The Power of Visuals: Selecting the Picture-Perfect Photos for Your Website

A picture is worth a thousand words, so selecting the right photography for your website brings a powerful, humanized experience for your website visitors. Imagery support your brand and creates engagement, all while telling a story of your utility, employees, and the community.

Photography can sometimes be a holdup when it comes to your website, however there is peace of mind with all the opportunities to place images and the reassurance that photos can always be updated.

There are a few things to consider when picking out photos for your new website project, or when updating your site.

Start With Location

Location and the subject go hand in hand when selecting the right photo. However, you need to know what spaces are available before you choose the photo, as knowing where will make selecting the right image easier. As you navigate your site, make note of any specific areas or topics you want to highlight with imagery.

Leverage your homepage hero section, whether it be a large image on your task-oriented site or within your top promotional section, this space is key to capture your website visitors’ attention. Consider the size of the hero space, the orientation and the placement (is the photo container located on the left or the right side of the screen), and any design elements that may overlay the space.

Photos can be added throughout your homepage in each promotional section. Keeping the same considerations in mind from your hero space, you also want to be mindful of the promotional topic to match the photo to the program or initiative.

The decorative banners on your internal pages rotate on page load, keeping your site fresh for your website visitors and low maintenance for you. Maximize this feature by planning to select 5-15 generic photos that cover a wide variety of topics. If your site utilizes the Springwater blueprint with the circle design element, you may want to consider upwards to 30 photos as there are 3 photo spaces for each internal page. For the internal banners, keep in mind the orientation and placement of the photo spaces.

If you are looking to further enhance your site with imagery, your internal pages support adding photos throughout the page to help direct your website visitors and increase engagement.

Selecting the Subject

Now that you know where the photos are going, it is time to select the right photo to fill each space. Start with reviewing any photos you already have in your asset library, keeping the considerations you marked down for each space in mind.

Photo subjects to consider

• Employees: Your employees doing everyday work always supports your brand and mission. Action images like representatives interacting with members/customers in the office or on the phone, linemen working on electric lines, fiber techs installing new service, and water technicians working with water services always supports engagement.
• Community: Photos of places in the communities you serve, unique monuments and murals, your employees out in the community and your members/customers using your services are always great options.
• Nature: Your service area is unique and beautiful, so capturing rolling hills, snowcapped mountains, crystal clear waters, smooth sandy beaches, farmland, or even the cityscape will showcase your locality.
• Seasonality: Photos of each season come in handy to keep your site fresh and relevant, especially if you have various seasons like white winters, vibrant falls and lush springs and golden summers. Consider the attire of your employees as well, as photos of guys in the field wearing thick winter clothes may need to be replaced during the summer months.
• Utility Specific: Appealing photos of electric lines, transformers and other equipment in your yard, bucket trucks, fiber reels and equipment, water lines and other generic photos that represents your business tells the story of what you do. These images are excellent filler options, especially for your internal page banners or homepage promo areas.

Sometimes you may not have the right photo in your asset library, and you may need to go out and capture new images to fit your vision. Keep in mind that you don’t have to hire a professional photographer to capture images for your site. High-resolution photos taken by someone at the utility with a nice camera will work great. While candid images always bring a humanized experience, you may need to schedule staged shoots to fully capture your vision. Having a good mix of candidate and staged images of employees smiling creates a balance on your site.

As you fill the spaces, there could be some gaps that could certainly be filled with stock imagery. Finding the right photo – whether it is from your library, new images you took based on your vision, or utilizing the vast stock imagery libraries – it is key to maximizing your visual options on your site.

Creating a humanized online experience through powerful visuals will keep your site fresh and relevant.  In the end, choosing the right photos isn’t just about filling the space – it’s about telling your story, building trust and engaging your website visitors. With the right photos, your website doesn’t just look good, it becomes picture-perfect!