The old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” might be expanded to say “and millions of dollars in affiliate sales.” It would still be true.

Images are powerful! Images have an IMMEDIATE emotional effect on a viewer.

The images on your website are the first things your visitors see. Most website viewers look at images before they read the headline.

The right images on your website draw your visitors in, make them feel welcome, and can even persuade them to buy whatever it is you are selling.

The wrong images have the opposite effect; they repel your visitors, make them feel as though they’re in the wrong place, and cause them to surf away before you can say “cheese.”

Here are three guidelines to help you choose effective website images

The image should convey the right feeling!

The first requirement for your website image should be that it evokes the correct emotional response from your website visitors.

For example:

• If your website is about becoming successful in business, you want to use an image of an obviously successful (and smiling) business person. Depending upon what you’re promoting, you might want a picture of a business woman, a business man or both.
• If you’re promoting dog training products you want an image of a beautiful, happy, healthy dog with an “in-charge” owner.
• If you’re promoting acne products, a “before” and “after” image would be effective.

The image should add information!

You want your website image to provide instant information to your visitor. Website images aren’t supposed to just sit there and look “cute.” They’re far more than simple “look-good” elements of your web page.

• Pictures of products are good but pictures of products in use are even better.
• Images of shapes (such as an arrow pointing up with a caption) is good, but a graph showing an actual upturn is more powerful.

The image should be unique (or at least as unique as possible)!

You most likely have to rely on stock photos for your website images. Or, at least you think you do. You buy an image that meets all of your requirements, but the same image is available to your competitors at exactly the same price. Some alternatives are:

• You can create your own image, of course, but that can be an expensive and time-consuming task.
• You can purchase the exclusive rights to a stock image. This can still cost a good many dollars, but at least your website image will be different from the images on your competitor’s websites. Look for “Rights Managed” images, or contact the stock image site.
• You can purchase the more expensive ($100-$300) stock images. This doesn’t guarantee “unique,” but you’re not going to see your image plastered all over the place, either.
• You can choose the less frequently downloaded images on stock photo sites. Most stock photo sites display icons when images have been downloaded 100+, 500+, or 1,000+ times. The fewer times the photo has been downloaded, obviously the more unique it is.

The images you choose to display on your website will have a powerful impact on your website visitors and might even be the difference between making the sale or losing the sale.

NOTE: Even though Lurn, Inc. receives compensation for products and services promoted in our blog posts, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences about those products and services.