Websites and Graphics

The biggest problem with websites are graphics. To the average person a web page appears to be just a large image. So that's what they tend to focus on.

So what's the problem with graphics?

A web page is not a large image it's made of many components each one takes time to download. The slower your website is the fewer sales it makes. In fact, nearly 53% of people surveyed said they would only wait up to 30 seconds for a website to load before giving up and trying elsewhere. By actual statistics it's closer to 9 seconds. Most people don't like to admit to being that impatient but statistics don't lie. Graphics are the most time-consuming thing to load. The fewer graphics the faster the Website.

There is no correlation between appearance and profitability unless of course it looks extremely unprofessional. I have seen some of the ugliest websites make just as much money if not more than a highly aesthetic one. Look at Google, it's like an empty room with a single chair and they couldn't make more money if they printed it themselves. They only one who honestly cares what a website looks like is the owner of the site and they spend the most money on this least important thing.

What does a successful Web page need

To be a successful website It needs to load fast. It needs to look professional that does not mean cover it with graphics just clean and neet and well-organized.

Importantly it needs simple navigation. A large number of graphics littering the website are confusing to the customer. Graphics should NOT be use for navigation they are often overlooked as background noise on the page.

The most important thing is the writing on the page. If your writing is confusing your so will be your customers. So spend your time on writing copy and forget about the pictures. Read our article called Effective Web Copy

What are images good for?

The important images are product shots. Quality product shots are the best way to make your products real to your customer. Have professional photos taken or buy a good light box and camera for smaller objects. Take at least three different shots from three different angles and try to have a common object in the photo to add dimension.

Web sites are not art they are functionally a store or office in all respects. Would you litter an office with pictures? No, of course not, it would look unprofessional and that is true of a web page.