When businesses begin planning a new website, most of the focus tends to be on design, functionality, and features. What should the homepage look like? How many pages do we need? What information should we include?
While these are all important considerations, one of the most influential elements of a successful website is often overlooked – imagery.
The images used throughout your website will play a significant role in how visitors perceive your business. They help tell your story, give credibility to your brand, explain your products and services, and crucially, build trust with potential customers.
At Browndog, we take a content-first approach to website development. That means we don’t just need your written content before we begin designing; we need to understand all of the content that will appear on the website, including photography, video, diagrams, infographics, technical drawings, tables, brochures, and downloadable resources.
The more complete the content is at the start of the project, the better the final website will be.
Content is more than just copy
Content as a term, includes everything your visitors will interact with throughout your website. The strongest websites have a range of content (don’t forget, a picture is worth a thousand words and video is one of the best forms of media for visitor engagement). Think about combining your written content with imagery, video, diagrams, illustrations, downloadable resources, and other supporting materials to create an engaging and informative experience.
Across your website, you might have any number of content types, including:
- Product photography
- Team photography
- Building/premises photography and video
- Video – first-person POV, drone footage, user-generated content, testimonials
- Diagrams and illustrations
- Product specifications
- Case studies
- Brochures and downloads
- Technical drawings
- Blender or Solidworks renders/interactive components
- Certifications, accreditations and logos
When these assets are available in the early stages of the project, we can design pages around them, creating a website that feels more engaging, informative, and authentic.
Without them, our designers are often forced to use placeholder images or generic layouts, which can limit the effectiveness of the final result and certainly take away the ‘wow factor’ we know every client is looking for. Lacklustre imagery will not pull you into a website.
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First impressions matter
Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business.
Within seconds of arriving on your site, visitors begin forming opinions about who you are and whether they can trust you. Before they’ve read a service page or completed an enquiry form, they’re already making decisions based on what they see.
High-quality imagery helps create a positive first impression. It immediately communicates professionalism, credibility, and attention to detail, helping visitors feel more confident in your business.
A well-designed website, supported by strong imagery, creates a far more memorable experience than one filled with generic stock photography or outdated images.
Authenticity builds trust
People want to know who they are working with. Real photography helps visitors understand the people and facilities behind your business. A Meet the Team page becomes far more effective when it contains professional photographs rather than stock images or no imagery at all – and note – it’s often one of the most viewed pages on a website.
The same applies to your premises. Images of your offices, showroom, warehouse, factory, or workshop help reassure visitors that there is a genuine business behind the website.
Practical photography showing your building exterior, parking facilities, reception area, or nearby landmarks can help customers feel more comfortable when visiting your premises for the first time.
For many B2B organisations, trust is a key factor in the buying process, making genuine imagery one of the most valuable assets on a website.
Get some variety in there too…
If you sell products online, the more photos the better! Simply showing one product image will not help your visitors understand how the product will work for them. Instead of focusing on the product itself, pull together a handful of shots that capture a wide variety of angles and backgrounds.
Different types of photography serve distinct purposes throughout your new website, helping visitors understand what you sell, how you work, and what sets your business apart.
For example, your feature photography can be used to highlight key details and functionality, while manufacturing photography will demonstrate your quality, expertise and processes. Showing photos of your team can help build trust and personality, while photos of your premises can demonstrate scale and credibility.
A variety of images in your library will give greater flexibility when designing pages and enable us to tell a more complete story across your new website.
Help customers imagine your product as theirs
If you’re selling online, half the battle is convincing customers to imagine themselves using your product or service. For example, if you’re selling kitchens, furniture, flooring, lighting, or home accessories, visitors don’t just want to see the product isolated on a white background; they want to see it in a finished room – with complementary items (this is also an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell).
Seeing a beautifully designed kitchen helps potential buyers picture that kitchen in their own home. The same applies across many industries.
Whether you’re selling products, services, or specialist expertise, imagery that demonstrates real-world applications helps customers better understand the value you provide and makes it seem more tangible.
Using imagery to break up information
Photos and images are more than just making your website look aesthetically pleasing; they can also be used to communicate information quickly and effectively. This can be through the use of diagrams, infographics, illustrations, or specification tables that explain information more clearly than in several paragraphs of text.
This is particularly important for businesses offering technical products, specialist services, or complex solutions.
Supporting visual content can include:
- Product comparison tables
- Technical diagrams
- Process illustrations
- Specification charts
- Before and after imagery
- Project photography
By combining visuals with your copy, you can improve understanding, increase engagement, and help visitors make the right choice.
Designing for multiple screens
Website imagery needs to work across a wide range of devices and screen sizes.
Many modern websites use large hero banners and full-width sections that stretch across widescreen monitors. While a photograph may look acceptable when viewed on a mobile phone, it can quickly lose quality when displayed at full width on a desktop screen.
This is why high-resolution photography is so important. Images need to be captured and supplied at a quality that allows them to remain sharp, professional, and impactful, regardless of screen size.
It’s also important to consider composition. Not every photograph is suitable for a website banner. Wide landscape images often work particularly well for hero sections and page headers, allowing space for both imagery and content without compromising either.
When planning photography for a website project, it’s worth considering a mix of:
- Wide landscape shots for homepage banners and hero sections
- Standard imagery for content sections
- Close-up detail photography to highlight features and craftsmanship
- Portrait photography for team members and testimonials
- In-situ photography showing products or services in use
Providing a variety of image styles gives designers greater flexibility and allows the website to make the most of modern layouts and larger screen sizes.
It’s not just about your website…
One of the biggest advantages of investing in quality imagery is that it can be used across multiple marketing channels.
The same photography can support:
- Social media content
- Email marketing campaigns
- Brochures and printed materials
- Presentations and proposals
- Advertising campaigns
By creating a library of professional imagery, you’re investing in a valuable marketing asset that can support your business long after the website project has been completed.
Early planning is essential
One of the most common causes we see delaying our website projects is waiting for content and imagery.
Businesses often underestimate how much time is required to gather suitable photographs, identify gaps, organise photography sessions, or create supporting visual assets.
By considering imagery requirements early in the process, it’s possible to avoid delays and ensure the website is designed around strong visual content from the outset.
Professional website photography isn’t simply about taking attractive shots. It’s about capturing imagery that serves a purpose. This may include wide-format banner images, detailed product photography, manufacturing processes, team portraits, premises photography, and lifestyle imagery that helps visitors understand and engage with your business.
When these assets are available from the start, our designers can create a website that truly reflects your business and delivers a better experience for your visitors.
A final plea from us (and every other web designer)
A well-designed website is built on strong content, and imagery plays an important role in that foundation.
Quality photography helps create positive first impressions, build trust, support your messaging, and improve the overall user experience. It allows your website to accurately reflect the quality of your business and provides valuable assets that can be used across your wider marketing activity.
At Browndog, our content-first approach ensures that design decisions are based on the content that matters most. By planning imagery alongside your written content from the beginning of the project, we can create a website that not only looks great but performs effectively for your business.
When planning a new website, don’t think of imagery as a finishing touch. Consider it an essential part of the project and a key contributor to its success.