What you sell or do.
Choose your strongest current product, project or service image. Include context: what it shows, where it belongs on the site and whether it can be published.
Plan the visual evidence
Your website needs images with a job to do.
Images can show a finished product, a person behind the service or a detail words would struggle to explain. They can also leave visitors with questions when they are vague, outdated or unrelated to the business. Start with what a buyer needs to see, then choose the image.
Match image to question
Start with what the visitor needs to know.
There is no compulsory number of photographs. A single relevant image can do more than a gallery of loosely related pictures. Plan images alongside the page structure, not as decoration added at the end.
Swipe sideways to see all columns
| Visitor question | Useful visual material | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| What do you actually make or deliver? | Real product, completed work or a clear view of the service in action. | A polished scene that could belong to any company. |
| Who will I deal with? | A current portrait or honest team image, when personal contact matters to the decision. | An image that suggests people work for the business when they do not. |
| What makes your work different? | A close detail, material, process step or before-and-after record with context. | A dramatic image with no explanation of what it shows. |
| Where does the service happen? | A real place or working environment if location genuinely helps someone decide. | A building or workplace that is not yours. |
| What happens next? | A simple diagram or sequence where the process is easier to understand visually. | Decorative icons that add no information. |
Not every business needs every row. If an image makes a factual claim, make sure the claim is true. A visual style can create atmosphere without pretending to show your team, premises or customer work.
Show the thing people came for
Lead with the work when the work is visual.
On a bakery page, the product should be easy to see. For a professional service, a real person, clear explanation or relevant work example may carry more weight. The right choice depends on what a visitor is trying to judge.
In this UpOnUp page for The Gingered Peach, pastry photography and a strong headline establish the offer immediately. The same image approach would be misplaced on a page where the important proof is technical expertise or a clear process.
Write down the question each main image should answer before choosing it. That prevents a handsome page from becoming an obstacle to understanding.
Plan what each page needs to say
A short collection brief
Gather the useful images before the design starts.
You can send what you already have. If something is missing, mark it as a gap rather than filling every slot with an unrelated picture.
Who stands behind it.
Gather an up-to-date portrait or team image where a human introduction helps. Write names and roles correctly, and confirm permission to use the photo.
What words cannot show.
Find close views of craft, equipment, finish, process or place that help a visitor understand quality. Keep a note explaining each image.
Before an image goes live
Check the rights, the crop and the context.
Good imagery should still be lawful to publish, readable on a phone and useful to someone who cannot see it.
Permission and truth
- Record who created or owns each image and what permission allows website use.
- Check any licence covers the way the business will publish and reuse it.
- Confirm names, locations, people and project descriptions are accurate.
- Do not treat an image found online as free to use because it has no watermark.
Usability and search
- Keep a sharp original so the designer can make phone and desktop crops.
- Place meaningful images near the page content they support.
- Use helpful alternative text for images that convey information.
- Compress delivery files so a large photograph does not slow the page needlessly.
The UK Intellectual Property Office explains image permission and licensing. Google's image guidance recommends high-quality images near relevant text, descriptive alt text and attention to page speed. These are useful checks, not a promise of image-search traffic.