Website design would be simply meaningless without effective website imagery. The most advantageous use of a photograph, graphic image or infographics can make all the difference in how the users view a company’s products and branding. (Website Photograph Mistakes You Should Avoid for SEO Success.)
Designers must always balance the number of images used against the amount of content on each page in order to create the best user experience. That aside, studies have shown that websites that use images get more user views than those that don’t. In fact, these sites get nearly double the number of user visits that sites that use few or no images on their various pages.
In addition to encentivizing users to remain on a website and explore further, the strategic use of images also aids in a site’s search results positioning. Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies recognize that properly labeled images (with SEO-friendly metadata captions and descriptions), create more content for effective search indexing. When SEO-enhanced images are combined with original content, a website’s source images and language will show up in both Google search results and image searches.
Further, following a search, those websites with accompanying thumbnail photos are more likely to be selected since the images draw user attention moreso than those search results lacking photos. Imagine if you are searching for a new car. Search results with corresponding thumbnail images of the particular model will naturally focus one’s attention to that particular web search result. Studies have shown that over 60% of online consumers are more likely to consider using a business if that business’ search results contain accompanying images.
The effective use of images and content within web site development are fundamental for successful SEO management, user experience, and online sales. The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is now more important than ever for one’s corporate identity and branding online. Never neglect the inclusion of rich images to help tell your brand’s story online. The strategy will go a long way toward garnering targeted traffic, sustaining their attention on your website and even converting them in the process.
Let the team at Proctor Digital assist you in selecting the correct balance of imagery and content to improve the user experience on your brand’s website. Contact us at 773.664.5819 or via email at [email protected] and get started today!