Website question #3: How many images should I have?


This is the third part of the 5-part series on Planning Your Website Structure


“I want lots of images on my website… it should be visually striking!”

Using visual language

The visual language of your website comes from:

  • a consistent color scheme
  • choice of typography
  • graphic elements like lines and shapes (if any)
  • use of photographs

Use of photographs

How many photos do you need for impact? You will need about 5-15 illustrative photos for a small website of 4-5 pages. Such images illustrate aspects of your business or those running it and are often homespun photos taken on your cellphone.

Examples of illustrative photos:

  • You and your business partner in the office
  • Your key people (individual shots)
  • Your service or product offering(s)
  • Your client photos (individual shots, useful for testimonials)
  • You and your spouse near a mountain stream to show you have a life outside of work
  • A photo gallery of images of your key people at an industry seminar

Such photos that accompany your narrative are considered as part of content and your web builder will not charge you for putting them up. (A specially designed photo gallery can be an exception and you will probably be charged for it.)

Stock images for making an impression

Often, you will also need images for impact – professionally shot photos that enhance or dramatize the visual appeal of your site rather than act as just supportive content.

There are many stock image sites online like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock, Dreamstime, 123rf.com and many more. You can get high-quality images for a one-time payment of $3-$10 per image for web use.

A web builder, acting on your brief, can select half a dozen such images and use them on the site once you give your approval. This is a popular way of ‘stylizing’ a website because it adds visual quality in an affordable way.

Image carousel for impact

Stock images are often used as a leading masthead image on each of your pages. You can extend the image to fill the screen side to side and superimpose your message on top of it.

The home page masthead can be specially designed with an automatic image carousel of 3-5 high-quality moving stock images. Setting up an image slider or carousel is a special feature and your web builder will charge for it at the time of costing the site.

Bottom line, keeping about a $100 handy for getting some relevant stock images is a great idea. This is true whatever industry you are in. For India, about ₹5,000 should be a good amount to keep for this.


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