Did you know that 75% of online shoppers base their buying decisions on product images? It means photos breathe life into the otherwise bland text and help sell your products and services! 

A new website is created every three seconds in today’s competitive landscape. Therefore, it’s crucial to stand out if you want to turn casual visitors into paying customers.

For your website to succeed, it must be robust and aesthetically pleasing. After all, you only have a mere 0.05 seconds to grab your customers’ attention and make a lasting impression. 

Having aesthetic, clear, high-quality visuals helps you better communicate and connect with customers. This, in turn, enhances the user experience, which leads to increased user retention and a lower bounce rate. 

However, many website owners are still unaware of photos’ impact on engagement and sales. In this post, we’ll share how images help improve website conversion and the tips to use them effectively. 

4 Ways Images Help Increase Website Conversions

Images are the powerhouse when designing your website. Users spend an average of 5.94 seconds looking at the website’s main picture. This proves how powerful pictures are and their role in the digital world. Let’s discuss how they help boost your website’s conversion rate. 

1. Enhance Relevance to Your Products or Services

In the era of digitalization, relevancy is the key. People are more likely to remember information if a relevant image is paired with it. The chances of visitors converting into buyers increase when they see images that relate to their needs and preferences. 

A picture is worth a thousand words when it is in the right context. Using random pictures that don’t make sense can actually hurt your chances of getting more customers. The purpose of your strategy becomes null and void, leaving the audience confused about your offerings. 

2. Showcase the Benefits of Your Products or Services 

Relevant pictures of your products or services immediately convey its benefits. People browse your site to look for solutions to their problems. If it answers their issues, they are more likely to explore it. 

For example, a mother-to-be is looking for a dress to wear to her baby shower. She is feeling sad, thinking that nothing fits her anymore. Yet, she wants the dress for the special occasion and is searching for one that comfortably fits her.

These dresses from Motherhood reassure her that she was, is,  and will always be beautiful. The pictures provide a visual context of how she will look wearing this dress. 

Airbnb is another example of how pictures help highlight the benefits of products or services. When visitors search for accommodations, this site presents them with a wide array of images. These pictures help showcase the property, its amenities, and the surrounding area. All this helps potential users visualize their stay. 

Let’s say a user is searching for a ‘family-friendly rental.’  

Airbnb presents images that provide information regarding the rental. The picture of a cabin, such as its spacious living rooms, porch, and outdoor area, immediately conveys the benefits of choosing this rental. The photo of the children playing also reassures users that their kids will have fun and lets them make an informed decision. 

3. Improves the Aesthetics of Your Website 

Think of the last time you enjoyed reading long chunks of text. Chances are never. But what if we ask you to remember your favorite ad? An image must have popped up in your mind. 

Visuals improve the appeal of your website, help grab users’ attention, and make them want to stay. This stay encourages people to explore your site and take the desired action that helps the website’s conversions. 

Take a look at the Avoriaz 1800 website’s homepage. It’s a ski resort in Morzine, France. 

The website offers breathtaking views of winter and summer tours. High-quality photos pull all the right strings and put you in the vacation mood, urging you to explore more! 

4. Encourage Social Sharing 

Images that grab the audience’s attention and resonate with them have the power to go viral in seconds. They create a buzz in the digital world; before you know it, your brand is all over the Internet. 

Having visually compelling and relevant pictures in your social media strategy can do wonders for your brand. Users who relate to your pictures will likely become your followers and share your content. 

The increased sharing improves the chances of your content reaching a wider audience, leading to more engagement. This boost in engagement increases your website’s visibility, which helps drive traffic and conversions. 

Tips on How to Use Images That Convert 

We discussed the ways images can fuel conversions. Now, let’s talk about the tips and tricks you can use to ensure that your photos convert. 

Original Photos Versus Stock Photos

When incorporating images into your site, there are two options: original pictures or stock photos. Using original images is always beneficial, but sometimes there are constraints like time and money.

