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.
Choose what people need to see
Choosing images for a business website.
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 They can also leave visitors with questions when they are vague, outdated or unrelated to the business.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.
On our Buttr & Ember page, the pastries are the first thing you notice. They give you a feel for the bakery before you have read much at all. A professional service may need something different: a person you will deal with, a useful example of their work or a process that is easier to show than explain.
For completed projects, our case study writing guide helps you put photographs beside the brief, decisions and finished work. Before choosing a main image, ask what it helps someone understand. A page can look beautiful and still leave people unsure what the business actually does.
Plan what each page needs to say
One image, two frames
Check what the frame leaves out.
We used this croissant image in our Buttr & Ember design study. The two frames below use the same centred image. The wide view keeps both ends visible; the tall card cuts them away. Changing the frame changes what someone can judge.
Wide panel
Tall card
Keep the detail that matters.
When we plan your pages, we check which part of an image answers the visitor’s question. For a product, that might be its shape, finish or a distinguishing detail. A close crop can be useful when the detail is the point. It is a poor choice when it hides something the buyer needs to see.
Send the sharp original with room around the subject, and tell us what must remain visible. Include a second angle if you have one. A portrait, a team or a finished room may need a separate composition for a tall space; one image will not suit every frame.
Check the actual phone layout before approving it. If we cannot keep the important detail, we can change the frame, use another image or plan a separate shot. Making the file smaller will not fix a crop that has lost its meaning.
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.
Once you have chosen the images, check that you have permission to use them and that the important detail survives a phone-sized crop. Meaningful images also need helpful text for someone who cannot see them.
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.