We are visual creatures. Great website images can persuade us to engage with a brand, share a post or buy a product. Quality design can make websites and brands stick in our minds as professional and credible. In other words, great imagery can have a very positive effect on online business. Why is website imagery so powerful? Here are four reasons why images play such an important role online:
1. Speed
An image can communicate a message instantly. This is because our brain can interpret images much quicker than text. In fact, images are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. First time visitors will form an impression of your website in as little as 50 milliseconds (or 1/20th of a second), which will determine whether they will stay or leave. Therefore, it is important to engage them instantly and images have the power to do this.
2. Impact
Images on a website also have greater impact than text. They can create an emotional response in the audience. This is because images get fed straight into our subconscious, unlike text symbols which have to go through a decoding process. Images appeal to both the left and right sides of our brains, engaging our logic and our imagination at the same time. The success of the infographic is proof of this. Therefore, in order to make the maximum impact on website visitors, show, don't tell!
3. Product Presentation
A well-shot, clear image of your product is the single best way of selling it online. An image can illustrate the product's features instantly and provide clear and accurate information about it. It can show how the product works, solves problems or answers questions. If the product is new, innovative or different, images are a brilliant way of highlighting this. Websites can also use images to portray a lifestyle or an ideal to help sell the product to the target market.
4. Retention
Communication is only effective if it is retained by your audience. In a busy world, information can get lost or ignored if it is not in a digestible format. Our brains not only process images faster, but they also retain and transmit much more information when it's delivered visually. Therefore, integrating great imagery into your website can boost how much your visitors absorb and remember. As a result, images are more likely to give you a greater return on your content investment.
How we can help
We love creating websites with brilliant imagery for our clients. For further advice on the importance of imagery to your digital communications, contact us today.
