A study done by the research group at Visual Web Optimizer found that changing the primary image on a homepage increased a website’s conversion rate by 40 percent. Creative use of graphics on your company’s site keeps visitors engaged and directs them to sign up or purchase. Boost your website’s effectiveness with these suggestions, turn around your customer conversions and increase viewer loyalty.
Not Just Pretty Pictures – Integrated Images and Content
Images that relate to the content enhance the customer experience. Unrelated images distract from it. Images are a way you can guide the visitor through your content to other areas of your website.
For example, if you manufacture a running shoe, an article discussing arch support containing photos of runners and hikers ties together shoes and their purpose. A photo of a cactus seen on a desert hike might be attractive, but it distracts the visitor’s attention from your shoes. Resist placing photos on a webpage just because they are pretty and add color. Make them relevant to the content and the message.
Give the Reader a Different Perspective
Another way to guide a visitor visually is to use a series of images or a video to bring them closer to your product. For example, in an article on the benefits of whole grain in a diet, start with aerial footage of a wheat field. Later in the article, show a farmer harvesting the grain. More footage shows the grain being ground into flour with a final image of a family enjoying wholesome, whole-grain baked goods. Guide the visitor from the big picture down to where your product impacts their lives in a good way.
People Relate to People
Use photos of people who represent your potential customers, suggests Square2Marketing. Visitors connect with people, not just the product. When you display images of people who have the need for your product or services, viewers can say “I relate to that!”
Especially effective are videos of people using your products in an everyday setting. “How to” videos in which average people are shown fixing sinks, applying for a loan or enjoying a drive in their new car can put the viewers in those positions. “If they can do that, so can I” is the thought of the viewer. When videos provide solutions to everyday problems, they build loyalty in your viewers who come back to see what else they can learn.
Images Fill a Need to Touch the Product
RC Graphic Design suggests that images, especially when used in a gallery display, fulfill the need people have to browse through your product line and touch the products. Showing the product in a standalone display and being used by consumers helps the user visualize how they might interact with the product. A picture of a refrigerator on the display floor is one element. That same refrigerator in a kitchen with kids taking treats from it or the parents preparing dinner puts the viewer in the kitchen.
Create a Complete Experience with Visuals
You can use images and videos to guide the viewer through an entire experience. A travel blog with tips on how to travel more efficiently might include a video of people struggling with their luggage in an airport terminal. Other travelers pass them by with their convenient new carry on bags. A gardening supplies website could show a person installing an irrigation system resulting in a lush garden. In the refrigerator example above, show a person in their kitchen with their old fridge and a new one being installed. Take the viewer on a ride and show them how happy they’ll be as a result of it.
