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How To Use Web Site Graphics
When used correctly,
graphics add to the attractiveness of a web site and
contribute positively to a visitor's first impression
of the site. However, the reverse is also true. If a
web site is unattractive, a visitor will be negatively
affected and may click away from the site, never to
return.
Use common sense when including any
graphics on your web pages. More is NOT better! Don't
plaster your site with graphics, clip art, and animated
gifs. An excessive number of graphics makes for slow
page loading times, clutters the web page, annoys visitors,
and makes it difficult for a potential customer to read
a sales message.
Only use a graphic if it contributes
something to the web site. You may want to include a
header graphic for site recognition, a graphic representation
of your product, arrows or check boxes to draw attention
to important sales points, and a button for your payment
link. A footer graphic, buttons for your navigation
menu, and/ or a background image may also be added if
desired. If you include any other graphics, only do
so if they add something positive to your site.
Use only JPG or GIF formats for your
graphics as these two formats are used universally on
the Internet. Although PNG format is starting to come
into use, it is not widely used as it is not supported
in all browsers.
There are many places from which you
can obtain images. You can use images you've taken yourself,
images that you've purchased, or you can download free
images from web sites such as Free Images at http://www.freeimages.co.uk/
which offers over 2500 free photos or from Stock.xchng
at http://www.sxc.hu/ which has over 100,000 free photos
for you to choose from. There are also numerous sites
that offer graphics such as buttons, arrows, clip art,
GIFs, etc. Some of these are free, others you must purchase.
If you do decide to use a free image or graphic, be
prepared to spend hours wading through thousands of
images or graphics to find the one you want.
For faster page loading, you will need
to optimize your images and graphics by reducing them
to their smallest size while still retaining their quality.
The larger the file size, the more KB it will take up
and the longer it will take to load. Don't use any graphic
larger than 30 KB on your web pages and always include
a height and width attribute in your image tag for optimal
download time.
You can optimize your graphics and images
with one of these tools:
1) Download PIXresizer, a free image
resizer from Bluefive software at http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm.
2) Dynamic drive offers a free online
image optimizer for JPG, GIF and PNG formats at http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/imageoptimizer/.
Use JPGs for photos and GIFs for other
graphics on your web site such as buttons and arrows.
JPGs can use a compression method that does not reduce
the number of colors in the image which is why JPGs
are good for photos. GIFs can only use a 256 color palette
and are generally better for graphics containing few
colors. If you have a GIF with a lot of colors, you
may want to save it as a JPG to preserve quality.
The first graphic a visitor sees on
entering your web site is your header graphic so it
should communicate what the content of your site is
about. A header graphic should be part of a web site's
identity so use it on every page of your site.
Think of your header graphic as if it
were the cover of a book. A book cover is meant to grab
the attention and curiosity of the user and entice him
or her to open the book. A header graphic has the same
kind of purpose. Your header graphic should entice your
visitor to stay on your site and have a look around.
It should convey the feeling that there is something
worth further exploring on your site.
If you are selling a product, include
an image of the product. This is especially important
for ebooks and software that are downloaded from your
site. Since these products are virtual products and
not physical ones, your customer will feel more secure
about purchasing the product if they can see a book
cover or software box.
Use graphics of arrows or check boxes
to draw attention to the most important parts of your
sales message. Be conservative in their usage. If you
use too many, your visitor will start ignoring them
and what they point to.
You will need some sort of button for
your payment link. This can be a simple "Pay Here"
type button or a more complex one which includes images
of credit cards along with payment information. Use
the type that fits in with the theme of your web site.
Your footer may be just a narrow colored
strip or a miniature version of your header graphic.
It should always include your copyright information.
Your background image, background color,
the colors used in your text, and the colors in your
graphics shouldn't clash. The components of your web
page should harmonize. Look at how everything comes
together as a whole, not at the individual graphics.
No matter how many graphics you use
on your web site, they should be appropriate for the
theme of your site. If your site is soft and romantic,
use pastel colors and muted graphics. On the other hand,
if your site screams boldness, use bright colors and
brash images.
Graphics can be an important part of
any web site design. Use them correctly and they will
be come an asset to your site. Use them incorrectly
and they will become a burden.
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