Facebook Community
Change Log
Help Center
- What is a Website Hero Image?
- Importance of a Website Hero Image for Your eCommerce Store
- The Most Common Types of Website Hero Images
- How to Create Brilliant Website Hero Images Based on Your Budget
- Website Hero Image Best Practices
- Level Up Your eCommerce Store with the Website Hero Images that Speak for Your Brand
- FAQ about Website Hero Image
How to Master Website Hero Image for Your eCommerce Store
A hero image is the first thing that the visitors see upon landing on your eCommerce store, hence the extra attention needed to perfect this crucial element. That said, does any image work? What constitutes an efficient hero image? How to convey your brand’s message through a hero image? The answers to these questions can be found right in this blog post, where everything surrounding website hero images will be explored.
What is a Website Hero Image?
A website hero image is the first thing visitors see when landing on your store.
The name ‘hero image’ does speak for itself. This visual element is considered the hero of your digital storefront since it is the initial thing that forms the first impression of your customers. A hero image is typically displayed at the top of a webpage to grab users’ attention toward a specific product, collection, or ongoing campaign. These images are visually enticing and are often utilized to guide users toward a set of key actions, be it making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. Typography and a Call-to-Action (CTA) button are common details that can be found alongside the actual image.
While a hero image is an integral part of every eCommerce website, there are different variations that businesses can implement to attain a specific goal. From the photography style to the strategic placement, everything will be touched on in the next chapters.
Importance of a Website Hero Image for Your eCommerce Store
Captures User’s Attention
Customers move fast when it comes to online shopping, so you want to grab their attention in a matter of seconds. Especially for first-time visitors, the website hero image can make or break their experience, depending on how well they are designed. A brilliant hero image or video will manage to catch one’s eyes, pique their interest in the highlighted product or service, and encourage them to stay on the site longer. As a whole, it is the very element that sets the tone for your brand.
Reinforces Brand Identity
A dynamic website hero image can tell customers a lot about your brand in seconds, thus, being able to reinforce brand identity effectively.
Almost all eCommerce websites proudly present at least one hero image on their home pages/landing pages, so the last thing you want to do is choose a generic photograph that tells shoppers little to nothing about your business. By using visual elements to communicate your brand’s message to customers, you avoid fading into the crowd. Details such as a distinct color scheme, unique fonts, brand logo, and a consistent photography style are all compelling in reinforcing an exclusive brand identity. As a result, a passageway to foster brand trust and loyalty is built.
Highlights Key Products and Campaigns
Similar to a brick-and-mortar shop, there are designated spots on a digital storefront for key products, whether they are new items or bestsellers. A website hero banner is the perfect showcase for this very purpose. If you have just launched a new collection, advertising it on the homepage through an eye-catching hero image is a must. This ensures these new products get the exposure they deserve, thus, boosting sales. During the holidays, a hero banner is the most ideal place to announce your upcoming promotions and invite customers to shop to their hearts’ content. All in all, whenever you ought to make a statement, a website hero image is the MVP.
Improves User Experience
We not only want to captivate customers’ attention, an elevated shopping should be in order as well. With a well-designed hero image, you will be able to deliver a seamless and enjoyable user experience, starting from the moment they visit your site. For instance, a hero banner that advertises the bestselling item in your store can lead customers to the checkout page through simple details like a powerful headline, intriguing text, and beyond all, a strong CTA button that signals the next course of actions (Shop Now, Buy Now, Learn More, etc.). This way, shoppers will know exactly where to go next, making their experience frictionless and smoother. If done right, first-time buyers will turn into repeat customers since they feel like they are carefully guided in every shopping session.
Boosts Conversion Rates
Conversion rates are utterly important to the growth of an online business, and an efficient website hero image strategy can significantly boost them.
When customers feel more inclined to stay on your website and end up having a pleasant experience, improved conversion rates are a direct result. To achieve this sought-after goal, you can make use of none other than a compelling website hero image. For instance, a cleverly placed CTA button gives users the nudge they need to go through with the conversion funnel. Additionally, brand owners can also test multiple variations of a hero image with different components to pinpoint the best one that garners the most sales and conversion rates.
