• A website background helps set the tone for the entire website

    It is one of the first design elements that a visitor sees when he lands on your site. A website background image has the potential to create a lasting first impression and entice a reader to stay and look around the site. To this end, the right choice of background images is important in web design.

  • Website Background Options in Modern Web Design

    With Strikingly, you can explore three types of website backgrounds:

    Section image

    Background color

    This type of website background is commonly used for text-heavy sections of your website, usually to draw focus to the content. If you want to emphasize a message, it’s usually good to use a solid color background on that section or page.

    Section image

    Website background image

    Some websites use a high resolution image as background to connect to their audience on an emotional level. The right photo can appeal to a reader’s interest effectively but the wrong one can end up distracting him instead.

    Section image

    Video background

    Video background websites have been found to be effective in grabbing a reader’s interest. Good quality videos can be used to relay information to the viewer within a few seconds. They can be designed to relay a website’s goal and objective in a way that sometimes text content may not be able to do so effectively.

    For best results, always stick to Strikingly’s suggested background size specifications.

  • Best Practices for Choosing Free Website Backgrounds

    1. Choose relevant images

    Engage your readers and effectively convey your message with a relevant and interesting image background. Dynamic action shots can sometimes be more effective than plain images of the products you sell. You can source your website background image from different royalty-free sites although ideally, you want to use your own images so you don’t need to worry about licensing issues.

    2. Size matters

    Always be mindful of recommended image sizes to ensure that your visuals will look great on all devices. Smaller images can tend to look pixelated when viewed through a bigger screen. Conversely, you are risking cropping your image incorrectly if the size is too big.

    3. Plan your text overlay

    Backgrounds are meant to contain other elements such as text content. If you’re using images, keep your text short and punchy so as to not take away focus from your beautiful image. Use block color backgrounds for text-heavy areas of your website.

    4. Test your backgrounds on different browsers and devices

    To ensure a consistent user experience, make sure to test your background images on different browsers. See how they would look like when your site is viewed using different devices. Make sure the image loads properly before you publish your website.

    5. When all else fails, your website should be able to stand alone

    In the event that your background image doesn’t load, your website content should still be able to convey your message. Don’t depend on a picture to tell the entire story about your site.

  • Be part of a community of creatives, visionaries, industry movers and shakers.

    Build your website with Strikingly today.

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