Don't let Poor Website Images scare away your Visitors

Before a visitor has a chance to read the first line of copy that you perfected over the last few months, chances are good that they will see an image (or ten) and judge your website accordingly. Subconsciously we favor good composition, color balance, and proper lighting in pictures-- even if you aren't a creative person. Ever wonder why your pictures from your camera never look as good as someone else's? Its usually not the camera...

In my humble opinion -- please, never try and use your own pictures on your website unless you have some photography experience and can work your way around in Photoshop. In an effort to save money, some people will have friends or their nephew with a snazzy digital camera take some wonderful pictures for their website (SEE LEFT). Most digital camera pictures require a good amount of editing and correcting before they're worthy of a professional website.


With the price of stock photography (Really good stock photography) as low as it is today, anyone can afford professional quality images at 20% of what it cost just five years ago. My choice website for stock photograhy is iStockphoto.com, they are one of the most well know sites out there. (SEE RIGHT) For between $3-$15 you can have an amazing royalty-free image. I have also heard good things about www.jupiterimages.com. These low cost stock sites, often called "microstock photography," are a great place to find pictures. If you have a higher budget and are looking for hard to find or unique, check out gettyimages.com or Adobe's Stock images. They have a diverse collection of images from professionals all over the world. Most of these images are designated as "right's managed." Both of these are excellent ways to give your website a professional look on a true small business budget.