The images you use on your coaching website are a big deal. Use the incorrect image format or get the sizing wrong, and your visuals will look blurry. Or if your images are too large, they’ll load slowly, sending potential clients running to a website that loads super-fast.
What are image files at a general level?
Image files are what make our websites look pretty. We use them to make our pages visually interesting. Plus, having professional headshots front and center helps build trust with visitors.
The images you use are important because they affect your site’s:
- Appearance: because image formats differ in terms of size and quality
- Speed: because some image formats are larger, which can affect loading times
- Scalability: because if you shrink certain image formats too much, it can affect its quality on both large and small screens
What image formats should you choose?
With all of the above in mind, there are three image formats I’d personally recommend using on your website.
These image formats are:
1 JPG/JPEG
JPGs are ideal for stock images or photos of yourself.
A perfect example of using a JPG is Deena Rutter’s website header. Although JPGs lose a small amount of quality when compressed, it’s not usually noticeable unless you look extremely closely.
They’re fast loading and support millions of colors, so they always look beautiful. And if you’re still not convinced, JPGs are the most popular image file format on social media.
2 PNG
PNGs are great for detailed graphics such as icons or device mockups.
The quote icon in the image above is a PNG that life coach Sherry Price uses on her website.
Unlike a JPG, a compressed PNG doesn’t lose any quality, making it the ideal choice for detailed graphics and images. Yes, you can use a PNG for photos of yourself too, but I always recommend using them for icons and keeping your headshots as a JPG.
Why?
Because if you use a PNG as your big header image, it will slow your site down a lot!
3 SVG
Perfect for using in your website logo.
Amber Haider uses an SVG file for the logo on the top left of her website. Like a PNG, an SVG file doesn’t lose quality when compressed and remains clean and clear at any resolution.
How?
Because an SVG is created from mathematical shapes and curves, not pixels. This means SVGs are usually extremely large files. And because they look pin-clear, they’re ideal for a website logo that can’t afford to have any loss of image quality.
However, if you can’t save a file as an SVG, a PNG is fine to use for your logo.
Don’t make these mistakes
Avoid GIFs as they slow down page load time. And when they upload to your site, they can lose quality and look blurry.
Also, whatever you do, don’t forget to compress PNG and JPG files using something like TinyPNG before you upload them to your site. This will reduce the size of your image with very little to no loss of quality and will allow them to load much faster.
Nobody likes a slow website, and a slow website can be down to something as simple as an image that hasn’t been compressed.
Need help with your website?
The website design process doesn’t have to give you a headache, so if you need a hand, maybe I can help.
By enrolling on my course, Website Kit for Coaches, I can help you pick a domain name, install the website, set up hosting, and give you a wide range of pre-designed kits to build your website with — including logos, icons, and stock images all with the correct file formats already in place.
Enroll in the course here.
I hope this helps!
Jennie
