Tips to Increase Website Conversions Using Images
It is well known that "Images are worth a thousand words," but when it comes to website conversions, the adage holds significant value.
In the digital marketing landscape, pictures do better than any block of text at conveying messages to potential consumers. Additionally, they create a sense of trust between you and visitors, ultimately motivating them to purchase.
But using images can lead to two outcomes; either they can increase your sales or hurt your brand. Hence, it’s important to understand that simply slapping images, no matter what they depict, isn’t going to benefit conversions.
In this article, you will find different ways to implement images in websites and skyrocket your conversion rates. So let’s dive in:
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Take Time to Choose Solid Images
Images are what captivate a reader. A well-chosen image will help the consumers understand your product or service and increase the likelihood of converting.
Here are a few tips to look out for when choosing images:
- Instead of using salesy pictures of your offerings, try to include natural pictures to help the buyer understand how the product would look and work.
- Include photos of real people with natural poses using your product or service. This helps create trust between you and the reader.
- Don’t steal photos from other websites, especially from your competitor’s website. This creates a wrong impression and can lead to adverse effects. To avoid the issue, choose only custom pictures or purchase stock images with the right to use them commercially.
- Focus on the quality and avoid blurry or pixelated images.
- If you are unable to source original pictures, you can find high-quality and unique pictures from reputable websites with a diverse collection.
- And finally, be creative with your images. Try to blend different graphics and make edits to create something that fits perfectly for your brand.
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Be Particular About the Focus
Imagine you open a website bombarded with different pictures, shot from unflattering angles and clashing with each other. Wouldn’t this be confusing?
Our brain focuses on small proportions of an image to decipher the emotion hidden behind it. Therefore, your images must have a single focal point - when the visitor sees the picture, everything should fade away except the product.
Visitors won’t pay attention to what matters if your image confuses the brain with too many ideas. Once you have their attention, it's time to blur every unimportant detail and drag their focus to your product or service.
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Hit the Emotional Side of Consumers
Your consumers aren’t interested in how the product works or the material you use in making the product. Instead, they want to know whether it can contribute to improving their lives. They want to ensure that it isn’t just a waste of money but can ease their everyday struggles.
For example, ask previous customers to share pictures of them enjoying your product or services in different ways. Use these user-generated visuals on your website and social media platforms to give potential consumers a sense of comfort before buying the product.
Another way to provoke their emotional side is to give ideas. If you run an apparel brand, show the audience how they can pair your garments with different accessories and hairstyles. You can use a similar strategy for a food-related website by illustrating ways your ingredients can tackle their health issues.
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Modify the Photography Environment
If you want your visitors to appreciate your images, choosing a background resonating with your brand and image is essential. While you may find a white background ideal for editing, using natural backgrounds can spark trust in your users.
For instance, if you are selling bakery products, take pictures of your items on a counter with baking ingredients and tools scattered to mimic the warmth of a kitchen. But avoid cluttering the frame and keep your main product as the focal point.
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Allow a Zoom Feature
Another essential feature to include in your website is the ability to see every intricate detail of your product closely. When customers can’t see or touch a product, the next best option they have is the ability to assess thoroughly.
A study by Baymard found that customers often abandon products if the photos are of poor quality and cannot be zoomed in.
Hence, zooming in to see the stitching on a pair of jeans can create a big difference that leads to customers putting that item in their cart.
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Create a Mascot
Brands with recognizable mascots get the best reactions from consumers. Mascots aren’t a new trend. For decades, brands like Mcdonald's, KFC, and more have been ruling people’s hearts with their mascots.
Mascots are a great way to convey your product or service without using words. And when you successfully create a close relationship with your audience, your business starts booming.
The hundred success stories of viral mascots around us prove their effectiveness in branding and alleviating your online presence.
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Don’t Forget SEO for Images
Optimizing images isn’t rocket science, but many brands often ignore this critical factor. You can improve your site’s ranking with image optimization, leading to more traffic and conversion.
Here are four necessary aspects of optimizing images for the best results.
Naming Your Image Files Descriptively - Write a short descriptive name for your image. Instead of stuffing keywords, try to provide value to your product that helps consumers and search engine crawlers appreciate its beauty.
Optimizing Alt Text - Alt text is a text snippet describing your image’s content for the search engine algorithms. They are also helpful for audiences using screen readers or facing poor internet connection. When writing Alt text, it’s important to explain your image entirely while keeping the user’s search intent in mind.
Optimize File Size - Page load speed is one the most critical factors in improving search engine rankings. The heavier your image is, the more time your website will take to load it. Hence, use tools like TinyPNG to optimize the file size of your site’s images.
Optimize Captions - Sometimes, the context and intent of an image hold more value than the actual photo. Hence it is important to include captions that tell the whole story behind the image.
If you spend hours creating the ideal post or landing page for your website, don't miss out on the chance to improve your conversion rates by including appealing and optimized photos.
Conclusion
With all the technological advancements, people are increasingly hungry for something new, even on websites. A recent study by Microsoft concluded that the human attention span has dropped to eight seconds – shrinking nearly 25% in just a few years.
With such tight numbers, the only option is to leverage imagery's power and let your creativity soar. Try using high-quality images that appeal to the viewer’s interest and provoke them emotionally. Once you have hit the bullseye, you will be one step closer to increasing your conversion rates.
