Psst! Do you know how to make a great first impression? Yes, a big smile and a firm handshake are important face-to-face – but on your landing site, you won’t want to miss having hero banners. They easily capture & keep your visitor’s attention. <
What are hero banners? They are the main image of a landing page. They are prominently featured, most often located in the front and center of the page. Take a look at these examples:
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is simply an attractive photo or graphic. The opportunity a hero banner gives your business is just about priceless. Here are a few ways you can grab the reins to take advantage of it:
Look-n-feel
When creating any landing page, you are introducing an offer. Your hero banner compliments the “look-n-feel” of the offer. It easily helps to set the mood and style, so customers know what to expect at your site. A photo of a 200 ft. yacht will hint at luxury and indulgence. But a photo of tall skyscrapers set on a city skyline may also say luxury but power, someone who is “in charge” of it all.
Give a message
There’s a classic saying, that a picture is “worth a thousand words.” Well, the image on your landing page may very well be worth a million or so words, depending on what you decide it should say. The placement of the hero banner is ideal for every single visitor to see it at first glance when coming to your site. So think about what message you would like to convey.
Low Cognitive Load
Don’t forget to include this message in your other images too. That visitor found your landing page through a display ad or Twitter card and that’s terrific. But your hero banner can be diluted if you are using various images on advertising and then your banner. All promotions should complement the hero banner. Even if you simply use part of the image because it is large or detailed – that will gently seep into the visitor’s subconscious and they will be reminded of it when they come to your landing page. If the images are the same, they experience a low cognitive load, so their brain does not have to cycle much connecting the Ad to the Landing page. The less cognitive load, the more likely the user is to convert on the page.
Summary
So to summarize, hero banners are not simply pretty images or graphics but a top-notch way to increase conversions on one’s landing pages. Take advantage of A/B testing when using hero images to see which one pulls the most for you. Your hero image can help bring sales to your online “doorstep” and it truly is worth finding the right one. Ask friends and business colleagues for feedback about your hero images as well. When choosing them, try to have product vs lifestyle imagery, dark photos vs light photos and then vector generated images vs real photography. Fortunately there are many images and graphics available, often you’ll find one that meets your needs with far less fuss than one could imagine.
