It’s widely accepted that using images on a website can effectively enhance its design, convey information, and make the content more engaging.
Photos can provide context for text-heavy material or visually represent abstract concepts.
Additionally, they help create focus by guiding users’ attention to critical points on web pages.
Furthermore, correctly optimized images can boost page loading speed and webpage rank on search engines.
As such, incorporating visuals into websites has become standard practice in web development as it contributes to user experience significantly.
This post will discuss some dos and don’ts of utilizing images effectively for maximum effect on websites. Read on to learn more.
The Dos Of Using Images On Your Website
Using images on your website can be a great way to engage visitors and create a positive user experience.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial to be mindful of how you use images, as using them correctly can benefit your website while misusing them can be detrimental.
The following are some dos to keep in mind when using images on your website:
Do Use High-Quality Images
Images are vital to a website as they can attract viewers’ attention, add visual appeal, and help communicate information.
Consequently, web designers must use high-quality images to provide the best user experience.
High-quality photos should be sharp in detail and bright enough to stand out on any background or device type.
In addition, using low-resolution or pixelated images can ruin the overall look of a website.
It may lead to slow loading times, potentially driving away visitors from the site altogether.
Therefore, when selecting images for websites, web designers must consider their quality to design an effective website with a positive user experience.
Do Optimize Images For The Web
Image optimization is an essential step in creating a successful website. It involves reducing the size of images without compromising on quality, which can help improve page loading times and reduce bandwidth consumption.
Several tools and techniques are available for optimizing images, such as cropping, resizing, compression, caching, using sprite sheets, and lazy loading images.
Each method has advantages and disadvantages, so it’s essential to consider these when choosing the best way to optimize an image.
Additionally, specific formats like JPEG may be more suitable for some pictures than others depending on their content or purpose (e.g., logos versus photographs).
Lastly, careful consideration must be taken when optimizing images for web use to ensure maximum efficiency with minimal effort.
Do Consider Accessibility
Accessibility is an important consideration when creating and using images on websites, as it ensures that all users can access the content regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.
Accessible images should be optimized for loading speed, labeled with meaningful alternate text, provide descriptive captions if necessary, include proper color contrast to enable visibility for those who are colorblind or have poor vision, and use precise language so everyone can understand them.
Moreover, images used to convey information should be accompanied by a textual representation to ensure comprehension by all users.
The Don’ts Of Using Images On Your Website
When it comes to using images on your website, there are certain things you should monitor and avoid to ensure you’re providing a great user experience.
Below are some of the key pitfalls to be aware of:
Don’t Use Copyrighted Images Without Permission
Using copyrighted images without permission can have serious repercussions.
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of protected works, such as software, music, or pictures, and it violates copyright laws.
To avoid the risk of committing copyright infringement, individuals must obtain explicit permission from the creator before using a copyrighted image.
If permission can’t be obtained, other options, such as public domain resources and Creative Commons licenses, allow limited uses of material with attribution given to the original author.
Don’t Use Irrelevant Images
It’s crucial to avoid using copyrighted images without permission and use relevant images to create an effective website.
Using irrelevant photos can detract from the user experience and make it difficult for visitors to understand the site’s purpose.
Irrelevant visuals may confuse viewers, leading them away from a website rather than encouraging further engagement.
To ensure that a website is successful, it should contain relatable or interesting images for users and illustrate what the page is about.
Thus, when selecting visuals for websites, choosing appropriate photos with contextually relevant content will help engage visitors and provide an enjoyable experience on the webpage.
Don’t Use Images With Poor Color Contrast
When creating images for a website, it’s essential to consider color contrast.
Poorly contrasting colors can make an image difficult or impossible to see on specific devices or backgrounds.
Therefore, designers should strive to create images with good color contrast and avoid using those with poor contrast.
To ensure the best results, guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 provide recommended ranges of contrast between foreground and background elements so all users can view content regardless of device type or settings.
Takeaway
By following these guidelines, websites will benefit from higher engagement rates due to attractive visuals and improved SEO rankings.
Yet, correctly planning and implementing image usage on a website is worth it in terms of success and longevity.
