You start building, drop in a homepage, and then keep hitting the same wall: another empty image slot. A blank hero. An about section with nowhere for a photo. A services block that looks unfinished. This is the checklist that stops that from happening — gather the right set up front and you can fill every slot in one sitting instead of stalling mid-build.
It is a planning list, not a download. It tells you which images to collect before you launch and which ones can wait. When you are ready to grab the actual images, the fastest way to get all your website images in one sitting is the routine for collecting the whole set in one go.
How to use this checklist
Work through it section by section, in the order your visitors read the page. Each item names a real section of a website and the specific job its image has to do, so you are never guessing what "a nice photo" means.
Two columns matter most: before launch and add later. Before-launch items are the slots a visitor sees on day one — leaving them empty makes a site look half-built. Add-later items improve the site once it is live but won't hold up your launch. Scope to the before-launch column first; come back for the rest.
A reasonable starting target for a small first site is somewhere around eight to twelve images: one hero, one or two for about, a few for services or products, and a header for your first blog post or social card. Treat that as a starting point, not a rule — a one-page site needs fewer, a shop with several products needs more. There is no fixed number every site "needs," and any count you see quoted elsewhere is worth checking before you trust it.
A few rules apply to every item, so it is worth saying them once:
- Picdrome images are free to use for personal and commercial website projects, subject to the Picdrome Image License. They are AI-generated. They are not public domain, not CC0, and not "royalty-free." Read the terms before you ship.
- The images are AI-generated, so disclose that where it matters and never present an AI-generated person as a real customer, team member, or endorser. A photo of a "happy client" who was never a client is the kind of thing this checklist is meant to keep you away from.
- Finish each item before you tick it. "Finished" means the image is the right size and aspect ratio for its slot, it is compressed so it loads fast, and it has alt text written. An image that is sourced but not sized and described is only half done.
If you want the bigger picture this checklist sits inside, see how to build the full image library this checklist feeds.
The starter checklist
Here is the whole list in one table, grouped by where each image goes. Source the before-launch rows first.
| Page section | Image to gather | Its job | Before launch? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage hero | One wide hero image | Sets the tone at the top; stays readable behind your headline and button | Yes |
| Homepage supporting | One or two section images | Break up the page below the hero (feature blocks, a "how it works" row) | Add later |
| About | One workspace, scene, or abstract image | Gives the about section a face when you have no team photo yet | Yes |
| Services / products | One image per service or product | Shows what each offering actually is | Yes (at least the main one) |
| Services / products | Background or card images | Tidy backgrounds behind feature cards or pricing | Add later |
| Blog | One header image per post | Sits at the top of an article and as its preview thumbnail | Yes for your first post |
| Social | One preview / share image | What shows when your page is shared on social or in chat | Add later, but soon |
| Contact / footer | Optional background image | Quiet backdrop that keeps the form readable | Add later |
The sections below explain the trickier rows.
Homepage: the hero comes first
The hero is the first slot most people build and the one a visitor sees before anything else. You need one wide image that holds up behind text — a calm background with room for a headline and a button, not a busy photo that fights your words for attention.
- Before launch: one hero image, sized to span the full width of the top of the page and cropped so the important part isn't hidden behind your headline.
- Add later: one or two supporting images for the sections below the hero — a feature row, a short "how it works" strip, or a closing call-to-action band.
The hero is the one to settle first, because everything else is chosen to sit beside it. For more on matching a hero to your specific page, see which image belongs on each page.
About: an image when you have no team photos yet
Most new owners hit a wall on the about section because they don't have a team photo and don't want to use one of themselves. You don't have to. A workspace scene, a tidy desk, a tool of your trade, or a calm abstract image all give the section something to look at while the words do the work.
- Before launch: one about image that fits the mood of your business.
- Important: if you use an AI-generated image that shows a person, do not caption or imply that person is you, your founder, or a customer. They are not a real person, and presenting them as one crosses a line the Picdrome Image License and basic honesty both draw.
