Images are the fastest way to communicate what your UK business does before anyone reads a word. Sitejet handles uploading, editing, optimising and organising images end-to-end, with Pexels stock integration if you need placeholders and automatic compression so mobile load stays fast. This guide walks through each stage, including the SEO-critical alt text step most owners skip.
Why images matter for your website · Adding images to your pages · Supported image and media formats · Using the built-in image editor · Free stock photos with Pexels integration · Organising media in the File Manager · Image SEO — alt text and descriptive filenames · Automatic optimisation and performance · Image galleries and carousels · Tips for better website images · FAQ
Visitors process images in milliseconds; reading text takes seconds. For service businesses, real photos of your premises, team and completed work build more trust than any testimonial. For retail, product photos are the primary sales asset. For UK local SEO, image alt text and filename signals help Google Image search surface your business for sector-specific queries.
Get the image stack right and the whole site feels professional. Get it wrong (stock photos, no alt text, oversized files) and even strong copy underperforms.
Three ways to add an image:
Click any uploaded image to open the editor inline. Features:
Saves non-destructively — original upload is preserved if you want to revert.
If you need a placeholder, Sitejet integrates with Pexels — a royalty-free stock library. Inside the image picker, switch to Pexels tab, search, drop into your page.
Stock caveat for UK SMEs: real photos beat stock every time. Stock photos are acceptable as placeholders during build; replace with your own photography before launching to customers. Stock imagery erodes trust because visitors recognise it from other sites.
Media → File Manager shows all uploaded images, grouped by folder. Best-practice folder structure for a UK SME site:
/hero — hero banners/team — staff photos/work — completed project photos/products — product photography (if selling online)/icons — logo variants, favicon, service icons/blog — blog post imageryKeep each folder under 200 images for fast loading in the picker.
Every image should have:
completed-bathroom-leeds.webp beats IMG_4521.webp.Alt text helps screen readers (accessibility under the Equality Act 2010), Google Image search, and any context where the image fails to load. Sitejet’s AI can suggest alt text if you ask.
Sitejet automatically:
Practical tip: upload at 2x the size you need on desktop. Sitejet scales down for smaller screens; scaling up produces blurry images.
Two gallery elements:
Grid is better for portfolio / case studies; carousel is better for hero sequences or testimonials. Limit carousels to five items — more and visitors do not reach the end.
Q: What size should my images be before uploading?
A: Hero images: 2000×1200 px compressed to WebP < 300 KB. Thumbnails / icons: 600×600 px. Logos: SVG if you have it, PNG with transparent background otherwise.
Q: How do I add alt text?
A: Select the image, alt text field in the right sidebar. Write plain-English description of what the image shows, ideally including UK location where relevant.
Q: Why does my image look blurry on desktop?
A: Uploaded file too small for the display size. Replace with a higher-resolution original — at least 2× the displayed size.
Q: Are my images secure?
A: Yes. They are hosted on smartxhosting.uk EU infrastructure with daily backups. You own all uploaded media.
Q: Can I use images from Unsplash or other stock libraries?
A: Yes, provided the licence permits commercial use. Always check each image’s licence; some require attribution.
Q: How much storage do I have for images?
A: 2 GB on the standard Sitejet Builder hosting plan. Sufficient for most UK SMEs with 200–400 optimised images. Higher tiers available if needed.