#22 - Improve the Visual Power of Your Web Site

Improve the Visual Power of Your Web Site

By Chris Maher

One of the most appealing aspects of the Web is the ease with which artists can publish full color pictures of their creations. But do your pictures really do justice to beauty and power of your work?

It's often difficult, if not impossible, to see the subtle cues that show fine quality and craftsmanship in a photo on the Web. You must compensate for this in writing. A highly descriptive caption can really set a positive spin on your work, complementing and enhancing your visitors impression of the work shown in the picture. There are many things that a photo alone on a web site can't convey. The soft whisper of silk, the shimmer of a dichroic glass surface, or the feather lightness of a pair of earrings is best communicated in the words that supplement your images.

It may sound obvious, but don't skimp on the quality of your pictures. Hire a professional if you can't do a really great job. Your images are your strongest selling motivator, be sure to give the viewer the best you can afford.

Close up photos of small objects such as jewelry should give an indication of scale, also include the exact size in the caption. Failing to do this with something like earrings is sure to reduce sales. People are very specific as to what size is right for them.

Use the layering aspect of the web to show small images first, then let people click on the thumbnails if they want to see more detail. If your subject warrants it, you can even go to a third close up, showing incredible detail.

Remember, file size is critical. The larger the file, the longer the load time. As a general rule of thumb, allow one second per thousand bytes. In other words, a 30k file will take about 30 seconds to load. That's only a guess, of course, because you can't tell what bottle necks there may be between your server and your potential customer, or what kind of connection your visitor may have to the net.

Each element of the page will add to the time the page take to fully load, including the text and background. If you have 10 thumbnails on a page, and each is "only" 9k, you have a page that will probably take a minute and a half to two minutes to load.

How much is too much? A good page should take less than 30 seconds to fully load. Visitors may allow a bit more time for a gallery site, knowing that it must be graphic intensive, but studies have shown that when a page takes over a minute to load you loose a large percentage of your audience.

There are many techniques that will speed the appearance of your page as the images load. For links to sites with great graphic and HTML advice, check the SYAO Resource Page (http://1x.com/advisor/resource.htm)

A very smart move is to buy great compression software like Ulead's Web Razor or Smart Saver programs (go to http://www.ulead.com/framport.htm to download free demos). Software like this can give you remarkably high quality images in a small file size.

And finally, be willing to experiment. Don't just put up a site and sit back and wait. Successful marketers test many different approaches before they find the one that works best. Be willing to change your images and graphics if your not getting the response you want.

Have you any graphics tips you would like to pass on? E-mail me and let me know what you have found out about how to maximize the effect of pictures on your site.

This page last updated: 09/02/04

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