The truth of the adage 'a picture is worth a thousand words' has never been disputed.
Besides adding visual appeal to your website, images can enrich and emphasise the meaning of your articles. They are an effective tool to stimulate interest and attract a reader’s attention to your content.
Selecting the right image, however, can be a time consuming process. The web is awash with free stock images (of variable quality) and trolling through dozens of photos to find the perfect picture can be tedious to say the least. Having a few preferred go-to sources where you’re sure to find what you’re looking for can turn a chore into a pleasant break in the day. Here are a few image sites that stand out from the rest for the caliber of their free offerings.
The photos on IM Creator are conveniently organised into categories by theme. Their more limited selection offers enough choice without being overwhelming. It makes finding the right image a manageable process. An important consideration, when for many of us, time is a commodity in short supply.
Other treasure troves of beautiful photos can be found at Unsplash and Pexels. With both, you can even subscribe for a weekly delivery of random images.
For banners and backgrounds, The Pattern Library provides a kaleidoscopic array of stunning designer crafted patterns and textures.
And finally art lovers might wish to peruse the online gallery of the Rijksmuseum. It has made available high-resolution downloads of 125,000 artworks from its collection. It even provides online editing tools. While the downloads are free, Rijksstudio asks they not be used commercially.
When it comes to building a compelling website, incorporating high-quality images can be a game-changer. They have the ability to captivate visitors, convey messages effectively, and elevate the overall user experience.
When photos and illustrations are well chosen and relevant to the content, they can improve the impression a visitor has of your website.
However, finding suitable images can seem to be a daunting task. Fortunately, there's a treasure trove of free-use and cheap images readily available to help you deliver a professional and visually appealing website.
Using the sites listed below you should have no problem finding free and cheap images that will bring your pages alive.
Unsplash
Whether you're a web designer looking for that perfect hero image, a blogger in need of striking visuals to accompany your articles, or an entrepreneur seeking to enhance your branding with eye-catching visuals, Unsplash has you covered. With its extensive range of free-to-use images and an intuitive user interface, Unsplash empowers you to elevate your projects and bring your creative visions to life.
Pexels
Pexels houses a diverse and extensive library of free stock photos and videos, contributed by talented creators from around the globe. From mesmerizing landscapes that transport you to distant realms to authentic lifestyle shots that capture the essence of human experiences, Pexels offers an impressive range of visuals to suit a variety of projects and purposes.
Pexels has the option to directly upload and edit any photo to your workspace in Canva.
Canva
Canva is a user-friendly and versatile online design platform that has revolutionized the way people create and customize images. It has become the go-to tool for designers and non-designers alike, enabling you to unlock your creative potential and produce visually striking content.
With Canva's extensive library of stock photos, illustrations and icons, you have a wealth of visual elements at your fingertips. No longer do you need to spend hours searching for suitable images or worry about copyright restrictions. Canva streamlines the process by offering a vast collection of ready-to-use assets that you can customize and integrate seamlessly into your designs.
Canva offers a free subscription plan that provides access to a wide library of free and for sale stock photos and illustrations. Whatever you budget, Canva ensures that you have access to the tools and resources you need to bring your creative visions to life.
Burst by Shopify
Burst houses an extensive library of visually stunning stock photos, carefully sourced to cater to the needs of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and independent creatives. Burst not only provides free stock photos but also offers curated collections and business-focused images tailored to various industries, allowing entrepreneurs and online sellers to find the perfect visual assets that align with their brand identity and marketing goals.
Rawpixel
Rawpixel sets itself apart with its commitment to inclusivity and diversity, offering a wide variety of visuals that reflect the world we live in. Its library encompasses a vast array of subjects, styles, and themes, ensuring that you can find the perfect image or illustration to match your creative vision.
StockSnap
StockSnap is a destination for free high-quality, high-resolution stock photos. It stands out with its user-friendly interface, making it easy to search and browse through thousands of images. New photos are added weekly, ensuring a fresh and diverse selection. All photos are free from copyright restrictions, allowing users to download, modify, and use them without any attribution required.
