First impressions are vital, so how can an impression of you mean the difference between whether a website visitor sticks around, or surfs on by?
If you own a website (or even if you’re just a person interested in how the web works) you know how difficult it can be to hold people’s attention with just words. In your own experience, you know that text-heavy websites are boring, while those with interesting images will hold your attention for longer. It’s hard to argue the impact that good images can have.
The first impression that your website makes on a visitor is vital to your success. If your aim is to have a visitor contact you or buy a product your first challenge is to keep them on your website long enough so they will click a link to take that action.
Good images are the first step. Well chosen pictures help a visitor visualise themselves in the story you are trying to tell. They help your potential customer see – in their mind’s eye – what you are talking about. The big secret is having images helps you write even better website copy because it helps you see the story as well!
A selection of well-considered pictures, clear headlines and bullet points draws your reader’s attention to particular parts of your page like a magnet. Even if they don’t read the full page, a reader should be able to get the gist of your page from just reading those items. Headlines should tell the story, bullets should give the reasons why, and picture strap lines can illustrate the story very effectively.
Well chosen images will tell the story far more clearly, and quickly than words ever could. The old adage “A picture paints a thousand words” is just as true for the web as it is for print – perhaps even more so!
But what about pictures of yourself?
I often hear clients say, I don’t want to have a picture of myself on the web – I’m too shy/ugly/short/bald/hairy etc. You get the idea and I’m you have got your own special objection adjective to this list. In my experience, however, there is no good reason not to have your picture on the web, and here’s the reason why.
Before you can sell anything on the web, you need to have a story. When you go visiting websites in search of a product or service, the very best websites will tell you not only about the product, but how and where it’s made, who had the idea for that brilliant product – and if it’s really special, how sales of this product helps feed starving orphans in a remote country.
This type of clever marketing is about wrapping you up in the story and turning it into an experience. Apple does this brilliantly – when you buy an Apple Phone, Computer, iPad or even an iPod you’re buying into the whole story that started thirty years ago in a Palo Alto garage with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. When you buy an Apple product you have a sense of belonging to a special group of people that buy Apple. You’re building a relationship based on an age-old narrative – “small town boys make good.” Can you remember seeing pictures of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak?
In that very same way, when you’re thinking about images and the story of your website remember that you are telling a story to build a relationship with you and your products and services. It’s not just about your picture. You need to have pictures of you, your products and your services being delivered. Give your visitors the chance to see your product in action at every possible opportunity.
Because visualising your product or service being delivered tells the story far better than words ever could.
If you need help building content for your website then talk to our experts at Asporea. We are happy to work with you to build a website that increases the conversion of casual visitors to sales leads.
