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How to Optimize Your Product Photos for More Online Sales

Consumers today are spoiled for choice, with millions of merchants to choose from when buying a product. Naturally, driving this traffic to your website is a not-so-secret obsession for many!

Getting consumers to visit your store is a win in such a saturated marketplace, but if they’re not converting, then there is likely an issue with your product pages. All too often, the culprit is simply your product photography.

Humans are visual creatures – which means that for many ecommerce owners, the single best improvement you can make to your store is to invest in professional product photography.

Online Shoppers Demand High Quality Product Photography

Ecommerce is now in its third decade – and now entering an era where those born with it are wielding the most purchasing power. Millennials and Gen Z consumers seek professionalism and have high expectations, which means that subpar photography is a sure-fire way to get this trillion-dollar demographic band tuning out.

Focusing on both quantity and quality in your photography is the best way to boost your brand appeal to these eyes. According to Salsify, 73% of shoppers want to see at least three product photos – preferably showing different angles or the product in use.

With the ecommerce market growing by 23% annually, ensuring that your product photography is high quality is one of the most important things you can do. Not only do they build trust, but they also give you an air of professionalism. If you only do one thing, do this!

Variety is the Spice of Life – And Helps to Drive Ecom Sales

There’s a reason that the classic white background product photo is one of the most popular out there. It promotes an uncluttered, consistent look while putting the product – and its finer details – at the center of attention.

Despite this, there’s no denying that they can be a little, well… boring – and they certainly don’t perform well on social media!

The answer to this is lifestyle product photography. This puts the product in the context of its actual use, in turn creating a visual story that no white background picture can provide. Add a model into the mix, and you’ve got the human touch, too!

Each of these types of product photo have their benefits, and luckily you don’t have to choose just one. Balancing your photography between the two brings you the best of both worlds, driving sales higher by giving shoppers the bigger picture.

Don’t Forget SEO Optimization for Product Photos

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t just limited to your product description and metatags – every product photo you have can also be optimized to improve your search engine rankings.

Here are three little product photo search engine optimizations that you can do right now to make a big difference to your search engine rankings:

– Optimize your file names using keywords
– Compress images without losing quality for faster loading
– Fill in the alt text with a keyword-filled description

We cover this subject more extensively in a dedicated product photo SEO post, so be sure to check that out for more information.

You’ll also want to look into your mobile compatibility, too – some 65% of consumers shop on their mobile device. If your product photos don’t render well on mobile devices, you’re potentially losing sales from two-thirds of your visitors.

Key Takeaway: Invest in High Quality Product Images

No matter what you’re selling, high quality product images are vital for any brand to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Add in a little behind-the-scenes SEO work, and you can rest knowing that your product photos are working hard for you 24/7.

At Yellow Duck Works, we partner with brands just like yours to ensure that your product photography is sharp and visually arresting to create a pixel-perfect image that sells. Find out how we can help you optimize your product photos for sales by contacting us today!