Millions of websites use stock images. Rarely would you come across a company investing in creating its own inventory of stock images. Some companies, albeit they are the biggest in their respective industries, will invest heavily to come up with a unique image or video to go along with its content. Small to medium companies certainly don’t have that budget. Some companies that can afford it don’t have the resources or don’t want to do it.
As a business owner or someone who has a website, you don’t need to invest heavily in stock images. Websites like Shutterstock and Getty Images among others are good enough resources to get stock images. But, these stock images come with an inherent problem. They are generic, meant for use by innumerable people and they don’t always have any relevance to your brand, website, theme or the particular content you are uploading.
How many times have you come across contact pages of websites that have the same person, or a different person sitting in the same manner, sporting the same smile and holding a phone or wearing a headset? Some images have been done and dusted and yet many website owners or business owners keep using those same stock images to go along with their webpage or a certain piece of content.
You have to choose the right stock image and the associated info-graphic would show you how. The info-graphic sheds light on some very basic aspects of choosing the right image. To begin with, you should avoid all photos that have been used by many. No matter how great that photo or image is, if it has been used by many then it isn’t great any more. It has become commonplace. Images need to be personal. There is a reason why the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If an image is not personal or is not in the right context and relevance, then it doesn’t speak even one word, does it? You need images that would resonate with your brand or the theme and purpose of your website, it should complement your business’ online presence or it should accentuate the effectiveness of the communication. Without these, an image is worthless, or at least futile.
From choosing the right colors to testing an image before using it, there are many steps you need to take to ensure that you are choosing the right stock image.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.