Photos do a lot of work on a small business website. They show the shop, the crew, the finished job and the product. They are also one of the most common reasons a page loads slowly on a phone. A little care with images keeps the site useful without making it feel bare.
Start with the right size
A photo straight from a camera or phone is often far wider than any screen will show it. Resize images to the largest width they will appear on the page before you upload them. A hero image and a small team headshot do not need the same dimensions.
Choose a sensible format
JPEG works well for photos. PNG suits logos and graphics with flat color or transparency. Newer formats like WebP and AVIF can make files smaller again, and most website builders and content systems can create them for you. Check what your platform does before you convert files by hand.
Compress before upload
Compression removes detail most visitors will never notice. Export at a moderate quality setting, then look at the result on your own phone. If it still looks right, it is good enough.
Write useful alt text
Alt text describes the image for people using screen readers and for search engines. Describe what the photo shows in plain words, like a finished kitchen remodel with white cabinets. Skip phrases like image of, and do not stuff the text with service and town names.
Name files clearly
A file called IMG_4471.jpg tells nobody anything. A name that describes the photo is easier to manage and gives one more small hint about what the page covers.
Load images when they are needed
Images further down a page can wait until a visitor scrolls toward them. Many platforms support lazy loading with a single setting. Keep the main image at the top loading right away so the page does not look empty.
How it fits the bigger picture
On the Bozeman SEO web design page, performance is one of the design principles, next to accessibility, an SEO foundation and conversion. Image handling touches all four.
The Bozeman SEO web design page introduces design built to help customers understand, trust and contact a business.
If a slow site is a wider problem, the technical SEO page explains how Bozeman SEO looks at page speed, mobile usability and the other foundations underneath a site.
The technical SEO page covers crawlability, indexation, page speed and mobile usability.