Photos are one of the most important visual elements of your website. They are often the first thing visitors see, setting the tone and brand image. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. The right images will help you make a positive first impression, instill trust, communicate your offerings and create a strong and engaging online presence. One of the first things you’ll need to decide when choosing photos for your website is whether to have custom photos taken or to use stock photography.
Custom Photos vs Stock Images
When choosing photos for your website there are two basic options: custom photos or stock images. Custom photos are photos taken specifically for your website. They capture your actual company, team, location, products, customers and culture. They typically require hiring a photographer and planning a photo shoot.
Stock photos, on the other hand, are pre-captured images usually taken for a broad or generic use. They are typically available from a searchable gallery, where they can be purchased and downloaded. Both can result in high-quality, professional looking images, but there are pros and cons to both to considered before deciding which to use for your website.
Pros of Custom Photography
Hiring a photographer and planning a photo shoot can be expensive and time consuming, but often times the results are an authentic representation of your brand that offers many benefits that can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.
- Better Representation: Custom photos of your products, team, establishment or service providers in action provide an authentic representation of your brand and business.
- Uniqueness: Not only does using custom photos mean no one else is going to have that same photo on their website, but it also allows you to showcase your brand’s unique identity, products and personality which can help create a stronger connection with your audience.
- More Control: By working with a photographer to get custom photos for your website, you have more control over the specific shots and style, ensuring your photos align with your brand and that you get the perfect shot.
- Builds Trust: It’s hard to get repeat customers if the product you sold them doesn’t match what you showed them on your website. Using real custom photos that offer an authentic representation of your brand builds trust and can lead to satisfied customers and repeat buyers.
- Increases Engagement: Custom photos that show important details or provide specific product information improve engagement, especially with ecommerce websites.
- Increased Visibility: Custom photos are more likely to be used in news and feature articles than stock photos which can help increase your brand’s visibility.
Cons of Custom Photos
Despite all the advantages of using custom photos, there are a few disadvantages that need to be considered.
- Cost: Even though the price varies widely, the cost of custom photos is more than likely going to be significantly higher than using stock photos. However, high-quality custom photos may be worth it and pay for themselves in the end through increased sales and customer loyalty, especially when it comes to product images.
- Time: Successful photo shoots are time consuming. Whether you are doing them yourself or hiring a professional, they require a lot of time for planning, shooting and editing.
- Don’t Know the Results: With stock photos you know what you are getting when you pay for it, but that’s not the case with a custom shoot. If not planned carefully or if the quality is not to your standards, you may end up with a bunch of photos you can’t use or need one you don’t have.
Pros of Stock Photography
Stock photos provide a convenient and easy way for businesses to add a variety of images to their website and even though they aren’t unique, they still offer many benefits.
- Budget Friendly: The average cost for a stock photo is between $1 and $15, depending on the quality, licensing type and subscription model, which is more than likely going to be much cheaper than custom photography.
- Convenient: Stock photos are readily available from a number of websites. Just search for the image you are looking for, browse through the results and download the one you want to use.
- High-Quality: Quality varies, but you can find a wide range of high-quality stock photos that are often even shot by professional photographers.
- Time Saving: When you purchase a stock image, you can typically use it immediately. There’s less time spent planning for shots, shooting and no waiting for post-production editing.
- Accessibility: A wide variety of images are available, making it easy to find photos for almost any need.
Cons of Stock Photography
While stock photography offers many options that will likely save you time and money, there are a few drawbacks.
- Lack of Originality: Stock photos are intended for mass use, which means most of them are generic and could be used for many different businesses, including your competition. They are often less personal and unique than ones taken for a specific business.
- Limited Choices: Despite all your searching, you may not be able to find the perfect image and editing options may be limited so you may have to settle for something that’s not exactly what you imagined.
- Lack of Branding: The photos you have to choose from when using stock images may not fully represent your brand.
- Inconsistencies: When choosing from stock photos, you will likely end up with photos that aren’t all from the same photographer or from the same shoot. These variations in the look, color, tone or style could lead to an inconsistence feel for your website.
- Confusing Licenses: Stock photos require licensing for use, and not all stock photos are licensed for business use. It’s important to make sure you are following the usage rules, or you may end up in a bit of legal trouble.
What Type of Photos Should You Use for Your Business?
It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of both stock photos and custom photos before determining which is best for you and the right answer will be different for every business. While stock photos will likely be easier on your budget, the lack of authenticity and branding could hurt you in the long run. Often times the best answer is to use a mix of both. Using custom photos where a generic image just won’t do and purchasing stock images for shots you are unable to get on your own.
You also don’t have to make this decision by yourself. When we’re designing your website, we’ll help you figure out what’s going to work best for your business and your budget. As a boutique design firm in Delafield, Wisconsin, we combine stunning web design with exceptional service to create websites that get real results. Give us a call at (414) 232-7862 and we’d be happy to discuss all your photo options and what would work best for your website.
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