Conclusion
With these image collections as your creative allies, there's no excuse for not being able to find the perfect image to match your creative vision.
While these websites provide free-to-use images, it's always a good practice to review and understand the specific licensing terms and attributions required for each image to ensure proper usage.
Ready to transform your knowledge into an online business with a membership website but don’t have the time or skill to build it yourself? Our design service could be the solution.
Our free ebook provides actionable, easy-to-follow steps and real-world case studies to help you transform your idea into a successful and profitable membership website.
Before your web page can show up in a search result, it needs to be indexed by search engines. This process can take days to weeks. But you don't need to wait for Google. Using Google Search Console, you can request your page be indexed right away.
Your website serves as the digital face of your business, playing a critical role in converting visitors into customers. However, as technology and user expectations evolve, many websites fall behind, becoming outdated in design, functionality and content. If your site is no longer driving traffic, engaging visitors or converting leads, it may be time for a revamp. Slow load times, poor mobile responsiveness, outdated visuals, or declining search engine rankings, suggest that your website may no longer meet the needs of its audience. Identifying these signs early helps ensure your online presence stays competitive and aligned with your business objectives.
Does your website need a makeover?
Ask yourself these four questions to get a clear sense of whether your site might need a revamp.
1. Is your website mobile-friendly?
Mobile users expect a seamless experience. No one wants to deal with a website that forces them to pinch and zoom, struggle with desktop-only menus or wait for slow loading pages. Poor coding, tiny text, and sluggish performance can quickly frustrate users, causing them to abandon your site before you even have a chance to engage them. A mobile-friendly site is essential for retaining visitors and turning them into customers in today’s mobile-first world.
One tool that can help diagnose and improve a slow-loading website on mobile is Google PageSpeed Insights:
Google PageSpeed Insights analyzes your website's performance on both mobile and desktop devices. It provides a detailed report on factors affecting load time, such as image optimization, caching, and JavaScript, along with actionable suggestions to improve speed.
2. Is your website design up-to-date?
Design trends and user expectations are always evolving, and your website should evolve with them. A modern, up-to-date design is key to presenting your company in a professional and trustworthy light.
Current website design trends emphasise minimalism and the strategic use of white space. Minimalism simplifies design by focusing on essential content, reducing visual clutter and distractions. While white space enhances readability by guiding a users' attention to key elements. Together, these trends foster a clean design that feels less overwhelming and promotes a streamlined, user-friendly interface.
A visually appealing layout, combined with user-friendly navigation and a welcoming feel, creates a positive first impression and helps build customer trust. Keeping your design fresh not only enhances the user experience but also reflects your brand's commitment to staying current and competitive.
3. Is your pricing page easy to understand?
Creating a converting pricing page for your membership website requires clarity, transparency, and an engaging presentation. Start by clearly presenting each membership tier and listing the features that each plan offers. Use concise, compelling language to convey the member benefits, making it easy to compare options. The primary goal of a pricing page is to encourage visitors to subscribe to your membership website. Don’t include links or other elements that lead away from the conversion path.
Incorporate a testimonial banner to build trust. Ensure that your call-to-action buttons stand out and guide users toward the sign-up process. By prioritizing user experience and highlighting the advantages of your memberships, you can design a pricing page that effectively converts visitors into loyal members.
4. Do you have any errors or outdated information on your site?
A website with incorrect details, broken links, or outdated content can quickly turn potential members away. Broken links or missing images are not just frustrating; they can make your site appear neglected. If visitors sense you’re not maintaining your website, they’ll be far less likely to subscribe or engage. Regularly reviewing and updating your site is crucial for showcasing your professionalism and building trust with your audience.
Check if these pages and links need an update:
Are your contact details still accurate?
Is your "About Us" page current?
Are your social media links still functional?
Why a clean website design shows commitment
Revamping your membership website design is crucial for and staying relevant and competitive. A modern, intuitive design can attract new members and retain existing ones by making it easier for users to access valuable content. An updated design reflects your commitment to delivering a high-quality user experience, showing members that you prioritise their needs and satisfaction.
