Anyone who has a blog, website, or does social media marketing can benefit from using stock photos to help enhance their blog or site and get their point across visually. Using photos on your website will convert better than not. People are moving quickly through their day and if they stop on your site, they only stay for a few seconds. Using the right stock photos can give them a reason to stay longer.
Let Your Photos Tell the Story
Photos are a great way to express the emotional feeling you want your potential customers to feel when they hit your website. Choose photos that demonstrate who your company is and what you do. If you are a spa, use photos that show someone on the beach getting a massage. Customers will immediately envision themselves on the beach receiving that massage.
Body Language Can Tell the Tale
Body language is everything in life. We all subconsciously react to certain cues given by each other’s body language. The photos you choose can do the same thing. Simple expressions like a smirk or crossed arms can deter a person from buying what you are selling, however, an image of someone smiling, will make that person feel safe and optimistic.
Call to Action
Believe it or not, drawing attention to your call to action is easier than you can possibly imagine. If you choose an image that is looking directly at your call to action, the visitor will naturally follow that gaze. It is an instinctual thing we all do as humans. We naturally follow the gaze of the people we are with. You can use this to your advantage and draw more attention to your call to action to increase your conversion rate.
Quality Matters
Nothing can turn a person off from your website quicker than bad photos. Low-quality photos give off the impression that your product is low quality also.
Make sure you use only high-quality images on your website. High quality provides you with the quality image you are trying to portray.
Make Adjustments
Sometimes you can choose a good stock photo, but it needs a bit of adjusting. Do not be afraid to make the adjustments needed to make the photo serve your purpose well. You can crop out the distracting elements of a photo and draw more attention to the element you desire to draw attention too. There are many photo editing options on the web to help you take a simple stock photo and make it the best it can be for your needs. Here are the best (free) ways to edit or add text to your stock photos.
Where to Find Stock Photos?
There are many options for finding stock photos. You can use both free and paid sites to find the stock photos you need to enhance your content and website. The following are the best stock photo sites on the web (or you simply check out our stock agency offer here!)
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There are plenty of stock photo websites on the internet for quality, free and reasonably priced stock photos. The key is to find the website that has the most options for what you are looking to convey. Having a few sites at your disposal will provide you with unlimited options. Stock photos, when used properly, can be all you need to help bring your conversion rate up higher than you can possibly imagine.
Amos Struck
I am a publisher and entrepreneur in the stock imagery field. I focus on providing knowledge and solutions for buyers, contributors and agencies, aiming at contributing to the growth and development of the industry. I am the founder and editor of Stock Photo Press, one of the largest networks of online magazines in the industry. I am the founder of Microstock Expo, the only conference dedicated to the microstock segment. I created several software solutions in stock photography like WordPress plugins. Plus I am a recurrent speaker at Photokina Official Stage, and an industry consultant at StockPhotoInsight. I am passionate about technology, marketing and visual imagery.