When real photos of you or your team exist later, swap them in. The placeholder is there so the section isn't empty on day one, not forever.
Services or products: images that explain what you do
This is where an empty slot does the most damage, because a visitor reading your services is deciding whether to buy. Each service or product needs an image that shows, at a glance, what it is.
- Before launch: at least the image for your main or first service. If you sell products, the hero product images come first.
- Add later: the rest of the set, plus any tidy background or card images that sit behind feature blocks or pricing.
Aim for a consistent look across the set so the page reads as one business, not a scrapbook. Pulling everything from a single source is the easiest way to keep that consistency, which is the whole point of a curated pack. Which image belongs on each page shows which shape and style fits each block.
Blog and social: headers and preview images
Two slots people forget until the last minute, because they don't appear on the main pages.
- Blog header — before launch if you are publishing a post at launch. Each article needs one image at the top that doubles as its preview thumbnail in your blog list. No post on day one? This moves to add-later.
- Social preview — add later, but soon. This is the image that shows when someone shares your homepage in a message or on social. If it is missing, the share looks broken. Set one before you start promoting the site.
The final pass on every image
Sourcing an image is the first half. Before a slot is truly done, run each one through the same short check. This is the step that separates a site that looks finished from one that loads slowly or breaks on a phone.
- Size and aspect ratio. Match the image to the slot — a full-width hero is wide and large; a card or thumbnail is small and often square. Crop to the right shape so the subject isn't cut off, and don't ship a giant file in a small slot. (Need exact dimensions? Those belong in a size reference rather than guessed.)
- File weight. Compress each image so the page loads fast. A heavy hero is the most common cause of a slow first impression.
- Alt text. Write a short, plain description of what each image shows. This is for screen-reader users and is part of finishing the item, not an afterthought. The alt text describes the picture; it is not the place for keyword stuffing. This point touches accessibility, so treat it as general guidance rather than a compliance ruling.
- Where it came from. Note the source of each image. For Picdrome images, that means they are AI-generated and used under the Picdrome Image License — useful to have written down if you ever need to confirm a use was allowed.
A worked example
Say you are launching a one-page site for a freelance bookkeeping service. Working the checklist, the before-launch set comes out to:
- Hero — a calm desk-and-numbers scene, wide, cropped so your headline sits clear of the clutter.
- About — a tidy workspace image (no fake "founder" photo).
- Services — three small images, one each for bookkeeping, payroll, and tax prep, all from the same pack so they match.
- Blog header — one image for your launch post, "How I keep small-business books tidy."
That is six images, all visible on day one. The social preview and a couple of supporting homepage images go on the add-later list. You open the kit, pick the set closest to a service business, size and compress each one, write four short alt-text lines, and the slots are full. Done in a sitting.
To pull a set like that together quickly, decide your style once and then work the list in a single sitting, checking each file against the image workflow reference before you upload it. If you want the step-by-step of doing it all in one go, read get all your website images in one sitting.
In Plain English
This is a launch-scoped checklist for the images a brand-new business website needs, organized by where each one goes: hero, about, services or products, blog header, and social preview. It helps a first-time site owner who keeps finding empty image slots and wants one list to work from. Use it while you are building, before you launch: source the before-launch items first, leave the add-later ones for after you go live, and finish each image by sizing it, compressing it, and writing alt text. The fastest next step is getting all your website images in one sitting for most of the set, then the image-sourcing decision guide to fill the rest. Picdrome images are AI-generated and free to use for personal and commercial website projects, subject to the Picdrome Image License — they are not public domain. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where to go next
- Build the full image library this checklist feeds — the pillar guide this list belongs to.
- Get all your website images in one sitting — the workflow for collecting the whole set fast.
- Which image belongs on each page — go deeper on matching images to sections.
- Decide where each image should come from — when to use a pack, the finder, or your own photo.
- Get all your website images in one sitting — the routine that fills most of this checklist in one pass.