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A picture is worth a thousand clicks. Master the art of professional imagery to make your Stride template look expensive, load instantly, and rank higher on Google.
How to Find, Edit, and Optimize Photos for Google Sites
High-quality imagery is the difference between a "DIY" website and a premium brand. But "high quality" doesn't just mean a pretty picture—it means an image that is correctly cropped, properly compressed, and accessible to everyone.
Follow this four-phase "Single Source of Truth" to master your website’s visuals.
Phase 1: Sourcing (Where to Find Pro Photos)
If you don't have your own high-res photography, don't panic. You can find world-class, royalty-free images for free.
Pexels.com – Best for "action" shots and diverse business categories.
Unsplash.com – Best for high-end, artistic, and "editorial" looks.
Pixabay.com – A massive library of literal "tools of the trade" and vectors.
Stride Tip: Mix one or two "real" photos of yourself or your work with stock photos to build immediate trust.
Phase 2: Composition (Cropping for the Grid)
Google Sites uses a "Fluid Grid." If your subject's head is being cut off in the header, it's a cropping issue.
The "Why": You want your subject to be centred or follow the "Rule of Thirds" so they remain visible on both desktop and mobile.
The Tool: Croppola.com – This AI tool intelligently suggests the best crop for your images to ensure they look balanced.
The Goal: For headers, use Landscape (16:9). For service cards, use Square (1:1) or Portrait (4:5).
Phase 3: Performance (Compression is Key)
A 5MB photo will make your website crawl. Google penalises slow sites. You need to shrink the "file weight" without losing "visual quality."
The Tool: Compressor.io or TinyPNG.com.
The Goal: Every image on your site should be under 500KB. If it’s over 1MB, it’s too heavy!
Format: Save as JPG for photos and PNG for logos. If you can use WebP, even better (not currently supported in Google Sites).
Phase 4: Accessibility & SEO (The Power of Alt Tags)
Search engines and screen readers can't "see" your photos. You have to tell them what’s there.
How to do it: In Google Sites, click your image > click the three dots (⋮) > select Add alt text.
What to write: Be descriptive but brief.
Bad: "Image1.jpg"
Good: "Handyman fixing a wooden fence in a sunny garden."
The Benefit: This helps your images show up in Google Image Search, driving more traffic to your site.
The Final Checklist
Find: High-res photo from Pexels or your camera.
Crop: Use Croppola to center the action.
Compress: Run it through Compressor.io to save speed.
Upload: Place it in your Stride template.
Alt Tag: Describe the image for Google and accessibility.
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