The Most Common Types of Website Hero Images
Website hero images do not have one singular foolproof version, as different businesses call for distinctive types of content. We have compiled a list of the most common types of website hero images for your consideration.
1. Product-Focused Hero Image
Bubble Skincare showcases their most prominent product in the best light on their hero image.
If you come across a hero image where one or more products are the main characters of the photo, chances are it is a product-focused website hero image. This type is mostly used by brands whose products do not require much modeling to showcase their best angle, where the packaging itself is enough. By putting the spotlight on the product in question, visitors are instantly drawn to what is being sold without any distractions. A short but sweet headline, coupled with a succinct description is a solid combo to go alongside this type of image. Skincare, haircare, and packaged FnB products are the most ideal candidates for this style of hero images, as proven by the example of Bubble Skincare above.
2. Carousel Hero Images
Carousel is a perfect type of hero image when you have multiple campaigns to highlight at once.
A carousel, or slideshow, is another commonly used type of hero image. This style allows brands to feature different products and campaigns concurrently by rotating between pictures and videos. Stores with an ample collection of products or running multiple marketing campaigns would be the most avid users of this type, although it is important to note that one does not overdo the number of slides to avoid appearing sloppy.
The Shopify-based electronic store Audeze is a prime example of how to utilize a carousel in a hero banner. Three different products are brilliantly shown on each slide, each with its own headlines, supporting texts, and CTA buttons. Visitors are then given the liberty to explore the product of their choice among these options.
3. Lifestyle Hero Image
Lifestyle shoots help customers envision how the products would look in real-life settings, giving them a sense of familiarity and evoking positive emotions.
Lifestyle hero images are intricate shoots that often feature models and props to replicate real-world settings. The ultimate goal is to show buyers how the products look on real humans doing everyday activities, that is why instead of just placing them in front of a solid backdrop, an elaborate preparation process is needed to produce these photos. If you manage to embrace the spirit of these kinds of images, the effects will be abundant: emotions are evoked, stories are told, and a unique bond is built between your brand and the customers. For a jewelry brand, Pura Vida has embodied this type of visual element with aesthetically pleasing lifestyle images in which their products are naturally featured on the models. Fashion, beauty, and outdoor gear companies are the perfect matches for this style of hero images.
4. Text-Overlay Hero Image
A simple product photo and bold typography is the perfect combination for a striking website hero image.
If story-telling is the core of your brand, it is a good call to incorporate this pattern into your website hero image via text overlay. This style is simple: a high-quality photograph under bold text that aims to deliver a message. With this type of hero content, the roles of the photos and typography are equally important. You are in charge of picking the most thrilling headline, be it a tagline, limited promotional offer, or unique features that only your products possess. Take Brooklinen as one of the best hero image website examples: it places an enticing introduction of its fastest-selling product over serene lifestyle photographs with a clear CTA button to encourage purchase. No wordy description is needed - this is the magic of a text-overlay hero image done right.
5. Website Hero Video
Caption: Bare Bones Broth utilized a hero video to further engage their visitors with the products.
Alt-text: Screen recording of Bare Bones Broth’s website hero video.
Although it is called a ‘hero image’, who says we have to limit ourselves to still photographs? Instead of an auto-scrolling slideshow, why not feature a short clip in place of your hero banner? A hero video is a dazzling visual element that makes your website appear more lively and engaging. It does not have to showcase only the products either - you are welcome to mix it up by uploading footage of your team, the creativity process, customer feedback, product endorsements, and the like. Any brand can give this type of hero content a try, whether it is a food business like Bare Bones Broth, or a technology and high-end fashion company with a story to tell.
How to Create Brilliant Website Hero Images Based on Your Budget
Burst is an exclusive source for stock photos, developed by Shopify for all your eCommerce needs.
If you have reached this part of our article, we are definitely on the same page about the value of a good website hero image in your eCommerce store. But another question remains: how does one produce a worthy hero image for their website? Well, look no further, we will show you the different methods below.
Stock Photos
Budget: Mostly free.
