Website image design guides
Plain-English guides on choosing, sizing, optimizing, and licensing the images on your website.
Picking images for a site can feel slow: too many options, unclear file sizes, and licensing questions that are easy to get wrong. These guides break each part into clear steps you can act on. Read them in order or jump straight to the one you need. Picdrome also offers original AI-generated images; these guides help you choose and check images from a source you trust, including AI-generated ones.
Who this is for
- Entrepreneurs and small-business owners building or refreshing a website.
- Freelancers and template builders who choose images for client sites.
- Designers and marketers who want a quick, shared reference for image decisions.
Start with the complete guide
If you only read one thing, read this. The complete guide pulls every topic below into a single path: how to think about each page section, how to size and compress files, how to write alt text, and how to stay on the right side of licensing.
The complete guide to website images — a start-to-finish walkthrough for choosing and preparing the images on a business website, written for people who don't do design full time.
Choosing & using images
These guides cover the day-to-day decisions: which image belongs on which page, a simple framework for narrowing options, and the technical steps that keep a page fast and readable.
- Which image for each page — match the right kind of image to your home, about, services, and contact pages.
- A framework for choosing — a short, repeatable way to decide between two or three images without second-guessing.
- Image sizes cheat sheet — common pixel dimensions for hero, banner, thumbnail, and inline images.
- Compress your images — how to shrink file size so images load fast without looking blurry.
- Write alt text — describe images clearly so screen readers and search engines understand them.
- Common image mistakes — the slip-ups that make a site feel slow, cluttered, or off-brand, and how to avoid them.
Licensing & rights
Licensing is where small sites trip up most. These guides explain, in plain English, what you can and can't assume about an image — including AI-generated ones — and why terms like "royalty-free" and "public domain" don't mean what people often think they do. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Use free & AI images safely — the core rules for using free and AI-generated images on a real website.
- Using AI images commercially — what to check before you put an AI image on a page that sells something.
- Free vs royalty-free vs public domain — what each term actually means, and why the differences matter for your site.
License note: Picdrome originals use the Picdrome License; images from other sources keep their own terms. For any image you use, the current license at its source controls — read it before you build. This page is general information and not legal advice.
Quick references
Three short references turn the guidance above into quick actions while you build.
- Image sizes cheat sheet — look up recommended dimensions for each kind of image in one place.
- How to write alt text for images — a simple write-and-check method for clear, useful alt text.
- Which image belongs on each page — see which image style and shape fits each section of a page.
Where to go next
Start with the complete guide, then branch into the topic you need.
- Read the complete guide to website images
- Using free & AI images safely
- Image sizes cheat sheet
- All design topics on the blog
FAQ
Do I need design skills to use these guides?
No. They're written for people who build websites without a design background. Each guide explains the "why" in plain language and gives you a clear step to take, not a theory lecture.
Which guide should I read first?
Start with the complete guide to website images. It gives you the full picture, then links out to the specific guides when you want more depth on sizing, compression, alt text, or licensing.
How big should my website images be?
It depends on where the image goes — a full-width hero needs more pixels than a small thumbnail. The image sizes cheat sheet lists common dimensions section by section. After picking dimensions, run the file through the compression guide so it loads quickly.
Where do I learn about image licensing?
Start with using free & AI images safely, then read free vs royalty-free vs public domain to clear up the terms. For any specific image, the current license at its source is what controls your use. None of this is legal advice.
Are these guides free?
Yes. Every guide linked here is free to read, with no account or sign-up. Picdrome also offers original AI-generated images; the license at each image's source decides how you may use it.
In plain language
This is the index of Picdrome's image guides. It covers choosing the right image for each page, sizing and compressing files so pages stay fast and readable, writing alt text for accessibility, and understanding image licensing — plus quick references for sizes, alt text, and page-by-page choices.
New here? Read the complete guide to website images first, check using free & AI images safely for licensing, and browse all design topics on the blog for the rest. For any image you use, the current license at its source controls.