Best Practice Photography Guide For Websites

Images are among the most overlooked yet crucial elements of building or maintaining a website. Good photography may increase interaction, build your brand, and ultimately help you accomplish your goals. On the other hand, poor-quality, irrelevant or awkwardly positioned photos can quickly damage credibility and drive away potential customers.

At Logic Design, we have seen firsthand how powerful visuals can transform a digital presence. In this article, we’ll walk you through the best practices for website photography, from selecting timeless photos that support long-term goals to file names and picture sizes.

Whether you’re planning to build a new website or update an existing one, this guide will help you create a clean, professional appearance that appeals to your target audience.

Photography Essentials You Need to Know for Your Website

1. Image Dimensions & Quality

Although they look beautiful, large, high-resolution photographs might cause your site to load more slowly if they are not properly maintained. Here’s how to balance quality with loading times:

• Resolution: For online use, aim for 72 dpi which is more than sufficient for clear screen viewing.
• Dimensions: To fill modern screens, banners should be at least 1920 pixels wide. In general, 800–1200 pixels wide is adequate for product photos.
• Compression: To decrease file size without observable quality loss, use programs like TinyPNG or ShortPixel.

This guarantees that your website loads rapidly, which is important for SEO and user experience, while maintaining crisp, expert-looking graphics.

2. Stock Images & Permissions

Using images that you are legally allowed to use is crucial. Steer clear of stealing photographs from Google, as this may violate copyright. These three options of image sourcing will help:

• The best for authenticity and brand identification is original photography.
• Use royalty-free or premium stock photo sites like Adobe Stock, Pexels, or Unsplash. Choose your photos wisely to steer clear of clichés.
• Graphics and illustrations are excellent for explainer visuals, but make sure they complement the aesthetic of your brand.

Favour original pictures whenever you can. If you do utilise stock photos, make sure they are edited or cropped to better represent your business and keep them from appearing generic.

3. File Naming

File names are important for SEO and organisation. Change the file name from “IMG_1234.jpg” to something more descriptive. For instance:

• “handbag-black-leather.jpg”
• “Bathroom-sink-plumber-installing.jpg”

This enhances search engine comprehension and makes your photos show up in Google Image results, which are a frequently disregarded source of traffic.

4. Timeless & Evergreen Pictures

The images on your website should be as timeless as possible. Stay away from content that is too fashionable, seasonal, or transient unless it is directly tied to a promotion. You can avoid regular revisions and keep your website’s professional sense with timeless images. For instance:

• Select crisp product photos that won’t look stale a year from now.
• Choose lifestyle images that showcase common feelings (such as happiness, cosiness, and cooperation).

5. Relevance of Pages

Every picture ought to have a function. When choosing imagery, always ask yourself, “does this further the purpose of this page or the text?” Don’t use pictures just to fill in the blanks. Information is easier to understand when users are guided through your website by relevant graphics.

• Use pictures that demonstrate the product in use and in-depth on a product page.
• Use images that illustrate results or procedures on a services page.
• Put real team images on an “About Us” page.

6. Orientation: Landscape vs Portrait

Both orientations are useful, but websites tend to display landscape photos better.

• Banners, hero images, and the majority of content blocks look best in landscape (horizontal) orientation.
• Product photos, employee bios, and blog articles can all benefit from portrait (vertical) photography.

To prevent problematic cropping, always check how photos look on desktop and mobile devices.

7. Banner Focal Points

The big hero images at the top of your pages, known as banner images, require careful selection as they should convey relevance immediately. Remember:

• Centre focal points: To prevent text overlays from hiding the main topic, make sure it is centred or slightly off-centre.
• Text space: Provide “negative space” so that calls to action or headlines can seem uncluttered.
• Clarity: Simple backdrops tend to look the best; stay away from photos that are too cluttered.

8. Format of Files

Performance and quality are impacted by format selection:

• The best format for images is JPEG (.jpg) which offers respectable quality and good compression.
• PNG (.png) is perfect for photos that need more detail or transparency.
• WebP (.webp) is a contemporary format with better compression that is compatible with the majority of browsers.

9. Avoid Putting Text on Pictures

Adding text to photographs (like “Summer Sale”) can be alluring, but doing so causes problems with accessibility and SEO. Rather:

• Use HTML/CSS to add text directly to the website.
• To guarantee that text is readable and responsive on all devices, use design software.

This means that search engines can read your content and maintain the flexibility of your website.

How Many Pictures Are Necessary?

While there isn’t a single, universal answer, the following general recommendations can be useful:

• Product/service specific: 2-8 photos, including close-ups and usage instructions, should be included for each product or service.
• Website banners: 1-2 for each service or category page; 2-3 for the main page.
• Lifestyle photography: 10-15+ photos that demonstrate how people utilise your product or service or the outcomes.
• Drawings and stock photos: Use as many as needed to fill in information gaps but be sure to maintain brand integrity and avoid overpowering the original image.

While maintaining consistency across your website, these figures provide diversity.

Uniformity Throughout the Website

One of the most overlooked aspects of website photography is consistency. Even if you follow all technical best practices, such as reducing file sizes, choosing the right format, and making sure photos are relevant, your website may still feel haphazard if your images don’t match in style.

Consistency builds audience trust and aids in the development of a strong visual brand. This means maintaining the same lighting, colour scheme, and editing methods across all of the photos.

For example, if your product images are taken against a white background, make sure they are all arranged the same way. Likewise, if your strategy includes lifestyle images, they ought to share a similar tone, whether it’s beautiful and understated or bold and vibrant.

Your website will look more polished, professional, and memorable when your photos are unified, which will strengthen your brand identity and facilitate user interaction with your company.

Build A Visual Identity That Lasts

Great website photography is more than simply aesthetics. It all boils down to furthering your business goals, maintaining attention, and marketing your brand. Whether you’re creating a brand-new website or revamping an old one, take the time to choose and prepare your photographs. The investment will provide improved conversions, a more cohesive online appearance, and more interaction.

At Logic Design, we assist companies in coordinating photographs with website design. Contact our team if you’re organising a website project and would like professional advice on how to make your images stand out.

Written by Sam Gardiner Head of Creative

Sam Gardiner is our Senior Designer who works creatively on all kinds of projects! From new website designs and revamps to a variety of content marketing campaigns, he loves to explore the data-driven areas of design such as UX, usability, accessibility and conversion optimisation. Outside of work, you’ll see Sam rocking out at gigs and festivals, as well as spending quality time with friends and family.

All Articles by Sam Gardiner