6 tips for using still images on your site

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. The right snapshot on your Web site can be worth a thousand bucks—or more.

Photos are an integral part of most small-business sites, no matter what they’re selling. Good pictures attract customers, keep them on your site, and often persuade them to buy.

"People shop with their eyes," says James Carr-Jones, president of Vertus, a London-based technology business specializing in image data interpretation. To the extent that you can use digital images to showcase your product or service, he says, you'll be able to keep your customers engaged and encourage sales.

But there’s a catch. It isn’t just any picture you want, but a good picture—one that will give your site an edge. Anyone can pull down images from a photo-sharing site. But if the images aren’t relevant to your business or don’t meet the quality standards your customers expect, those pictures could hurt your company.

I know. As someone who has created a number of Web sites, I've seen how an appropriate photo can make the content on a page come to life. For example, I edit a travel site. Whenever I post a destination article without accompanying photos, I notice a significant drop-off in the number of e-mails and comments. Which is to say, you can craft beautiful prose describing the white-sand beaches or the breathtaking alpine scenery. But without a picture, it’s just another travel story.

Here are six tips for using images on your site.

1. Use the best camera you can afford.   Since I began taking pictures for the Web more than a decade ago, I've moved from a digital point-and-shoot (a Leica that took terrific pictures) to a pricey digital SLR. A basic camera can take reasonably good pictures, but if you want to capture professional-quality images to match your professional site, then don’t skimp. My camera of choice is a Canon 1D Mark III with a 50 mm 1.2 lens and 24-70 mm 2.8 lens. It takes gorgeous shots. If you can't afford a quality digital camera, then consider hiring a professional to shoot your product. It's well worth the money.
2. Invest in photo-editing software.   Posting a photo to your Office Live Small Business site is easy—see these tips on how to do it. But wait. Before you publish your images, you might want to consider running the photos through a little quality control. I like Adobe Photoshop, and another application called Lightroom that you can use to manage your pictures. I use both, and they're terrific for storing the photos I've taken and cropping, color-correcting, or fixing minor flaws.

   If you've got a good eye for pictures, you won't need all of the features in these programs. But it's nice to know you have them, just in case.

3. Choose the right format.   When you save your photo, you'll have two basic choices (there are more, but don’t pay them any heed). JPEG or GIF? For now, the most popular option is JPEG. "Both GIF and JPEG are graphical formats that are suited for different purposes," explains Allen Murabayashi, chief executive of PhotoShelter, a stock photography site based in New York. "JPEG handles photos very well, while GIF handles solid colors and logos optimally."
4. Ask yourself: Does the photo work?   "The image should be relevant to the content or profession of the small-business site owner," says Harold Davis, a photographer and writer whose blog explores the ins and outs of digital photography on the Web. For example, a firm of divorce attorneys recently licensed an image he took of concentric spiral stairs for its home page. "This image communicates the frustration that many people caught up in divorce feel," Davis says. Most people have a sense of what does—and doesn’t—work on a site. But if you think you're the exception, ask for help.
5. Publish pictures where users expect to see them.  Visitors to your site will want to see photos of you, your product, and maybe your happy customers using your product. Don't let them down. "The 'About Us' section should include great portraits of the key players of your company," says Linda Russell, owner of Mugshots School Photography in San Rafael, Calif. Photos can give a visitor a sense of your company culture. "If you offer a fun product, use a fun photo," she advises. "If a strict business-like performance is required, use a traditional shot."
6. Don't get too artsy.   Avoid images that are out of focus, improperly color balanced, badly cropped, or unflattering to the subject. You may think you’re making some kind of artistic statement, but unless you are in the business of selling photos, stick with something tried and true. This is a mistake I’ve made far too often—thinking that a little bit of a blur could be fixed with the "sharpen" tool in Photoshop (trust me, it's a bad idea). If an image doesn't look good, it won't make your business look good.

Creating images that help you sell products is a matter of having the right hardware, software, and photography skills. But it also requires a fair amount of common sense—including knowing when it's time to hire a pro.

About the author   Christopher Elliott is an Orlando, Fla., writer and independent producer who specializes in technology, travel, and mobile computing. His work has appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, and online. You can find out more about him on his Web site or sign up for his free weekly newsletter.