{"id":7160,"date":"2018-05-01T22:44:17","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T03:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilfusion.org\/dev\/staging\/?p=7160"},"modified":"2023-06-29T03:19:52","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T08:19:52","slug":"heres-why-your-business-needs-professional-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ilfusion.org\/dev\/staging\/heres-why-your-business-needs-professional-photos","title":{"rendered":"Here’s Why Your Business Needs Professional Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to content marketing, visual content, such as photos and imagery, drive the most engagement. In fact, unique and original visuals perform best among other types of content. Studies show that website visitors are 80% more likely<\/a> to read a piece of content with images provided.<\/p>\n

With that said, high-quality photos and imagery are essential elements for a successful content marketing strategy, which is why it\u2019s important for businesses to invest in the right resources to produce original and engaging visual content. However, for many small businesses, it\u2019s easy to skimp out on professional photography, thinking that getting ready-made stock photos is more cost-efficient.<\/p>\n

However, while you can easily source stock photography from various websites (often for free), you must remember that virtually everyone can get access to those same photos and many people have probably already seen them. It\u2019s important to stand out from the rest and be instantly recognizable at first glance\u2014and you can\u2019t really achieve that by using a stock photo that may have possibly been used already by a competitor, or worse, a scammer\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Why professional photos for your business are important<\/h5>\n

A good picture paints not just a thousand words, but also speak volumes of what your business is about. Photos that are creatively presented and professionally taken catch more attention and leave a more lasting impression than simple text content. Here are four other good reasons why your business needs professional photos:<\/p>\n

1. Crucial for your brand identity<\/h5>\n

Photos play a large role in branding. By taking curated photos, you can capture the essence of your brand and establish your brand identity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth mentioning again that your photos reflect what you are as a business. Low-quality and unprofessional photos may communicate a wrong impression that your products and services are also of the same low quality, while high-quality and professionally taken photos raise the perception of an equally high brand quality.<\/p>\n

2. Boosts SEO rankings<\/h5>\n

Photos, especially high-quality ones, can help boost your website\u2019s SEO rankings if these are properly optimized (that is, ALT tags are utilized, image size and quality are reasonably adjusted for web, and more). Optimized photos not only help you get displayed first in image search results, it can also help drive more traffic to your website.<\/p>\n

3. Converts better than stock photos<\/h5>\n

People generally respond better to photos that feel authentic. Eye-tracking studies actually show that web visitors are more drawn to photos with real people and events in it, and are more than likely to engage with your brand and propel them to take action\u2014such as buying from you or making an inquiry.<\/p>\n

Further studies also reveal that customers converted 35% more<\/a> when they see an original photo rather than a generic stock photo. Of course, it\u2019s also very important to present your products in the best light, which is why product photography shouldn\u2019t just be taken lightly. Product photos that are of high quality and are creatively presented are more appealing, and in turn, entice your customers to buy.<\/p>\n

4. Has versatile uses<\/h5>\n

Because you own the original files, professional photos are versatile. Without stock photo limitations on things like image size and resolution, professional custom photography can be used across all sorts of media\u2014such as your website, social media posts, email newsletters, and more.<\/p>\n

How to create original and professionally taken photos<\/h5>\n

Professionally taken photos all begin with having the right tools. At the very least, you should have the following basic photography equipment:<\/p>\n