The Graphic Reality - When Graphics Really Matter

Some people would do anything to attract attention, to themselves and to their websites. While it’s not a crime to seek attention, especially when it comes to promoting your website, what really matters is how you stoke your visitors’ interest and get them to come back again and again. A big banner that screams to get your attention is good only if the content below the banner is interesting enough to hold your attention. Similarly, graphics that are used to lure people to your site are valuable only if the other aspects on your site are good enough to keep your visitor there.

• Use graphics only when they are needed on your site: And not to jazz things up. People visit your site for the value of its contents, so if your contents require supplementation from graphics, go ahead and put them on your page. For example, if you are selling stuff online, then people will want to see pictures of the object they are interested in purchasing. If your page has a large number of graphics and takes an inordinately long time to load even using fast connections, in the interest of saving time and bandwidth, you could reduce the size of the pictures, perhaps displaying them as thumbnails that enlarge when clicked on.
• Use graphics if they add value to the text on your site: There are times when a picture speaks louder than a thousand words, and these are the times you must include graphics on your site. If you’re talking about concepts that would be better understood with the help of pictures or other graphics, like statistical charts, go ahead and put them up on your page.
• Make sure your pictures are sharp and clear: Grainy graphics ruin the very purpose of using pictures to spice up your site. Reduce the size of the pictures if you must, but don’t compromise on image clarity.
• Never use animations unless they’re absolutely necessary: Especially those that are based on bitmaps. Not only are they huge irritants, but they also take up quite of bit of bandwidth when they load and make your page slow in the process. There are people who have been so carried away by the rotating images they see on certain websites and are thrilled to bits when they finally get to incorporate such graphics on their own pages, whether they’re needed or not.

At the end of the day, all that matters in a website is the utility value it offers. Let’s face it, people are not going to be sitting around all day on your pages for its face value alone; they’re going to want something more substantial if they must stick around. So rather than focusing all your energies on graphics and animations to gain attention, spend some precious time in making your website one that adds value to whatever your visitor is looking for.

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This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of best web design degree. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.