The Right Way To Use Photos In Your Online Content
The proliferation of online marketing has shown us just how visual we humans are as a group. Branding, logos, color theory, and images are all crucial to having content that attracts and converts potential customers. And when it comes to using photos in your online content, there are some key factors to consider.
At Kristin Ratten Content Services, we help you craft and implement a winning content strategy to make sure your audience can find you. If you’d like help with blogs, website copy, or email newsletters, reach out for your free consultation.
The Nitty Gritty of Using Photos Correctly
By now, I’m sure you know that you MUST have pictures on your website and in your social posts. Photos are crucial to the user experience of anyone visiting your site. And they are vital pieces of social media algorithms.
But, how do you use them the right way? How do you make them effective? How do you make sure they are legal?
Let’s dig into all of these things.
Photos On Your Website
Images on your site are essential, but they only work well for you if you use them the right way. Here are some quick tips and best practices to guide you.
Image Frequency
When you’re publishing a blog post, try to hit the 800-word mark. Longer is even better. Then include a photo or infographic at least every 250-300 words. Personally, however, I think you should use more than that. Blogs tend to have the highest bounce rates of anything on a website, and photos can help reduce that number. Images help to keep people reading.
When I’m creating articles for clients, I usually add an image every 150-250 words. Yes, this can seem like a lot. But more and more people are consuming content on their phones, and photos make it easier on the eyes.
The type of blog you’re writing will also help dictate how many images you need to use. If it’s a how-to article, you will probably need many pictures to illustrate the steps, while a more general-concept blog post may not need as many photos.
Static web pages, such as Home and About, should have far fewer words than a blog post. You may only need one or two photos on these pages.
Tell Google What the Images Are
Once you have photos loaded onto your website, be sure to add the alt text or alt description for each one. This text is where you can use a focus keyword and explain the picture’s context within your article. It’s a frequently overlooked piece of search engine optimization, but it’s well worth the time to do it.
A search engine cannot crawl images. So on their own, pictures don’t help Google to index your web page. But it can crawl the alt text and use it to determine relevance.
Various platforms, such as WordPress and Squarespace, have different ways of adding alt text. A quick search will give you a tutorial for your specific platform.
Image Size
If your website photos are too big, they may load slowly. This problem not only annoys your site visitors and sends them scurrying away, but it also irritates Google. Do not irritate Google!
Resize photos before publishing them to your site. Typically, files should be under 500 KB with a width of 1500-2500 pixels. There are several free websites for resizing, or you can use an app like Canva.
How To Choose Images
It is really easy to go down a long, twisty rabbit hole when you’re looking for photos for your website or social media. There’s a seemingly endless number of stock images available. And hunting for the perfect one can eat up your time if you’re not careful. (I am 100% speaking from experience!)
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you search for pictures:
Use your branding photos whenever it makes sense. These images are usually perfect for your Home and About pages and for social posts.
Whenever possible, use pictures of people. In particular, try to use photos that show faces. These images keep readers engaged longer.
Select photos that fit the tone and aesthetic of your brand.
Do not use copyrighted images without permission. More on that next!
Copyright Concerns
Contrary to what so many people believe, images you find in an online search are not fair game for you to use. Intellectual property attorney Angie Avard Turner, J.D., LL.M., graciously answered all my questions around this topic. I learned so much!
And if you have any questions or concerns around copyrights, trademarks, contracts, and other legal ways to protect yourself, you need to connect with her.
The major takeaway is that a person has rights to what they create from the moment they create it in a complete, tangible form. It’s basically immediate, you guys. So when you use photos in your online content, do so with care.
Photos, poems, graphic designs, memes, and songs, to name a few, all fall under this protection. And the rights are in place whether or not the creator registers their creation to copyright it.
And all those “photo credit” captions you see on social media? They don’t count. I know, right?
Giving someone credit when you use their image does not protect you from being sued for infringement. In fact, as Angie points out, it will probably just alert them to the fact that you’re using their intellectual property!
You must have written permission from the creator to use their images, or you are at risk of legal action. And the fines for infringement are significant, $150K per use! There is now an option for legal recourse in small claims court, too. The penalties there are smaller, but they still add up quickly.
Of course, there are plenty of times when the owner/author/creator doesn’t care about infringement or choose to pursue it. Memes are a good example of this. Technically, someone created that hilarious meme that you love, so they own the rights to it. (Ok, it’s me. I’m the one who loves it.)
But are they going to come after everyone who shares it? Especially when the whole point of a meme is to go viral? Probably not. But you need to be aware that, by the letter of the law, they could.
How Do You Find Legal Photos?
When picking images for your website or social accounts, here are your legally sanctioned options:
Use branding photos that you own the rights to use.
Use free stock photo sites such as Unsplash.
Use a paid stock photo subscription, such as Adobe. Depending on your subscription level, these images can cost up to $4 each. But that is WAY BETTER than a $150K fine.
Use graphics and images that you create.
Use pictures that you have written permission from the owner to use.
Tired of Figuring It Out On Your Own?
There are so many critical pieces to your content strategy and creation. Photo use is just one player in this game. If you’d like some guidance, a jumpstart, or a complete done-for-you package, let’s talk. Your free consultation will give you an excellent roadmap as you move forward.
