How to find the BEST images for your Squarespace website
Beautiful images are a huge part of a successful website. When it comes to creating a website that doesn’t just look great, but converts viewers into buyers, the images we use are a big part of the equation.
There are multiple ways to find wonderful images for your website… but here are a few of my favorite options, along with a few of the best resources to find beautiful images for your website.
This post contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). But every affiliate resource is one that I personally use and recommend to my clients.
What we will cover in this post:
1. Why choosing branded and cohesive images matter for your website
2. Three different ways to find images for your website
Hiring a professional photographer to take branded images for your business
Finding amazing stock images to use for your brand and website
Taking your own pictures for your website
3. How to choose the best images for YOU out of a sea of options
Why choosing branded and cohesive images matter
When it comes to building your own website, we already know that your images matter BIG time. Typically, the websites you see online today are full of images that span from each edge of the website. They get your attention.
These images are used to not only add a beautiful design element… but they are used to strategically express the unique personality and experience the brand is going for.
Ops. Did I lose you there? Here’s what I mean in plain english:
Your brand is more than a logo or a set of fonts and colors. Your brand is the entire experience that people have with your business. From the moment they first ‘meet’ you online to the moment they purchase your products or even meet you in person, your brand is working to create the entire experience that YOU want them to have.
Your brand = an experience.
All of that to say, your images play a big part in the overall experience of your brand!
If you are a fitness coach and want to create a brand experience and personality that is fun, personable, down-to-earth, and whimsical … then you will want to select images that match this brand personality.
On the other hand, maybe you're a fitness coach who wants to focus on shedding pounds, getting trim, and being hard core driven to get results. In this case, maybe you want to come across as strong, bold, and with a high level of intensity. Then you would want to go with images that match that brand personality.
Can’t you almost feel the difference? Even though both examples are in the health and fitness industries, their brand experiences and ‘vibe’ are TOTALLY different.
3 different ways to get images for your Squarespace website
Alright, so now that we know that your images need to match your brand personality. Let’s talk about 3 different ways that you can easily find images to use for your website.
1. You can hire a professional photographer to take branded images for your business.
If you’re wanting to create a website that is both profitable AND attractive, this is my number one recommendation. If you want to take your brand to the next level, I would recommend that you first, REALLY KNOW YOUR BRAND (check out my program Beyond the Template if you feel like you need help with this)... and second, hire a brand photographer to bring your personal brand to life.
If you need some advice on how to find a photographer and plan your best business photoshoot, you can check out this post here.
2. You can find some awesome stock images to use.
If hiring a photographer to take branded images just isn’t an option financially, then the next best thing is to find some amazing stock images. Stock images are images that professional photographers have taken that you can then either purchase or download for free to use for your business.
Here’s a few things to note about using free and paid stock images…
1. Stock image sites have licensing fine print. This means that you may be allowed to use some images anytime in any way… while other sites restrict where, when and how you are allowed to use the images you download. So be sure to always check the fine print from each site before using them.
2. Free stock images are great, but I would recommend that you spring for a few really high quality images as well. Typically, you just can’t find the same high quality look in the free images that also matches your brand perfectly. The extra (little) cost will be worth it in the long run. It also adds to the credibility of your business when your images look high quality and professional.
3. Different stock image sites may have different ‘feels’ to their images. For example, some stock image sites may be geared towards female entrepreneurs, while other sites may be geared more towards lifestyle images. It may be helpful to find images all from one site IF you can find a site that matches the ‘vibe’ that you want to go with in your brand and business.
Example: Hautestock is one of my favorite branded stock image sites for female entrepreneurs… all of their images are branded similarly, so they will always look cohesive and branded.
Side note… what are my favorite stock image sites?
Here are a few to get you started…
Unsplash. This is my favorite free image library and their licensing terms are pretty great too.
Pexels. This is another free site that I really enjoy using when I can’t find what I’m looking for on Unsplash.
And when I can’t find a free option, I turn to Stocksy (my favorite affordable, premium stock image site), Hautestock (my personal favorite for fememine branded images), or Bigstock (for affordable stock images of all kinds - so you may have to search more for the right image).
And of course, using the Squarespace “search for image” feature is the BEST when you’re in a hurry or just looking for something specific to fit a space.
Did you know that Squarespace lets you search for free and premium (Getty) stock images within your Squarespace website? That way you don’t even have to leave your website to find images that work for your site. You can just click to add a banner image or image block anywhere on your website… Then click “SEARCH FOR IMAGES” under the upload box. You can then toggle through the tabs to find “free” image, “premium” image, or search for images you've already uploaded to your website.
FYI, the premium images are actually really affordable compared to a lot of stock image sites, so it’s worth a look around to check out sometime.
Pretty great, huh?
This is why it’s important to know your brand and choose images that are cohesive with this brand identity.
3. You can take your own pictures of yourself for your website.
Alright, I totally recommend that you at least find some free stock images to use alongside any images you take yourself (the only exception to this is if you are a professional photographer ;) But for anyone else, iPhone pictures will do the trick for a while.
