It’s no secret that design has a big impact on a website’s conversion rate. But do you know that each image you use also plays an important part in converting your visitors into leads or customers? In fact, people can remember over 2000 images with a minimum of 90% accuracy. In this article, we’ll share how the right website image can drive conversions.
However, it’s unfortunate that many marketers are still happy using the same random, generic, free stock photos they find online. If you’re treating your website and landing page photos as an after-thought, you’re making a serious mistake.
Keeping that in mind, let’s go over why website images are important and how they help take your conversions to the next level.
How Photos Boost Conversions
When used properly, the right pictures can help speed up each customer’s journey, leading them to a point where they feel comfortable parting with their money. Photos increase conversions by:
Giving a Holistic View
As convenient as online shopping is, a big limitation it comes with for buyers is that they can’t touch or feel the products. Having said that, the next closest thing that they can do is to look at product photos. The more expensive and sophisticated the product, the deeper due diligence a potential buyer would like to conduct.
So the most obvious manner in which pictures help grow sales is by providing a complete, detailed view of a product. This means taking pictures that show the product from different angles and focal points. In fact, a study found that customers expect around 5 photos when buying a product online.
A great example of this is Sennheiser. The headphones retailer uses images shot from many different perspectives to give potential buyers more clarity. As a result, buyers know exactly what they can expect to get once they place an order.
This allows visitors to get a better sense of the product and deepen their faith in the brand.
If the product has intricate features and details, you can also go beyond just the basics. Modern e-commerce website builders, for instance, provide plenty of enhancements you can add to your online store. These include the option to let visitors zoom in to take a closer look at parts of the image. While such features may look like tiny improvements, every little thing matters when it comes to improving your conversion rate.
Building a Human Connection: Website Image to Drive Conversions
Familiarity and trust are cornerstones of conversion. Adding photos of real people behind your product or company can go a long way in making visitors feel like they know you, and that they can trust you.
For example, if your conversions depend on people making phone calls to enquire about your offerings, embedding a photo of the real person can increase your call rate.
The opposite is also true. A case study by ElasticPath showed that using a generic, cheesy stock photo can actually reduce conversions.
So it’s obvious that the more authentic your photography, the better results you’ll get from your visuals. Never put a photo of a random person that you found on a stock photo website.
Another way brands connect with their customers through imagery is by creating a mascot — a memorable and recognizable illustration of a person, animal, or object.
While a logo is strictly for branding, a mascot relates with prospects by invoking a warm and friendly feeling. It makes your brand feel more fun and approachable.
For an example of a brand that makes the most of its mascot, look no further than MailChimp. MailChimp wanted to convey that it makes email marketing so easy that even a monkey could do it. So it chose a monkey as its mascot.
As you can see, animal shapes make for great mascots as they give a light-hearted vibe to the brand.
At the end of the day, people don’t buy from faceless corporations. They do business with other people with personalities they trust and like. And a mascot contributes to shaping your brand’s personality and making it more likable.
Providing Context: Website Image to Boost Conversions
Regardless of what you’re selling online, context matters. Photos without context are similar to words without emotions.
Showcasing your product and service with context helps viewers imagine what it would be like to have or use the same. In contrast, displaying an isolated picture of what you’re selling is dull and uninspiring. For example, take a look at this couch:
Looking at this image, you are not seeing just the couch, but also how the couch graces a well-decorated space around it. You can imagine the couch blending well with the surroundings of a room in which you’d place it. Similarly, if you’re selling a fashion item, show how someone would look when wearing it.
The same principle can be applied not just to products, but also to services. If you’re in the construction industry and provide roofing services, for instance, don’t just show the roofs. You can take images of your whole crew in action while installing a roof.
By putting your offering in context, you make it easy for customers to visualize the outcome or benefit they will receive from it, thereby increasing conversions.
Enhancing Readability
Another way photos help with conversions is by making your written content more readable and engaging. When your paragraphs are sprinkled with relevant images, visitors will read more and understand better.
The more people read your content, the deeper gets their relationship with your brand. As a result, you’ll be able to properly educate your prospects and convert them into customers.
Improving User Experience
Static website pages aren’t the only parts of your website that can benefit from images. In fact, by adding graphics in new and unexpected ways, you can elevate your website’s user experience and conversions to new heights.
Case in point: BrickHouse Security. According to a case study, when the online retailer added graphics to drop-down menus of its website search functionality, it caused a surge in conversion rates.
In the words of Ryan Urban, manager of customer acquisition and analytics at BrickHouse Security:
“By implementing the display of photos in the search suggestions menu, we get a 100% increase in conversion rate from buyers who use the site search feature.”
He further notes that about 25% of the searchers click one of the image-based search results instead of continuing to type their whole search term, resulting in a 15% lift in the overall site search conversion rate.
Website Image to Drive Conversions: Wrapping Up
The importance of visuals cannot be denied. People rarely make a decision to purchase or enquire about something without looking at some type of imagery. If they are buying a product, they love to be able to see it from all angles. Similarly, if they are availing a service, they’d like to see the people behind the business.
The takeaway is that you need to do all you can to make your products and services come alive online with vivid, high-quality photos. After all, it’s the one factor that really separates high-performing e-commerce websites from the ones that fail. So if you haven’t done so already, it’s time to evaluate the photos you’re using on your website, and see what can be improved in order to boost conversions.
Hitesh Sahni is a content strategy consultant, editor, and founder of Smemark, an upscale studio helping brands with superior content writing and marketing. Get his 5 essential templates & worksheets to kickstart content creation for free.
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