5 common landing-page image mistakes
Beautiful women always attract attention. Beautiful cars make passers-by turn and look. Beautifully packaged sells goods faster. Appearance is always the first thing to impress us.
And what kind of first impression does your landing page design leave? Did you know you have only a few seconds to capture a user’s attention before they move on to another site? On the Internet, pictures matter. If you don’t capture the user’s attention by the pictures on your site – he or she will close the tab.
However, there are 5 categories of images that will help you lose your customers faster than others. Check out these top-5 no-nos for choosing landing-page images – and try not to make the same mistakes.
1) Don’t use well-known pictures or stock photos
This is the story of a cake that keeps on travelling from site to site. Bakeries, confectioneries, catering companies – they all tried to show off their ability to cook this very dessert.
http://www.cakeforestpml.com
http://ctgcafe.com
http://banketzalspb.ru/tortyi.-desertyi/
http://www.bergbrood-banketservice.nl
Your buyer isn’t stupid. If the cake image is overexposed, the buyer will immediately understand that it wasn’t produced by you – and know that your landing page is deceitful. How can you be trusted afterwards?
The same goes for stock pictures with smiling people. It’s strange to see the very same man advertising a dental clinic, a medicinal product for male strength, some kind of fitness, a food supplement and a whole bunch of other things. Moreover, he is able to do this from different cities and countries, using different languages such as Chinese, English and a few others. We might even feel sorry for this guy. Doing it all has probably been quite a challenge!
http://visionline24.ru/magazin-vision.html?shoppage=artum
http://www.bigstep-school.com/kursy
http://www.ayushremedies.in/shilajit-herbal-energy-pills-for-men/
http://www.zahnarztpraxis-welker.de/leistungen/
We could explore the story of this guy for ever and ever. The main thing is for you to get the hang of this idea: stock photos and over-exposed pictures on a landing page are a no-no.
2) Don’t use metaphors of the first circle of associations
Comfort is not only about a pair of soft slippers, a cup of coffee in your hand, a throw blanket and a fireplace.
http://domyuta.com.ua
A lot of other people think the very same way – and you simply get lost in the crowd.
A similar throw blanket, armchair and a fireplace
Be original, add a touch of creativity
A man in a hammock is not a new thing, but at least it’s not a hackneyed subject
3) Forget about all those faceless plastic guys
They were already all over the Internet a good 10 years ago: delivering water, fixing computers, building houses.
http://askand.com.ua
http://vodasuper.ru/servis/
http://www.smartienda.cl/plantilla23_slider/default.asp?php=5409
4) Emphasize VIP status correctly
Selling premium products? Providing services for VIP clients? Don’t turn you landing page into a gypsy baron’s barn. There’s no need for tons of gold, gems or banknotes.
This kind of design is suitable only for the gypsy ensemble
Even if you have something to do with gold jewelry, take pity on your user’s eyes. Don’t fill your landing page with a whole lot of multicolored pictures with shiny elements.
So many different things! It’s hard to know what to look at
An example of a high-quality picture with a single piece of jewelry looks much more elegant, doesn’t it?
http://www.sepantadesign.com/
Clean design and a single high-quality photo of your VIP service is the best solution to emphasize your status.
An example of such a picture used by a company that provides elite taxi services:
https://www.seattleviptransportation.com
5) Don’t overuse cat pictures
Everyone knows that cat pictures get the most likes on the Internet. That’s why some people are so eager to fit cute cat images into their landing page design.
There are a lot of jokes and cool talks on this subject on the Internet.
Here we have an example of a grocery supermarket advertisement featuring the Internet’s most famous cats:
And this page seems to have been created especially for people who love having a lot of cats all at once
http://cat-bounce.com
If you’re selling cat food or promoting a veterinary clinic, the all-time favorite cat pictures are a must. But there’s no need for a cat on a landing page for selling socks:
It’s hard to tell what a cat has to do with a company selling socks in Tomsk. http://noskivtomske.ru/
It’s OK to love cats, but try not to saturate your landing page with pictures of them.
What pictures should you choose?
If you want a beautiful landing page and avoid mistakes, the best option is to make your own unique images or photographs.
- Try choosing relevant pictures that tell the user about your product or services, show the process of manufacturing or the result of your work.
- If you want to show a particular person – say, the one who answers the phone calls, fills orders or delivers goods, it might be a good idea to have a professional photo session of your employees.
- As for the review page, it’ll be better to show real faces of your grateful clients. Choosing a picture with some model’s fake smile will not only leave the user unconvinced, but can also have a negative effect on your reputation by being patently fake.
- Choose new creative ideas, not associations that are painfully familiar to everyone.
- If you want to tell the user that you’re providing premium-class services or goods, use high-quality photos and stylish design, not tons of gold and jewels on your landing page.
- It’s okay to love cats. but leave them at home, not on your landing page.
And remember: we’re always here to help you create a landing page with a unique design.
