Hero images
What are hero images?
Hero images are images, videos, or any graphic assets (photographs, infographics, etc.) prominently displayed mainly at the top of a website, making them impossible to miss when visiting the homepage.
Their main purpose is to highlight a product, reinforce the brand image, or show the company’s essence at a glance.
1. Using hero images
Using hero images is mainly associated with the website’s homepage, although this trend has evolved over time, and it’s also very common to find them in the main sections of a site, landing pages, etc., where they are used to capture the visitor’s attention again.
- They help tell stories. They are an excellent resource for storytelling and even reducing objections. Whether in the form of a testimonial, social proof, or as the guiding thread of a specific experience, a good hero image helps our message resonate with visitors.
- For special offers. In ecommerce, it’s very common to use hero images to highlight certain products and services. This can be applied to run inventory clearance offers, grab attention with new products, collect visitor data, etc.
- Improving conversions. This is one of the most common reasons to use hero images. Since they capture the visitors’ attention, they are the perfect place to put a very specific CTA for a campaign we really want to succeed.
- To highlight information and improve understanding. The brain processes information faster through images. Add to this the fact that most users don’t like reading too much (they avoid text-only descriptions), and using hero images becomes an excellent way to highlight and summarize, ensuring the message comes across clearly.
2. Hero images in online stores
Given their importance, online stores heavily rely on hero images to capture visitors’ attention. For this reason, it’s common to find real product images that aren’t presented in the usual way.
These are images highlighting critical product information and details, aimed at getting the visitor to add it to the shopping cart.
In this case, hero images must show all the essential information for the buyer clearly and attractively. There are 5 vital elements for these types of hero images:
- Brand or manufacturer.
- Product category.
- Product content.
- Real appearance/representation.
- Supporting typography.