Using Professional Web Images
The proper use of web page images can enhance a site to the point that users are instantly convinced that a site is credible. On the other hand, improper use suggests amateurism and incompetence.
Broken Images
In order for images to work they have to show up. If you have broken images on your site either fix them or remove them. They are harming your site a great deal. Broken images tell users you don't care about your site so why should they? Add an image only if you plan on it being accessible for awhile.
Load Times vs. Quality
Everyone wants a site that looks great, right? Having awesome images will help. Even better is having awesome images that download quickly. Have you ever been to a page that took along time to download? Did you hang around to see how long it would take? Only if a user MUST access the content will they hang around. If there are potentially hundreds or thousands of other sites with similar information they will leave. They won't even get to see your awesome site unless it downloads within their patience threshold (usually 6-8 seconds). Optimize your images to download quickly. There is a constant juggle with load times versus great quality. If all users had fast internet connections this wouldn't be an issue but there will always be a group who can't afford or won't upgrade to a quick connection. We have to give up a little bit in quality and maybe a small amount of pixilation to retain potential users.
One exception to this rule is if the majority of your site will download, including content, while some less-important image takes a little extra time. Users will be able to get what they need and the less important image will show up later. Make sure, though, that the structure of the page and the key images load quickly.
Images shouldn't be much larger than 30-40k for the most part. If you have a 40k image on a page don't have another one that size or bigger. In fact, now a days some gurus say your images should account for no more than 40-60k or so total on any given page. Try to keep them small. Use your image editor to manage the size vs. quality. If the image becomes too pixilated at lower qualities and it is indispensable then optimize it be as small as possible while maintaining its quality. Keep in mind one image cut into 5 parts requires more load time over keeping all the images as one.
Image Dimensions
As of 2/6/07, designers still have a fair number of users with their monitors set at 800x600 resolution. I can't wait until that changes! However, we still have to design for the most part for those users. Make sure your images fit your page such that users with 800x600 resolution can still use your page without having to scroll from left to right in addition to up and down. Managing two scroll bars is very annoying for users. If you are a Realtor and have your screen resolution set at 800x600, now is the time to change that. For windows, go to your desktop, right click on the desktop, click properties, click the settings tab and move the screen resolution slider over to at least 1024x768. It won't be long before the standard is bumped up to the next 1024x768 resolution and all sites will be designed for the new lowest common denominator. Soon....very soon.
Image Taboos
- Don't place huge images on a site without smaller thumbnails that allow users to see a miniature first before being forced to wait for a huge download.
- Some people don't like the agent glamour shots so minimize the agent photos some.
- No blinking, rotating, flashing, scrolling, twinkling, bouncing, images. At first glance they may be fun but they become very annoying very quickly and will drive people from your site. They're not seen as professional so no corny, animated gif images. Agents are professional and they try to create an image for themselves. A web site says a lot about what an agent will tolerate. Agents can subliminally tell their clients they expect a professional site because of their professional standards. I would venture to say that agents who have been around for some time and have gotten great web traffic with sites with crazy gif images would more than double their user contacts (i.e. leads) if they got that same traffic with a more professional appearance.
- No pet photos on the home page. Users for the most part don't care about your pet. They want you to care about their pet and their needs. Use your personal description page to show photos of fluffy. People will go looking for that information if it matters to them. Use the home page to show you have great information and professionalism.
- Don't use images for content. Agents need their content to index with the search engines and engines can't see the content placed in images. Use images for graphical purposes. That includes titles. Use text for titles and images to make them look good.
Image Software
- Photoshop - is often used by professionals to create, edit , and optimize images. You may pay around $650 or so for the full license.
- Paintshop Pro - Better priced alternative to Photoshop. You may pay under $100.
- Fireworks - Related to Dreamweaver. It interacts with other Adobe products. Also a great alternative to Photoshop and costs around $250 or so.
Great image usage makes a web site very professional. It instills trust in someone with high standards. It shows that the creator cares about their own image and suggests the same type of service when marketing a home. Users want agents to present well so they can enjoy their home buying/selling process.
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