A hero image is a website design term used to describe an oversized banner image at the top of a website. Sometimes called a “hero header,” it is usually placed prominently across the top of a web page across the width, giving users their first glimpse of your business or service.
In addition to high-res graphics, hero images can include your company’s unique sales proposition (USP) and conversion goals. Signup form or button to start shopping. A recent web design trend is to use videos and animations for hero images instead of static photos.
Why use hero images
Hero images, which are usually high-quality photos or videos, are a great way to add a personal touch that instantly adds credibility and trust to your brand. People are very visual, so a high-quality full-screen image at the top of the page helps make a positive first impression. A hero image can also direct users to a desired link or call to action or showcase your company’s value proposition at the top of your web page. A hero image for your media site or blog can also be used to grab the attention of your visitors and encourage them to read the articles on your site.
Two things to keep in mind when using hero images
There are a few things to consider when considering whether to use hero images on your website.
Be careful when using large images for hero images, especially on mobile, as they can impact load times. According to Google research, increasing page load speed from 0.4 seconds to 0.9 seconds can reduce traffic by 20%. If the user takes too long to load, the hero image loses its effectiveness. Make sure your large banner images and video sizes are optimized and hosted on a fast CDN to avoid slow page load times.
Ask yourself if the image you choose adds value. Using stock photos as featured images can be a cheap and quick fix at first, but stock photos are often clichéd and unoriginal. The perfect hero image is the product image and the core It should complement the product. This is very difficult to achieve with stock images.
How to test different hero images with A/B testing
Hero images are placed prominently on your site, so test different images to see which ones are hitting your conversion goals by reading articles or clicking CTAs to make purchases on your site is extremely important.
A/B testing is a method of testing a website where 50% of the traffic is seen on the original version of the page and 50% on the new variant. By displaying different versions of your page to a random sample of your visitors, you can use the data to determine which versions of your page have higher conversion rates.
If your challenger page isn’t better than the original, you can always test new hypotheses with images, text, and variations of her CTA. You can also personalize the experience by showing different hero images to different segments of your visitors. By continually testing different images, you can improve your conversion rates and website experience over time.
Test your hero image ideas
Here are some ideas for optimizing hero images:
Test the impact of still images and videos: It’s worthwhile to find out if users find your visuals appealing, aesthetically appealing, informative, or distracting. Static and moving graphics testing. For example, .gif and HTML5 visuals can provide insight into user preferences.
Testing the impact of interactive or auto-playing videos It’s becoming more common to listen to embedded audio playback online without having to turn it on. Sites that use video messaging can help gauge the importance of video content by testing whether users click to activate the content or whether the video auto plays appropriately.
Test your hero’s value proposition: Do different images evoke different emotions in your users and cause them to behave differently on your site?
Test hero object focus: Does the main subject of the image generate positive emotions in users that trigger actions that contribute to the end goal of business transformation?
There are many questions about hero images worth investigating. Hero images are the first thing users see, so this is an important area to test.
