Website backgrounds are the images, color splashes, or design elements that fill the screen of your website. It is also frequently the first impression a visitor has of your website, brand, and business, so it is critical that you get it right. The right background image will convey your brand's story, whereas the wrong one will distort your message. Your website background is analogous to the attire you would wear to a job interview or first date. Are you going for a casual, approachable look, or something more formal and exclusive?
In fact, there's a lot more to this seemingly simple aspect of web design than you might think. It is not sufficient for your website background to simply look nice. Just like on a first date or a job interview, you should make sure you tell your story, confirm the location you're meeting at is accessible, and that the person you're speaking with is having a good time with you. Similarly, website backgrounds must provide a good User Experience (UX) and be legible to your target audience.
Suggestions for Choosing a Background Image
It is challenging to select good website backgrounds. It's an essential aspect of your site's overall design, and it may be difficult to match your brand to a specific image or design. The guidelines below should help you choose a suitable background image for website.
1. A High Resolution is Required
The worst mistake you can make is to use a low-resolution background. The background, in this case, is either grainy and low-resolution, or it's a tiled style that looks like a Win95 wallpaper. High-resolution images will make any visitors to your website appear more appealing and professional. While paying for custom photography and design is an excellent idea if you can afford it, plenty of high-resolution photographs are available online. Many are completely free, while others cost only a few dollars.
2. Complement with Your Brand's Image
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Many businesses have the problem of liking the background or layout of a website and then attempting to force it on their brand. This isn't always a good thing to do. It's never a good idea to choose a background image for your website and build your brand around it. Instead, to select a background that meets your needs, you should first understand your brand's identity.
3. Recognize Contrasts
Your website's background images are just that – a backdrop. It should not take control of your website or copy. Keep the visual contrast between the foreground and background in mind. If your headers and copy blend together, something needs to be changed. Your website's copy should jump off the page. As a result, it's always a good idea to think about typography and color schemes when selecting a background. If it doesn't work, try another method.
4. Accessibility is given Top Priority
The first thing to consider when selecting a website background image is how it will affect the reading of the article. Check that the text is readable and that the contrast ratio between the text and the background is appropriate. If you're not sure about the accessibility issues mentioned above but still want to use an image, there are a few things you can do to make it work. You can use image editing tools or even CSS to change things like opacity and contrast or apply layer masks to help make information more readable. It is also critical to choose the suitable typeface and font size for the material.
5. Textures that are Subtle and Seamless should be Used
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Textures can add a touch of class to the overall look and feel of your website. Look for seamless textures, which means that they may repeat a pattern across the screen to give the impression of a single large image, whether they are used as a website page background image or in a specific content area. While a full-sized textured website background image can be used occasionally, more detailed ones do not always work well across multiple screen sizes. Additionally, photos with large file sizes can slow down page load times. Unless you're going for a more brutalist look, subtlety is also a desirable feature in a texture. The goal is to keep large patterns from overwhelming consumers. Look for images with softer lines and bright colors that will pop against the background.
6. Think about Using a Variety of Screens and Devices
The visible area of the background can vary greatly depending on the screen size. This can be seen clearly in photographs. What looks great on a widescreen monitor may look awful on a smartphone. Important parts of an image can be removed, resulting in a loss of context. Part of the problem here is photo selection, and part of the problem is coding. First, look for photos with the same aspect ratio as the parent container (landscape, portrait, square). They're more likely to fit nicely on smaller displays.
7. Real People Should be Featured
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website.
Choosing a website background image with people in it is an excellent way to potentially increase your website's conversion rate. If possible, avoid using stock photos in favor of real people. If you use a stock photo, you don't want your image to end up on hundreds of other websites. Warby Parker's website not only features two people, but it also shows their customers how their spectacles will look on real people, rather than just displaying them as stand-alone objects.
8. Image Optimization
Whether you have a blog, an online business, or just a standard website that you want to improve with high-quality photographs, it's well worth your time to optimize every image you upload. To begin, ensure that the photographs are in good condition, as previously described. Then, by making sure that the image file is appropriately named, you can ensure that it is easily indexed by search engines. Have you ever saved a file with the name "Photo1.jpg" or "Screen Shot 2019-03-18 at 4.13.42 pm"? This is a big no-no for your website's background image. Keep your name consistent and avoid using punctuation or spaces. In addition, hyphens should be used instead of underscores in the name.
9. Choose the Correct Image File Format
Do you know what type of image file to use? Let's learn more about them.
- JPGs: These files are ideal for images because they can handle a wide range of colors while keeping small files. When you use this image, you won't have to worry about having a large file, which will reduce loading time.
- PNGs: This file type is ideal for graphics, mainly when there are large or flat areas of color. This category includes most designs, infographics, text-heavy images, and logos.
- PNG files can also have a transparent background (ideal for logos). Save your PNG in "24-bit" format for better quality and a more varied color display.
10. Let the Image Speak for Itself
A captivating website background image will pique your website's visitors' interest. Use an image that conveys the message instead of many words on your website. Even if the writing is interesting to read, not all of your clients will take the time or care to do so.
Add Background Images to Your Strikingly Website
Image is taken from Strikingly
The background image on Strikingly's website is designed to fit various screen sizes, from monitors to tablets to phones. For your backdrop to look great on all screens, we recommend a size of 1600 pixels wide by 900 pixels tall. Include non-background photographs of people, brands, and other information with caution! Use our "preview" feature to see how things will look. As your background image, you can use a picture from the Strikingly library or a stock image from the Strikingly library. You have three options for adding images, movies, or blocks to your backdrop. Follow these steps to learn how to add background photos to your Strikingly website.
1. Open the editor for your website
2. Click the Background button. As a background, you can use either a video or an image
3. Go to our image library by clicking "More."
4. To add your own background image, click "Upload Image." Please keep in mind that we only accept gif, jpeg, png, BMP, and ico file types
Conclusion
With so many interesting technologies influencing site design, it's understandable that we don't place as much emphasis on website background images. However, they do play an important role in storytelling and assist us in developing a pleasing user interface. Full-page backgrounds help establish the tone of a website, whereas section backgrounds give our content some breathing room. Of course, it all works best when we choose photographs relevant to our needs. Images that enhance rather than detract from a user's ability to consume content. However, features such as size, aspect ratio, and mobile device compatibility must also be considered. It's important to remember that details matter even in the background image.