When building a membership website, you don’t have to go it alone. There’s a wealth of free web tools and online resources available to take advantage of to improve your design, optimise for SEO, deliver content, investigate usability issues & much more.
Once you build your membership site and launch it, that’s just the beginning. A membership website is definitely not a “set it and forget it” kind of project. The whole idea is to keep it current, active, and keep your members happy and continuing to buy your information or service, right? But how do you do that? The answer is email marketing.
Email newsletters are a critical tool in the armoury of every online publisher. They should be used both in the sales process and to build loyalty. Therefore if you find that a lot of your emails are not being delivered you must take the time to understand why.
If you're a coach, trainer, adviser or expert offering membership options, stepping into the world of email marketing, choosing the right platform can feel overwhelming. The good news? You don’t need all the bells and whistles to get started — but you do need a tool that supports your growth.
You've poured time, energy, and passion into building your membership site. Your content is solid, your offer is clear, and you know the value you provide. So why are some visitors still hesitating to join?
The answer often comes down to one word: trust.
And one of the most effective ways to build trust online is through testimonials — real stories from real members who’ve experienced results.
Converting website visitors to paying members is of course, one of your primary goals as a membership business owner. There are many factors involved in making those conversions, but one method that could put you on the fast track is to provide a lead magnet.
Too many choices can overwhelm customers. Keeping your pricing options simple and clearly defined increases conversion by removing friction and reducing confusion.
Learn five high-impact strategies to boost user engagement on your website homepage, build trust and turn passive visitors into active customers. These practical tips are easy to implement will help you optimize your homepage for maximum results.
If you’re a yoga teacher attracting local students to your studio, you may be looking for opportunities to generate more income from your business. You may already have an online presence - a website, Facebook & Instagram postings, maybe even TikTok videos. But an online presence doesn't necessarily equate to an online business.
Identifying your customer persona, buyer persona or target audience profile, is crucial before launching a membership website. Understanding who your audience is allows you to create targeted marketing campaigns, improve user experience, develop relevant content, optimise pricing strategies, and foster long-term growth.
Are you ready to transform your knowledge into a thriving online business with a membership website but don’t have the time or skill to build it yourself?
Many people, with an expertise to share, are turning their knowledge into income by selling access to it using a membership website.
By putting your knowledge behind a paywall, you can turn it into a recurring revenue stream through the sale of memberships, courses, digital downloads and pay-per-view content.
Do you have an expertise to share but aren’t a web designer? Let our expert build your membership website.
Your site will be built using SubHub’s membership website builder
SubHub is an all-in-one membership platform that specialises in providing all the functionality you need to build, manage and grow a knowledge business. There’s no need for plugins or complex setups. Everything is in one place. SubHub makes membership easy.
Your site will include all the built-in features the SubHub platform has to offer - subscription levels, integrated payment gateways, course creator, landing page builder, forum, member directory, store and more.
What our design service includes:
Our design service will deliver a professionally-styled, secure and mobile-friendly membership website designed to convert visitors into paying subscribers for only $750 USD.
We’ll design an engaging public homepage to match your brand and showcase the benefits of your offerings and a member's homepage for when subscribers log in.
Intuitive and user-friendly navigation menus will be created so your visitors and members can easily find the content they're looking for.
Your content will be organised and enough will be uploaded to launch your site. We can even create bespoke interior pages.
After you provide content and visuals, our expert will then build your mobile-friendly website to showcase your brand and communicate your expertise.
We’ll send recorded run-throughs of the work in progress so you can provide your feedback.
We even record individual tutorials so you’re comfortable and ready to manage your website on your own.
SubHub is more than just a software
Our commitment to you doesn’t stop after we hand over the website to you. You’ll continue to receive outstanding support from our 5-star team which always impresses our clients with their dedication. We don’t send scripted replies but thoughtful information along with screenshots and bespoke video tutorials.
