Considerations For Selecting Stock Photos

By Author: ravi bhatia
Total Articles: 19
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There was a time when a website was not complete without pictures of people in business suits engaged in serious conversions or just looking at you with eyes full of optimism. Such stock photo works are still there but less noticeable nowadays. While selecting stock photos, one needs to be very careful nowadays. Here are some considerations for selecting stock photos for business websites;

Make sure users find them interesting

Web is no longer new, and has nowadays become an inseparable part of our day to day lives. So, it can be derived that people now have a better understanding of what is real on web. Eye tracking studies show that people pay far less attention to common stock photos as they used to in previous times. This can be attributed to the fact that people cannot relate to the perfect smiles and business image.

They should represent your brand

Every business is unique, and deals in a specific set of products and services. Most stock photos on the other hand are usually general in nature, made with the mindset of serving multiple fields. Hence, the objective of uniqueness is defeated. ...
... Stock photos that don’t represent a brand often collide with real elements to leave an impression. Hence, best web design company would suggest usage of real workplace photos that shows employees and work in progress.

Keep the unique factor in mind

There are fair chances that the banner image representing your business might also be purchased by another business to serve similar purpose. Though chances of coming across an entirely similar image are diminutive, it is not the right approach towards building a web brand. There are exclusive images at stock photo stores that can be purchased for homepage usage. Businesses too have started realizing this, and thus think twice before depending too much on stock photos.

Study the quality issue

While some stock photos do have picture perfect quality, most suffer from major flaws. Most images look normal at first glance but on closer scrutiny include deviations that might put off potential customers or clients. A forced smile, inappropriate background and gestures can send cues or signals that might deter visitors to move ahead in conversion funnel. Images need to be part of overall website personality, and only best website design company can manage this without error.
Keep visitors in mind

Today, every product and service is evolved with ‘end user’ in mind. Add to this the severe competition in the web realm, and selecting stock photos with visitors in mind will become more important. Some web brands are ditching stock photos for realistic images to promote transparency. For businesses that require usage of such photos, smart selection is the key. Some firms also hire professional photography services to create a unique visual experience for websites.

Stock photos ask special attention if one wishes to enhance user experience.

While these are some considerations for selecting stock photos, do share your views and opinions in the comments section.