What’s important to your business? Is it acquiring new customers, downloads, or registrations? Your website is one of the primary avenues for making these things happen, and one of the primary purposes of having a website is to drive conversions. So, what is your website doing for you? If you’re not getting conversions, one of the likely reasons is the dreaded awfulness of cheesy stock photos.
I’m just going to come right out and say it: If your website is full of cheesy stock photos, your conversion rate will suffer. One of the primary reasons your website isn’t converting is because you’re using cheesy stock photos. Stock photos aren’t bad, but cheesy, generic, unrealistic stock photos are.
It's Like Talking To The Wall
Stock images aren't inviting. They aren't friendly. They don't make people want to do business with you. People prefer to buy than to be sold to, and cheesy stock images scream selling. Think about it. When you visit a website hoping to discover more about products or services, are you more enticed to purchase if you see a real person at a real business or a stock image of a cheesy woman with a headset on waiting to take your call?
Making your business a real entity with real pictures or well thought out stock images will give the impression that you care about your customers and their experience. I assume you think you are unique and have something unique to offer, right? Why not give that impression on your website.
Ok, How Do I Make It Better?
Not every company has enough budget to hire a photography team, and that’s okay. Stock photos are a great way to add imagery to your website, without having to shell out a ton of money. If you decide to use stock photos, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Authentic > Cheesy
- High-quality > Pixelated
- Avoid photos that are outdated and over-posed
- Go for images that show people in realistic situations
- Choose images that relate to your content
- Change them up by adding typography and design elements, editing the tone with filters and hues, and playing with composition.
I know it may be hard to pour over hundreds of stock photos, so here are a few websites that help to narrow down the process– and these stock photos are surprisingly free. Enjoy!
Conversion Rate Optimization
About the author
Tom Kelly
Tom has worked in digital marketing since he started his career over a decade ago, working across the project and account side of the business.