A picture is worth a thousand words, but what are you saying?

We have all heard the cliche "A picture is worth a thousand words," but what is the message you are trying to portray with the picture? The advantage of a website is in its ability to contain numerous high resolution photographs of your products and services. Unlike print media where the cost of the ad or brochure increases exponentially with the number and size of the pictures provided, a website allows for an almost unlimited number of photographs. While the construction of the website requires an investment there is no ongoing print costs. Therefore it makes perfect sense to include numerous photographs for the benefit of the consumer.

It has been the experience of my firm that websites with large photo galleries perform much better than sites with fewer images. The sites with large photo galleries have a much lengthier average time of visit (time on site) and a better conversion rate. Another interesting fact is that visitors to websites often spend up to 80% of there time reviewing the photo gallery. With so much attention given to the pictures of your companies products and services it stands to reason that you would want both numerous photographs, but also that you ensure that the pictures you post are providing a constructive message.

I often suggest to my clients that they gather all their available photographs and then have the marketing team create a "theme" or list of emotions they want viewers to experience when reviewing the photo gallery. For example, if you own a romantic French restaurant on a lakefront the message you want the images to convey might be romance, seclusion, excellent food, wine, candlelight, tranquility, soft music, beautiful table settings, and magnificent views at sunset. Once your team has determined the message you want to convey pass the photos around to employees, friends, and patrons of your business requesting that they review the available pictures. It is a good idea to provide them with the desired message so they can tell you which pictures caused the appropriate response.

Going through this exercise will provide you with a list of pictures that you can use on your website to impact your potential clients with the desired communiqué. A message that will stir them into doing business with your company. So, the next time you hear the coin phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" remember it isn't the words that are important...it is the right message.