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How to Choose Photos for Your Website

April 10, 2026 · 5 min read

Photos do a lot of quiet work on a website — they build trust, set the mood, and show what you actually offer. Here's how to choose them well.

Real photos beat stock

Whenever possible, use real photos of your space, team, and work. They build far more trust than generic stock. A short phone-photo session in good light goes a long way.

When to use stock

Stock is fine for backgrounds, concepts, or illustrating ideas — just pick natural, on-brand images and avoid the obvious cheesy ones. Always use properly licensed photos.

Optimize for speed

Big image files are the number-one cause of slow sites. Compress and correctly size every photo so pages stay fast on mobile. A good build handles this automatically.

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