Hero Images

What are hero images?

Hero images are the photos, illustrations, or videos you see at the top part of web pages, usually occupying the entire height and width of the upper fold.

If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:

Question #1: What are the benefits of using this kind of image?

The biggest benefits of using hero images include:

1. They help immediately capture your visitors’ attention
2. They can help better illustrate your unique selling proposition
3. They can help make your visitors want to explore the rest of your website

Let us go over each one in more detail:

First, by having a massive photo, illustration, or video at the top of your page, you will be able to more easily capture your visitors’ attention than if you just had a text headline—which is extremely important considering you only get about eight seconds to win a visitor over before they move on to another website.

Second, hero images are a great way to get your unique selling proposition across—but only when it is actually related to what you are selling and combined with a clear, compelling headline.

Finally, a great hero image can help make your visitors want to hear more of what you have to say. Think of it as a movie trailer and the rest of your content as the movie itself. If your trailer is an irrelevance, intriguing, exciting, or interesting enough for your visitors, there is no way you will be able to get them to check out your movie.

Question #2: What are the disadvantages of using it?

The biggest disadvantages of using hero images include:

1. They increase page load times
2. They can negatively impact your brand when used incorrectly

Let us take a closer look at each one:

First, images and videos naturally take longer to load than text content, so hero images will increase your page load times—by a lot if most of your visitors come from locations with slower internet speeds—which, in turn, can reduce your traffic by as much as 20%, according to a study done by Google.

Does this mean you should just forget about using hero images?

Not at all! It only means that you should make sure that you only use optimised image and video files hosted on a fast content delivery network (CDN) to minimise the impact on your page load times.

But what about hero images negatively impacting your branding? How does that work?

Well, if you choose images or videos that are low quality, generic, or completely unrelated to the message you are trying to get across, it can make your brand appear cheap and mediocre to prospects. So, make sure that you only use high-quality materials that perfectly capture what you are trying to say.

Question #3: How do I choose hero images to use?

You choose hero images to use based on the message you are trying to get across. As a general rule, your chosen image or video should clearly show the benefit of whatever it is you are trying to sell to the customer.

For example, if you sell singing lessons, then an image or video of a young singer performing on stage in front of a large crowd would be a great hero image to use for you.

If you sell travel packages, on the other hand, then you can use a photo or video of a happy traveller (or group of travellers) either at a breathtaking location or at an airport, about to board a plane.

Question #4: Can I use stock photos or videos as hero images?

Yes, you can use stock photos or videos as hero images, but you need to make sure that you only use something that not only perfectly captures your branding and message, but is also high quality and unique. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your brand perceived as cheap, generic, and mediocre.