I recommend that if you can’t afford to hire a photographer to take branded images of YOU, then you grab your hubby, best friend, etc. and have them take some pictures of you.
And YES! There is a way to do this well… Here’s a few tips to get you started:
1. Find a location that has a background that matches your brand colors.
Let’s say your brand colors are neutral, light, and clean with lots of whites. If you go to a park to take images of yourself and you sit on a playground with your kids… you’re going to get green grass and all the bright colors of the playground in the background of your images. No bueno!
In this instance, you will want to find a location that has white walls, lots of stone or concrete, sandy beaches, or anything else that’s white, clean and neutral for the backdrop of your images.
2. Make sure the lighting is working in your favor.
If you’re taking your own pictures, one of the biggest ways you can help yourself out is to take the pictures at the best times of the day. Typically, these times are early in the morning just after sunrise or about an hour before sunset. This produces a really nice, warm, soft light that looks flattering at almost every angle.
Now, maybe these times aren’t going to work for you. Or maybe you want brighter images that aren’t quite so “warm” and yellow-ish like the images above. If this is the case then here are a few tips to help you get the best lighting…
3. Take some time in the shade.
If we’re in harsh light, then the images will come across with harsh lighting also. A general rule of thumb is that if you have to squint, then it’s too bright on your face. Try stepping into some shade! Shade almost always produces better images than harsh sunlight. (just make sure there’s enough natural light around you that you still look bright… So don’t do this one on a super cloudy day!)
Here’s what stepping into the shade can look like. See how the background is bright and lit up while the person in the picture doesn’t have harsh sunlight on their face? That’s what shade on a super sunny day will do!
4. Find a filter you love.
There are SO many ‘presets’ or ‘filters’ that you can use right on your phone to beef up your DIY pictures and make them look more professional! A college friend of mine, Jordan Brittley, actually has one of my favorite “light and airy” presets that you can use right on your mobile phone. You can check out a free download here.
5. Stand by a window.
If you can find a nice, clean place in your home that matches your brand, then maybe opening up a curtain and letting in a lot of natural light will be your best bet. When you do this, try not to stand directly facing the window, but instead, stand next to the window as shown in the diagram(s) below.
Here’s what standing next to a window can look like. Just make sure it’s sunny enough outside that there is natural light flooding in and you’ll be good to go!
And finally, how do you choose the most amazing (stock) images for YOUR website out of a sea of options?
This is a big topic, but I’m going to narrow it down to the biggest factors right here that will help you make the BIGGEST impact with the images you choose.
1. Find images that build trust and give a personal touch.
People like seeing pictures of people. It makes the feel like there’s a human (i.e. trustworthy) element to your business and brand. The only exception to this is if you choose a stock image of a person that feels extra ‘fake’ and model like. People online today are drawn to real-life, genuine images.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t use images of other things like laptops, a desk top, coffee, etc. But use these as supporting images, not the main thing.
2. Choose images with lighting that matches the mood of your brand.
Darker images that are higher in contrast tend to feel more sinister, isolating, or fearful… while images that are lighter and lower in contrast tend to feel happy, positive, and upbeat. So, it’s important to choose images that support the experience you want your brand and business to have.
Here are a few examples…
These are lower contrast with lots of light. They tend to feel more genuine and happy.
And here are images that are higher contrast and lower in light. These images may heighten the feelings of stress, anxiety, and overall negative emotions.
Just like the fitness coach example at the beginning of this post, the coloring and lighting of your images make a huge difference in the way your brand feels to your website viewers.
3. Choose images that have your brand colors in them.
At the very least, make sure the images you use in your website don't clash with your brand colors. A really great rule of thumb is that if you have a more neutral brand, choosing images with neutral colors will work well for you. If you have a brighter brand, you can go with images that have more pops of color. The main thing is that you want your images to match your brand colors and not clash.
Here are a few examples of images with matching color palettes…
Finding images that mesh well with your brand color palette can go a long way in creating a website that looks professional, high-quality, and cohesive with the rest of your brand and business.
Well there you have it! Those are some of my best tips to help you find the best images for your website that WOW your viewers and keep them engaged with your site even longer. And if you’re totally stumped by the whole branding, writing copy, and designing part of website building, then check out my program Beyond the Template and hop on the waitlist to be the first to learn when the doors open again.
Throughout this program we walk through all of this in detail and cover the following...
You’ll walk away with a beautiful color palette, perfectly paired font selection, a firm grasp on what images to use and how to use them, as well as a logo that you’ve designed with a pro. Not only will it look amazing, but you’ll understand your brand experience and perception inside and out!
Learn how to write killer website words FAST, without the overwhelm of wondering if you’re saying any of it right.
I’ll hand you the exact blueprint you need to design a website that looks amazing and attracts the attention of the right people… ultimately turning your website viewers into followers and buyers.
And SO MUCH more.
This is your chance to totally ditch the brand and website overwhelm so you can finally launch a client-winning website that gets you results… without losing your mind in the process.
I hope to see you on the inside of the program soon, but until then… I’m always cheering you on!