Two Things You Should Know About Pictures on Your Website

Time and time again I see key pages on a website using pictures the wrong way. Frequently, the pictures are used to make the page more attractive. Attractive is nice – but too often that was as far as the thinking went, and the result is an under-performing page that leaves a lot of money on the table. Most website owners are shocked when they find out about a little change to the pictures on their key pages can make sign-ups and sales jump through the roof. Let’s take a look at 2 tiny little changes that deliver big results.

Credibility

We’ve all heard that first impressions are important, and when it comes to your website, those first impressions are based more on what people see than what they read. This is in part because of the way the brain processes information and in part because most people today scan pages on websites, rather than read them word for word.

Far more than simply serving as eye-candy, the pictures on your site should be chosen for the message they convey and the story they tell. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and these pictures will have a huge impact on a first time visitor’s impression of your company. Studies have shown that the use of pictures of people on a website increases the perceived credibility of the business. This means that, where appropriate, you should look for ways to incorporate pictures of people on your website.

Directing Attention

Did you know that studies have found that the pictures on a page can dramatically change the reading behavior of the person reading the page? Eye-tracking studies measure where people look when they come to a web page and then display the results of the study in a way that looks kind of like a heat map or a weather radar image. The areas that receive the greatest focus and concentration are shown in red.

Notice how the reader's attention mimics the models?

Notice that when the attention of the model is focused on the marketing message, the reader, taking a cue from the model, tends to focus their own attention on that same message. When the model is looking at the reader, the reader tends to get distracted from the message and return the model’s focus. It’s almost as if the reader is mimicking the model. This means that you should carefully consider whether the pictures on your site direct the reader’s attention toward your message or distract from it.

Split Testing

For the key pages on your website, it’s worth testing two versions of your page to see which version produces the highest rate of sign-ups or sales. A simple A/B split test will help you to determine which picture will produce the best possible results for your website.

Choose the pictures on your page carefully because they have a huge impact on your website’s credibility and the number of sales or leads that are generated by your site. What changes should you make to the pictures on your website?

  • Catherine February 3, 2016, 2:06 pm

    Thanks for another great post, Charles. I never knew about either of these options for pictures on my website. A picture IS worth a thousand words, particularly in my business. So glad you are working on my newly renovated website and watching out for the many things I don’t know about Internet marketing!

    • Charles February 3, 2016, 4:05 pm

      Thanks Catherine. The impact that the right images can have is absolutely amazing! I’m excited to see the way things are growing in your business and know that your new website will be a huge asset.

  • Bill February 3, 2016, 3:56 pm

    Charles,
    Great article, you always provide good information.
    Thanks
    Bill

    • Charles Ogwyn February 3, 2016, 4:07 pm

      Thanks Bill

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