Let’s be real - we’ve all come across those websites that have pictures that juuuuust aren’t quite right. You know what I’m talking about - the websites that have photos that are grainy, too small, and/or poorly placed. Even big companies have been guilty of it. It’s like they didn’t even pay attention to their online presence.
I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen to you and your biz. When you’re developing and launching your site, the last thing you want anyone to think is “Uh, is this place legit?” because your photos are a bit…off. So today we’re going to talk about styled stock photos. Personally, I used to look at styled stock photos and think “Wow, I wish I could have a photo that looked that good on my website” because I thought you had to pay for them.
And in all honesty - as with all things in life, you certainly have to pay for the premiums. BUT. That doesn’t mean there also isn’t a ton of awesome and affordable *ahem, free* resources out there for you to take advantage of.
3 Things you Create with Styled Stock Photos
Authority - per the title of this blog post, having styled stock photos on your website will increase the authority of your website, and convey the professionalism I know your business has. The last thing I want for your business is a website with photos that make your audience question the legitimacy (let alone products/services/capabilities) that you are offering.
That Vibe - one of the key questions to designing your website and building a brand is “what kind of feeling do you want your ideal audience to feel when they come across your brand/website?” Implementing styled stock photos allows your audience to feel that way when they come across your site, because the styled stock photos are an extension of your brand. There may even come a time when your audience sees a styled stock photo and immediately thinks of you.
Awesome Graphics - Using styled stock photos on your website goes beyond placing an image on “x” space on “x” page, you’re going to need graphics too. Having consistency with graphics and your website will create brand consistency for your business and allow customers to return again and again because your business feels like home, or fun, or whatever feeling you wanted to convey from above. The graphics are an extension of that home - you can use these graphics for social media posts across various platforms, all while keeping everything on-brand.
The Best Styled Stock Photo Resources
You didn’t think I’d leave you without mentioning a few of my go-to’s did you? Here are my favorite resources, all of which I have used and continue to use for my business:
Unsplash - Free styled stock photos
Pexels - Free styled stock photos
Styled Stock Society - Monthly membership subscription, but you can subscribe for free monthly stock photos
Haute Stock - Also a monthly membership subscription, but you can subscribe for free monthly stock photos too
Adobe Stock Photos - Fee-Based Stock Photo Library (but a HUGE library)
In the end, we all know that coming across a website with photos that make you feel like “ehhhh is this real?” is likely going to cause people to bounce from your site. Plus, there’s too many beautiful styled stock photos out there not to use, and I guarantee you’ll find a set of photos that you love.