Stock photos are a godsend for business hustlers who are not blessed with much capital. Instead of spending the big bucks to take product images for your store, a multitude of high-quality photos are free to download from a wide selection of websites. Here are our recommendations:
-
Unsplash
-
Freepik
-
Pexels
-
Burst (by Shopify)
-
Picjumbo
-
Reshot
-
StockSnap.io
Homemade Images Taken with Smartphones
Budget: $50 - $200
The camera quality of smartphones these days is comparable to that of an expensive DSLR camera. Thus, taking product photos with your own smartphone is not a bad idea. By investing in a basic lighting system and setup, you can capture stunning shots that are hero image-approved. The editing is also streamlined with common apps like Canva or Lightroom, as well as a plethora of AI-powered tools. Make sure to take notice of the photos’ sizes and resolutions before uploading them to your website.
Work with Freelance Photographers
Budget: $200 - $1000
If you are willing to take it up a notch, partner up with a freelance photographer who specializes in the style you seek (lifestyle, studio shots, food photography, etc.). These photographers often bring their own professional equipment, so your task is to pick a suitable shooting location and present a clear-cut plan of your desired results to ensure the best outcome. The best platforms to find freelance photographers are Fiverr, Upwork, or your local online forums and groups.
Professional Photography
Budget: $1000+
When the budget is flexible, why not go all out with a professional photography session? High-end photography makes way for magazine-quality images that separate your brand from the crowd, all thanks to the professional studio setup, set directors and designers, an A-Z editing and retouching service, as well as a consistent brand visual. Depending on your location, professional photography can start at $1000, so you are the one who decides whether to make it rain or not.
Website Hero Image Best Practices
Apply these tips below to make sure your website looks polished all year round with star-quality hero images.
Use High-Quality Images Only
The aesthetic and visual impact of your hero images might be lost if the quality is not up to standard. The keywords to nail are professional, visually appealing, and on-brand. If the photos look aesthetically pleasing but the quality is not adequate and vice versa, do not use them as your hero images. Having a rigid quality check process is a must to ensure your brand is represented in the best light at all times.
Pay Attention to the Loading Speed
Page speed is everything when it comes to online shopping, hence the need to optimize every media on your site to a T. The hero image is more vital than most, as a slow-loading one can frustrate users and increase bounce rates. On both desktop and mobile, make use of image-compressing tools such as TinyPNG to minimize the size of your photos without losing quality (< 500 KB is the ideal size). Lazy loading can also be enabled to improve your website’s performance.
Keep Texts Clear and Relevant
The supporting texts should tell visitors about the products on screen as clearly as possible.
When you have chosen to add text, it has to be easy to read, first and foremost. Choose colors that stand out from the background with readable fonts, as well as a suitable length. Context-wise, make sure the headline and subtext flow well with each other and stay relevant to the product in question. The tone of the text needs to align with your brand’s voice as well.
GemPages library is not short of templates like the one above that enables you to create your desired text that goes hand-in-hand with your hero images.
Incorporate a Strong CTA
A strong Call-to-Action button encourages customers to explore the product and reach the end of the sales funnel.
Both first-time and repeat customers should be able to navigate your store with no problem, and one way to obtain this is by incorporating a strong CTA in your hero image. This can take the form of an action-driven button that says ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Sign Up’, which can be found right on top or near the hero image. Another example from the GemPages template library showcases the use of two CTA buttons on the hero image to effectively grab users’ attention and get them to explore the product more.
Conduct A/B Tests
The last practice to implement is nothing else but the highly-regarded A/B testing. We have touched on this subject in other articles as one of the most effective tools to optimize your store’s performance, which includes elements like the website hero image. If you are on the fence about which type of hero content works best, test the images, CTA buttons, headlines, fonts, etc., and adjust them based on the data provided. This way, the most optimal options will present itself.
Level Up Your eCommerce Store with the Website Hero Images that Speak for Your Brand
The website hero image is the star of your store, so we have crafted this guide to show you how to make it shine the brightest. How your brand exhibits itself upon first impression will determine the visitor’s next step, and one way to keep them stay until the end of the sales funnel is by investing in a top-notch hero image/video. If the result is not up to par at first, it’s important to persevere until you find that sweet spot. From then on, producing excellent hero banner content that represents your brand will be nothing but smooth sailing. Now get out there and get ready to level up your eCommerce store’s performance.
FAQ about Website Hero Image
