What Images Should a Business Website Use?
How to use real project photography, website screenshots, product images and visual proof without ruining quality with bad crops or generic stock photos.
The images on a business website are not decoration. They are evidence. Good visuals help customers judge the quality of the work, understand the product and trust the business before they make contact.
Use real work whenever you have it
For trades and service businesses, finished projects usually outperform generic stock photography. Show the whole job, the detail and enough context for the customer to understand what was done.
Website screenshots should not be cropped like photographs
A screenshot is interface evidence. Preserve the important header, layout, typography and customer experience. Using object-fit: cover on every screenshot can cut away the part you are trying to prove.
Use before-and-after imagery when the transformation matters
Plastering, decorating, driveways, bodywork, landscaping and renovations can benefit from before/after presentation. Label the project and explain the work so the image contributes useful context rather than becoming an anonymous gallery tile.
Product photography needs consistency
Ecommerce images should make comparison easy. Consistent backgrounds, proportions and angles help the catalogue feel intentional. Lifestyle images can then add context without replacing the clear product view.
Choose crops deliberately
Desktop and mobile layouts may need different focal points. Avoid cutting off faces, products, logos, headings or the finish you are trying to show. A CMS focal-point field or separate mobile image can be worth the effort for key hero sections.
Optimise without destroying quality
- Use responsive image sizes instead of loading the original everywhere
- Use modern image formats where the platform supports them
- Lazy-load below-fold imagery
- Prioritise the main hero image
- Keep image dimensions stable to reduce layout shift
Write useful alt text
Alt text should describe the image in context, not list keywords. “Freshly rendered rear extension in Chester” is more useful than “best rendering SEO plasterer website design”.
Separate package examples from client work
If an image is a concept or package design direction, label it honestly. Real client work should remain clearly identifiable as portfolio evidence.
