My process for optimizing every client's website visual content
My process for prepping and optimizing every client's Squarespace website photos, and why it's not something I skip.
Every website I build gets a full photo review before it goes live: reviewed, replaced where needed, and checked one by one for consistency. It's not offered as an upsell. It's just part of how the work gets done. Here's what I'm actually looking for.
Why image optimization is only half the story
Before I touch layout, I go through every photo that's going to live on a site. It's usually the most neglected part of a DIY build: an outdated team photo, a hero image shot on a phone 5 years ago, a gallery that hasn't been looked at since launch…
Stale, off-brand, low-quality photos send the wrong message before a visitor reads a single word of copy, no matter how fast the page loads or how small the file size is. That's the part image optimization alone can't fix.
If you've already gone through my process for optimizing images for your website, you've got the technical half handled. This part is different: it's the judgment calls that come after the file size is already sorted.
What a professional photo review checks for
This isn't flashy work, and nobody notices it when it's done right. But skipping it shows immediately. A site with one out-of-place image, one blurry photo, or one leftover placeholder can undercut everything else on the page, no matter how polished the copy or layout is.
Outdated or missing photos that quietly hurt trust
If a team photo is years old, or a service page has no image at all, that's the first thing I flag. Missing visuals are just as damaging as bad ones. They leave a gap where trust should be building. When a client doesn't have a good replacement on hand yet, I source free, open-source, on-brand stock instead. Creative Market's guide to picking stock photos that actually look authentic, rather than staged, is exactly the standard I hold every stock choice to.
Photos that don't match your brand's lighting or tone
A photo can be technically sharp and still feel off if the lighting, tone, or style clashes with everything else on the site. I check each one against the brand as a whole. One warm, golden-hour photo dropped into an otherwise cool, minimal gallery sticks out more than people expect.
Formatting and quality that's consistent across the whole site
Consistency across every image, not just the obvious ones, is what actually makes a site read as finished and cared for. A homepage hero and the tenth photo in a gallery nobody scrolls to often get the exact same checklist from me, every time.
Why photo review and sourcing come standard with every site
This is why photo review, including sourcing new images when a client doesn't have the right shot on hand, is baked into every build I do. It's not offered as an upsell. It's part of the same process as copy and layout, not a separate line item you have to think about.
You can absolutely learn to resize and compress your own photos, and I've shown you exactly how. What's included when I build your site goes further: catching the photo that's technically fine but doesn't belong, sourcing a replacement that actually fits your brand, and keeping every image on the site to the same standard. That's the part most DIY builds miss, and it's the part you're getting the moment you hand a project to me instead.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need professional photos, or can I use phone photos?
A phone camera is genuinely good enough for most sites. The bigger issue is almost never camera quality. It's optimization and patternization, which is exactly what I check for on every project.
How often should I update my website photos?
There's no fixed schedule if a photo is high-quality and still matches your brand. The real trigger is change: a rebrand, a refresh, a new team member, a new space, or new offerings.
Can I catch these issues myself without hiring anyone?
Absolutely! Once you know what to look for, like outdated photos, mismatched tone, or inconsistent formatting, it's a checklist you can run on your own site. Walk through every page as if you were a first-time visitor and ask if each photo still looks like it belongs. The harder part is staying objective about your own brand, which is usually where a second set of eyes helps most.
Is optimization and patternization something Squarespace checks for me automatically?
Not quite. Squarespace optimizes how an image displays, but it doesn’t tell you if a photo respects your brand pattern. That judgment call is on you, or on me, if you'd rather hand it off.
What if I don't have any good photos to replace an outdated one?
That's exactly when I turn to free, open-source stock that's chosen to match the brand, not just fill space. It's a completely normal part of the process, not a compromise.
How long does image optimization add to a website project timeline?
This step is built into the process, not added on, so it doesn't add extra time. It just happens alongside everything else while your site comes together, layered in during the same week I'm building out copy and layout.
