When you are setting up a website, you might find that pictures can be a lot more engaging for your reader than for them to simply read the text. The reason for that is because people are more likely to be drawn in to what you have to say when you are presenting them with pictures, as opposed to having them imagine what it is that you are saying.
However, you might be wondering if, like everyone else, you should use some stock photos from one of the many stock photo sites online. While some people might do this, there are reasons why you might want to take this route.
When you use original photos for your website you have photos that are unique to what you are trying to express. You might have posted a very unique recipe, or have written about a particular person, or maybe you’ve posted about yourself. You need photos that are going to show the reader exactly what you are talking about.
A stock photo might come close, but it won’t show off exactly what you’d like it to. This is because stock photos are meant for a lot of people to use. When you have posted your website or your blog, you want to create a brand for yourself. You need to do this with all original content. This includes your photos. You just can’t do this with stock photos.
This leads to the reason why that you can’t do this with stock photos. Stock photos can either be purchased by anyone, or they are free in some cases for anyone to use. Guess what? That means that for all of the millions of websites there could be at least a million sites that have the same tired photos on them.
Do you want to share a photo that might be another site? This can be confusing and off-putting for your readers. Worse, a stock photo that you have on your site could be the same as a photo on some site that looks dubious, or is about activities that you want nothing to do with. When you use original photos you don’t have this problem.
When multiple sites use the same stock photos your readers will question the integrity of the website. Many scammers will use stock photos that are slapped up to create a false sense of legitimacy. But again, because the stock photos are for public use or sale, people will begin to recognize the same corny photos. Then they will get turned off. Now if you are using the same photos, they won’t want to keep visiting, or subscribe to your site. What’s the point of having up a website that no one wants to visit?
Finally, many stock photos are meant for certain industries and they look fake and corny. Again, the legitimacy issue. The best idea for you is to honor your readership with photos that are going to reflect the spirit of your blog or website. It’s super easy to load up your own photos. This is going to be the best step for you.
If you still decide to use stock photos, you might wonder which are the best stock photography companies to chose from. Just like for your wedding video you want to select the best stock photography company. iStock is one of my personal favorites. Be sure to read our post.