Your website looks best when you hire a photographer to get great shots of your workspace, products, and staff. However, we realize this isn't always possible. If custom professional photos aren't an option for your business, you can still get access to high-quality photos for your website through stock photography sites. Learn more about recommended image sizes and formats for the web, and try out some of the Websites 360® design team's favorite stock photo resources.
Recommended Stock Photo File Formats and File Sizes for the Web
When you incorporate images into your site, you should favor JPGs. This file format is ideal for photos because they are "lossy", meaning additional data is not saved, so you end up with a smaller file size. The only exception to this rule is when you need a transparent background for your images. In this situation, you should use PNG files. We recommend minimizing the number of PNGs used, as this format is lossless and retains all color data. Using more PNGs results in a larger file size, which may slow down your website loading speed. In general, 100 KB or less is an optimum file size. Look for 2000px wide photos that are no larger than 300KB and you'll end up with sharp, quick-loading images.
Our Favorite Paid Stock Photo Sites
iStockphoto.com: iStock gives you access to millions of professional photos and illustrations and also expands into royalty-free videos and music to give you a one-stop shop.
Herronstock.com: Working in the Austin, Texas market? These pictures give you an authentic and candid style that can help your website stand out. Austin landmarks, events, and culture take center stage in each piece.
Shutterstock.com: With more than 80 million images, Shutterstock's image library should be more than enough to fill your website with colorful and eye-catching professional photography. They also have vectors, icons, music and video available.
Stock.Adobe.com: Adobe does more than make your favorite image editors -- they also have a stock photo site. They hand-select their contributors for distinct styles and high-quality pictures to elevate your pages and posts.
Stocksy.com: Every photo in this collection is hand-selected and completely exclusive to the service. They act as a photographer co-op, which helps create a fair environment for their highly skilled contributors.
Our Favorite Free Stock Photo Sites
Unsplash.com: Unsplash's curated collections provide high-quality images in categories such as cityscapes, travel, and architecture. They carefully select each piece, so you don't have to look through countless images to find the right fit.
Pexels.com: One of the largest benefits of using Pexels is that they do not require attribution for using their photos, so you can use them for commercial use. Search their library of over 10,000 free stock photos to see which images can improve your website.
Pixabay.com: Illustrate your pages with a variety of pictures and videos that are free to use. You don't have to add attribution to any of their 720,000+ stock photos, vectors, or art illustrations.
Even if you don't have the resources for a professional photographer, that doesn't mean you should miss out on great images for your website. Stock Photos can cost anywhere from about $150-$300 for a 7 to 10-page website, making stock photography a more budget-friendly option for some businesses. Use these free and paid resources to get started now, or let our experienced design team help you create your online presence. Learn more about our design packages or sign up for a 14-day free trial today!