All content on a website should serve the same purpose. That purpose is to quickly and directly convey the message your company or organization wants to communicate. Many companies and non-profits spend time and money developing a great website design with well thought-out navigation, then fall short by only using stock photography.

Photography communicates better than anything else on a website. Most people are visual learners. When visiting a website or viewing a brochure, your audience is inclined to gravitate towards visual elements, such as photographs, first. How can a stock image – created to represent a general concept and available for purchase by anyone, anywhere – be the strongest communication element on your website?

Even worse, some websites rely on outdated or amateur photography. If “a picture is worth a 1000 words,” what story are those kinds of photographs telling? We would think it says that your website, which is the major way to introduce your company or organization to the world, is not creating a favorable first impression.

We humans, especially in the age of fast web searches, are conditioned to make rapid decisions and judgments. Because of this trait, a website needs to instantly appear like we can trust what is there and what it represents about the website’s owner. Will stock or poor quality photography do that? The answer is not really.

First impressions are only the beginning (pun intended). Once a website visitor is impressed, they need to be converted to a customer, or at least continue their interest. Strong photography will increase conversions. A good photograph of a product being sold online will always sell better than a bad one. But even if you do not have an e-commerce website, having high-quality, unique professional photographs will help quickly introduce and build confidence in your business or non-profit.

One more reason why professional photography is important is that when prepared correctly, they will show up in online images searches. If the photograph is appealing, it will provide another way for users to get to the website that a photograph came from.

Photography is important. Great professional photography is critical. In a world with millions of websites visited by people who are attracted to visuals and conditioned to make snap judgments, one good photograph can be worth thousands – not just words, but good impressions and even dollars.