult for your potential customers or clients to engage with, as it simply doesn’t look genuine. And in turn, this is less likely to help build trust or form strong consumer bonds.

But not all stock images are bad. In fact some can be used very effectively for any business, in any industry sector. So how do you find a good one?

Choosing good stock images for your website

To make sure that your stock image will be effective, you should consider:

  • Using Tineye- this is a reverse image search which can identify exactly where this image is used on other public websites. This can help to determine how overused the image is, and consequently, help you decide whether or not to include this. Stock images that have not been overused can be a good choice for website features like blog posts and articles, as well as some small features on your main website.
  • Choosing well lit images- image lighting can have a big impact on the quality of colour and the way that the object of the image is presented. Make sure any stock imagery you use is well lit, and echoes professional standards.
  • Use high quality high res stock images- stock images will need to be high quality and high res so that they can be seen on all screen sizes without losing quality.
  • Choose candid photos of people- instead of opting for the staged imagery of people and professionals, try and choose something more candid, for a more professional result.
  • Choose relevant imagery- don’t add a stock photo just because you need to include an image, make sure this relevant to your content. Relevant imagery is essential to connect all parts of the content together.

For more information or professional web design support, get in touch with the team today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.