In situations like these, you can obtain stock images from reliable sources. However, care must be taken to avoid using stock images that are too common. Some editing with Canva or other software like Adobe Photoshop can do wonders for your site. 

Whichever path of pictures you choose, ensure that the images you select go well with your website’s theme and content. 

Go Creative With 3-D and 360-Degree Images

Think outside the box and go creative with your images. Gone are the days when 2-D images were the only option to showcase your product or services. With the recent technological revolution, the stage is yours. 

Users these days not only want to see the products, but they also want to experience them – in a virtual way, of course. 3D and 360 images give visitors this leverage by engaging them in an immersive experience. These images allow people to interact virtually with your product, like in a store. 

In a 360-degree view, the images allow users to view the product from all angles. Human eyes have a view of nearly 180 degrees, which doesn’t give a sharp field of view everywhere. But with 360-degree product photography, users can see all sides of the product in a rotation form. 

This enables online consumers to understand better what they’re buying. Incorporating this in your marketing strategy would do wonders as it can significantly increase the conversion rate. An online retailer, DueMaternity, employed 360-degree images in their strategy and saw a whopping 27% increase in their conversion rate. 

This chair from IKEA exemplifies how brands leverage 360-degree photography in their marketing campaigns. Visitors can use the drag-to-spin feature to view the chair from all angles. 

On the other hand, 3-D images create a sense of depth, volume, and perspective to the traditional, 2D flat photos. These images make your website vivid, bright, and distinct and have the power to generate sales. 

Users can rotate a product, zoom in and out, and customize it in real-time, which improves the online shopping experience. These photos are visually engaging, which hooks users to your website, making them spend more time and explore more pages, ultimately increasing the chances of conversions. 

Many brands also leverage interactive 3D models that allow customers to customize products in real time. This level of interactivity reduces product returns by 35% and decreases buyer’s remorse as customers are able to see the details of a product more clearly. 

For example, customers can change a product’s size, color, or configuration to see how it would look in real life. 

Take a look at these shoes from Nike:

Let’s say the customer has a different preference for colors and wants warm tones on her sneakers. By using the design your own feature, she can create the sneaker she desires, 

Nike gives customers the option to interact with the product and design it according to their needs. This level of immersive experiences reduces the pre-buying anxiety, leading to more sales. 

Give Your Brand a Mascot

If you want to add a personalized touch to your website, try giving your brand a mascot to create a unique bonding experience. They can be anything, from cartoon characters to animals or dresses. It could also be a symbolic representation as long as it’s relevant to your site. 

This personal touch to your business would have a lasting impression. It leaves an imprint of your brand in the customer’s mind. When businesses go out of their way and incorporate custom strategies in their branding, the chances of recognition are high. 

Take a look at Duracell’s mascot. The super-charged bunny is a visual representation of the brand’s personality. It perfectly fits the idea of limitless energy. 

Show Off Testimonials 

Testimonials play a significant role in attracting customers. They increase the chances of purchase by 34%. If potential visitors read something positive about your business, they are likely to convert into customers. 

A page or section dedicated to images of testimonials from your customers can increase your website’s conversion rate. It is a solid social proof that reassures the users and encourages them to take the desired action. 

You can create an image gallery featuring people’s product reviews. 

This strategy will boost your website’s credibility. However, care must be taken not to post fake reviews, as people are clever and can distinguish between fake and real.

The Tea Story website features a slideshow of testimonials on its home page. The beautiful floral design creates a cozy, welcoming environment that encourages visitors to hang around and read about people’s experiences. 

The mastermind behind this website truly deserves applause as the website beautifully showcases the positive reviews. 

Summing Up 

You must know how images can help increase the conversion rate by now. Try incorporating the elements discussed in this article into your marketing strategy and see the magic. 

Remember, it’s crucial for your visuals to be relevant and clear to leave their mark on the website’s visitors so that they turn into loyal customers. Good luck!