They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. Online you only get a few seconds.
In those precious moments when someone first arrives at your web site, you have a lot of work to do. It just takes a split second for a visitor to decide whether you are worth their time. In addition to answering the searcher’s question, you must also present the right image. Whether your company is large or small, has a thousand employees or just a handful, your prospects want to know that you’re “big enough” to handle all of their needs.
The easiest way to do this is to make sure you put on the right face. Great content, effective search engine optimization – It all counts. But it’s the pretty face, the professional quality images and web site design, that give prospects their first impression of your products.
Sure, it’s an investment. Professional web site design and professional quality photography doesn’t usually come cheap, but the long term benefits of it will make it worth your while.
Just like well-designed packaging sells cereal at the grocery store, a professional web site design complemented with professional photography will help sell your products and services.
Professional quality photos tell your prospects that you care enough to put your best foot forward. They give the visitor a sense of a positive experience. Compared to a grainy image that might be “hiding” something about your product, the clear shot will make the difference every time.
Even if you’re a whiz at family photos, when it comes to your web site, get a professional involved. There is more to taking pictures than just point and click:
- Product shots taken by amateurs often produce distorted, overexposed or underexposed images
- Professional photographers use high quality equipment to capture the right lighting and composition of your products
- Photographers apply skill and knowledge: Good understanding of lighting, background, clarity, composition, proper arrangement, positioning
- Professional photographers have a trained eye with sensitivity to imperfections/detail
Additionally, the cleaner the photograph, the less time (and money) your web designer has to spend working to make it look attractive.
In the end, the quality of your products, how responsive you are and possibly your pricing will be what helps you make the sale but in the beginning, before a prospect has had the chance to get to know you, a professionally designed website with professional quality images can make all the difference.
Heather Kyle is the Creative Director at Pilot Fish, an Akron, OH based web site design and professional search engine optimization firm.
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