How to use images effectively on your website?
Brand recognition is crucial to a brand’s success. The ability to recognize a brand and associate it with a product, a service, or even a feeling, is directly tied to how successful that brand will be.
When it comes to the public sector, there are several methods that help in achieving that. recognition. Below are a few you may want to consider.
Understand the Purpose
Maintaining a consistent visual identity is key to establishing a brand’s style, tone and values. The use of consistent colour schemes, filters, and photo styles to achieve a cohesive visual language helps to reinforce brand recognition and leaves a lasting impression which in turn will make sure your residents turn to your official website for any information regarding their communities or seek services digitally. Having said that, use images to support your content's purpose rather than as a filler for space. Using images that stray from your brand's tone may be confusing and off-putting to your residents.
Responsive design
Implementing a responsive design and optimizing images to ensure they adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes is important, particularly with the growing use of mobile devices. Responsive design and image layout is important for a consistent and visually pleasing experience for users. Search engines such as Google are no longer mobile friendly recommended, it's mobile first, last and always.
Performance optimization
Page load time is crucial to create a positive user experience for your residents. Optimizing images can also enhance a website’s performance, reducing bounce rates and improving search engine rankings. To optimize images, they need to be compressed without compromising their quality. Exporting images in appropriate formats is also important. - It is essential to choose the appropriate format depending on the type of image you are using. For example, JPEGs are ideal for photographs, while PNG files are more suitable for graphics with a transparent background.
Accessibility
Making your website inclusive is an important practice. Provide alternative text (alt-text) for each image, describing its content for visually impaired users. This will allow screen readers to convey the image’s meaning, improving accessibility and search engine optimization. Alt text is alternative text that appears when an image is not visible on a website. It is crucial to include it because it improves accessibility for visually impaired users and can also enhance your website's SEO.
Social sharing
Pictures speak louder than words- and yours should speak volumes. That’s why you need to ensure your images are optimized for all your social networking needs; from Instagram, to LinkedIn, and beyond! Be sure to include social sharing buttons, and make sure your images are visually stimulating, to grab your viewer’s attention. Avoid using generic or overused stock images. Stock photos can be convenient when you don't have access to original images, but many brands use the same images, making them repetitive and overused. Investing in high-quality and original images adds uniqueness to your website and will ensure a higher reach and visibility, especially now that AI is becoming more integrated into search engines functionalities.
Infographics
It has been proven that images are far more effective at capturing attention than text. By turning information into images, you can simplify complex messages and make it easier for your viewer to grasp and remember. By utilizing graphics and integrating images into your textual content through the use of infographics, you can create a more compelling narrative. You can also use images to break up long paragraphs and evoke emotions in your viewer. But as with most things, images need to be used in moderation. A well-designed website requires a delicate balance of text and images, and a small array of high-quality and relevant images could be enough to increase the resident engagement.
The suggestions that have been made in this article are intended to provide an array of best practices when it comes to building a website that is not only functional but one that provides superior user experiences. The Govstack platform can help you achieve that goal while establishing and enhancing your community’s brand. Get in touch with us today to find out how.