Below you will find several examples of popular uses of thumbnails. We've even highlighted a few, unique or creative uses as well. The possibilities are endless and these website previews really bring a site to life by making links more visual and graphical (i.e. not a standard banner that gets ignored).

 

Directory ExampleSearch Example

 

*Zoom effect shown for clarity and not intended to look like link preview bubbles (not supported by default). However, those are possible with a free plugin download.

 

1. What are website previews good for and why should I use them?

Research and studies of user behavior show that the use of site thumbnails improve searches, increases repeat visits, and increases click through rates. It is a proven fact that users are more likely to click on search results that display thumbnail images.

 

Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words"

Case in point:

Did the example images (shown above) help convey the idea? Imagine if we didn't show you any examples or samples. What if we simply TOLD you what they were? Would you understand immediately without any effort? That's how your website visitors feel. If you help them understand where you want them to click to, they are more likely to do it. Many people don't bother to read much at all and those potential buyers are lost without vivid imagery!

The result:

 

2. How does it work?

ShrinkTheWeb's Thumbnail Service is quick and easy to implement and we do all the hard work.

In the past, showing a snapshot of a website required you to:

Now, you could just sign up for our service (free for 99% of users!) and:

  • Copy/paste a single line of code into your web page(s)

Which do you prefer? ;)

Now, imagine if you have a directory and want to show hundreds or thousands of site previews! There's no way you could easily do it yourself and keep it up to date. Now, we'll do the hard work for you and deliver beautiful images for your visitors.

To open a ShrinkTheWeb account and start using thumbnail images on your site - Click here

 

3. How much does it cost?

The ShrinkTheWeb Thumbnail Service is free for a majority (99%) of webmasters and designers to use. We find that a good many designers prefer to upgrade to PRO to enhance their designs even more with full-length thumbnails, custom sizes, specific page captures, et cetera.

However, the typical webmaster with no special requirements can use our service without ever needing to upgrade. This is because the average webmaster is not a "company" and our goal is to make it free in that case. Our ultra-high allowances (250,000 requests per month) are designed only for corporations and power users who are earning enough off of their use of our thumbnails to justify paying to use our bandwidth, servers, and proprietary technology --all of which are quite expensive for us to maintain.

 

Here are a few examples of websites actively using STW Thumbnails:

Neobus Directory

Web Directories (Ex: Neobus Directory) -

Enhance the visual appeal and brand recognition of websites listed in your directory. Thumbnails of attractive sites are more likely to get clicks!

   
Neobus Search

Search Engines (Ex: Neobus Search) -

Enhance visual appeal and brand recognition. Nobody likes looking at a bunch of words on a screen. Website previews makes users feel more comfortable.

   
Imagion.com Web Design Portfolio Page

Web Designers (Ex: Imagion Portfolio) -

Really show off your web design skills by showing a screenshot of live projects or even upcoming projects (i.e. www.yoursite.com/dev/abccorp.htm - PRO feature*)

*Specific page previews only available to PRO members. Membership is very cost-effective!

 

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