The Right Ways and Wrong Ways In Using Images For Your Website
Your content is the most important aspect of your website. Web visitors seek out and return to websites that provide something that they value, whether it is information or entertainment. Images are an integral part of the design of your website. They must be used strategically in order to enhance your content. Read this article on how to use images effectively on your website.
Viewing an image on screen is different from viewing it in print. The image resolution for print is usually at a higher dpi because of the nature of printing on paper. However, you should not use the same dpi for screen display. A image that is formatted with a high, print-quality dpi will load slowly on the screen. Your audience will not like waiting for an image to load, and may leave your site prematurely. The goal in loading images on screen is a fast load. Therefore, screen display should use a lower dpi that can load quickly and still retain good viewable quality. This is called optimizing an image for screen display.
Although a picture can mean a thousand words, do not over-use images in place of text. Search engines cannot index an image file. So, no matter now relevant an image is to your content, the image details are lost to a search engine crawler. Instead, write relevant content that conveys the idea of the image. In your content, make sure that you use appropriate keywords that will capture the main idea of the image.
If you are scouring the web for images, you must make sure that you do not use any images that are copyrighted without the owner’s permission. This is an unethical practice. If copyrighted images are discovered on your website, it can tarnish the reputation of your business.
As mentioned earlier, search engines do not understand and cannot index image files. However, you can include a description of the image in the “alt” attribute of the image tag. This is content that can be indexed, and it is also useful for people who are using screen readers to access the website.
Your logo is a representation of your business. Therefore, you should put careful thought into its design. You want a logo that your customers will respect. A lot has been written on logo design techniques, so do some research before you settle on a logo.
Try not to use a lot of stock images in your website. Chances are, people have seen them elsewhere. You want to convey originality to your visitors. Therefore, try to supply your own original images, and use stock images sparingly only if you cannot produce one of comparable quality on your own.
Be sure to check your site regularly for any image links that are broken. Broken links make your your website look unprofessional. So, take a few moments to make sure that your image links are still good.
Images can have positive or negative effects on your website, depending on how you use them. Be mindful of the advice discussed here, and you will be able to use images to your best advantage.