The issue of whether or not to use stock photography in senior living isn’t a new one…
If you’ve worked in the industry for a while, you’ve likely been part of discussions for print collateral photography.
Should you use popular and photogenic residents as part of your effort? Or is the risk too great?
A professional photo shoot isn’t an inexpensive endeavor.
If you make that investment and the resident moves on or passes away, both legitimate concerns to consider, what happens to the campaign?
When it comes to your website and digital campaigns, the same questions apply.
And an additional one…
Will Google Penalize Sites with Stock Photography?
The rumor has floated around for years that Google penalizes sites that use stock photography.
Many wondered if stock photographs fell under the non-original or duplicate content umbrella that we all know Google frowns upon.
While it seemed unlikely, the rumor was a persistent one.
Can you imagine how we would manage without those stock images? Especially on our blogs?
Google’s John Muller kind of answered this question in a Tweet last month…. “It doesn’t matter for web-search directly.”
Not the most clear-cut answer, but that’s the way it goes with Google right?
Because we know images help improve the visitor experience, we encourage clients to use them often.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to stock photography for your assisted living, memory care, and home care content marketing.
Make the Most of Your Senior Living Stock Photos
- On message: Make sure the image you choose to post reinforces your message. A mistake we often see is one stock photo after another of a lonely senior, even when the post is about something entirely different.
- Age issue: When posting photos of seniors, remember that many of us think we look younger than we do. So, be mindful of appearance in images.
- Alt text: Make sure your images have SEO worthy ALT text. It helps Google and other search engines understand your photo. It’s also keeps you compliant with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
- Size and orientation: Talk with your web folks about what size and orientation are best for the stock photos on your site. Typically, horizontal images fit best but check with your team to confirm that and the best size.
- Sprinkle original photos: While we get it that you might have to largely rely on stock images, sprinkle some original images in there too. Your blog can be a great place to do that.
Finally, don’t feel like you have to drop a ton of money on stock images. There are a variety of free sites you can use with good results. Here’s a list to help you connect with a few.
Balance that out with one paid site that has fantastic photos at reasonable prices. Our current favorite is depositphotos, but there are other great ones out there too.
Shoot us a message if you have any questions!
Until next time,
Shelley