Finding and Optimizing Images for Your Website

In this episode we talk about finding and optimizing images for your website. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words... but photography is often an afterthought when it comes to nonprofit and foundation websites. Capacity, cost, sensitive topics, protecting clients, etc. are all factors in an organization's approach to photography. We also discuss how photos impact a website's load time. 

If at all possible budget for photography.

To make the most of your photo shoot, spend some time planning your photo shoot. Here are some things you can do:

• Consider what kinds of images you would like. What emotion will they evoke? Will they be action shots? What is your brand vibe?
• Create a Pinterest board to collect images you like and that you think will be compelling. You can share this with your photographer so they understand what you are going for.
• Create a shot list and organize it to maximize the photoshoot time.

Photography unique to your organization

Maximize the use of your photography

If you don't have the budget for photography, figure out how to best use stock photography.

Consider using a filter to give the photography a branded feel.

Resources:

• Unsplash
• Pexels
• Burst
• Adobe Stock
• Shutterstock

Optimize your images for the web.

• Balancing quality with size of image.
• Try to stick to files sizes under 100k.
• Image size can impact website load time.

Resources:

• WPSmush
• https://www.websiteplanet.com/webtools/imagecompressor/ (Special thanks to listener Karen Rudenstine for sharing this resource with us!)
• Adobe Photoshop

Examples of sites with great photography:

• Pinellas Community Foundation
• Missouri Foundation for Health
• San Luis Obispo County