A website is largely a visual medium which is why website design is so important to get right. But just like an artist is only as good as the brushes they have to paint with, a good website designer can sometimes be stunted by a lack of decent creative assets to design with.

The reality is that not all businesses have an abundance of collateral on hand that can be easily re-purposed, nor an above-the-line branding agency constantly churning out compelling marketing material as part of a cross-media campaign. In particular, new businesses often struggle to acquire decent creative assets needed to propel their new brand image into the fore of the online world.

That's where photography can come in. Photos can present a very powerful message and when combined with the right key business statements can invoke a great emotive response from the viewer. In many cases this is a great place to start when thinking about the creative process of your website, and once you have a decent photo library to work with you can then utilise it in many ways, such as in printed marketing collateral.

But be warned, good website photography is not always as easy as selecting a few simple stock images. Done well, carefully selected stock imagery can enhance the visual appeal of key web pages and provide a clear reference point to your brand, but done badly it can also be a disaster.

When working with stock photography, it's best to be mindful of the popularity of an image. Bear in mind that if you are using license free images, there's every chance that someone else will be using it too, and if that business happens to be a competitor of yours, it could be embarrassing!

So here's a few tips to consider when looking at the use of photography on your website:

• Stock photography
• Research competitor websites, and allow plenty of time to go through the many stock photography websites available.
• Get to know the advantages of each image library and choose one that works best for you. Some offer a pay-as-you-go service, whilst others provide you with an access period where you can download as many images as you need within the current time frame.
• Try to avoid obvious metaphors when selecting an image to use. Where a metaphor has become over-used, such as suits and mobile phones for business, it becomes a lot harder to project an innovative and forward thinking brand.

Consider using a professional designer to help acquire the right images for your brand. Whilst you can do the image sourcing yourself, finding the right image usually requires a consistent conceptual strategy and knowledge of how best to reflect your brand personality and business objectives, a skill which many businesses don't have the time nor desire to acquire. A professional designer on the other hand will already know how to work with a business to select the right imagery and adapt them effectively for use on the web.

Professional photography

    If your budget allows, try to use the services of a professional photographer. This is not always as expensive as you might think and will leave you with a completely unique realisation of your vision and result not only in a truly compelling website but can be used in other marketing collateral as well.

    Try to clearly understand the intentioned usage of your imagery first and brief your photographer accordingly. Your photographer will need to understand the theme you have in mind and how many photos will be required. If this process is new to you, a good way is to provide your photographer with a visual mood board - A selection of photography ideas acquired from other sources, to help direct the look and feel you are after.
Utilise what you have - professional photography works particularly well if you have a visually rich business premises, a great looking product, or a very specific idea of your brand image you want the photographs to project. An experienced website photographer will work with you to capture the right shots whilst all the time focusing on the end result – a stunning looking website!