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There are more than a thousand ways to optimize your website to maximize conversion rates. The following excerpt from Andrew B. King's Website Optimization explains one of the top 10 factors to maximize conversion rates.
The images that you display on your web pages can significantly improve your conversion rates. If you sell products, including images of those products is an obvious choice.
If you sell a service, you can add an image that represents the benefit and value of your service (see Figure 5.3).
Use the source credibility effect by showing attractive people in uniforms who are administering your offerings and services or answering the phone. Place a picture of your staff on your "About Us" page to improve your credibility and trust by showing that your staff is real.
Follow these best practices for product images:
Use one high-quality image that represents your product or service. If you sell a product, use a photo of the product.
Don't use clip art or stock photos that are not relevant to the product.
Position your descriptive text to the right of your product images. It is uncomfortable for your visitors to read text that is to the left of the product image. Note that most catalogs have the product on the left and the descriptive text on the right. [68]
For multiple images displayed on one page, place your most important products in the center or on the left of the page. Studies have shown that people look at the thumbnails on the right last. [69]
Make your product images clickable. People enjoy clicking on images to view larger, more detailed versions of your "hero shot" (i.e., a picture of your product or service). You can also consider using a pop-up window that offers a larger, more detailed image with additional text describing the product.
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Add a descriptive caption under the image. Studies show that your headline and caption are the two content items on your web pages that are read the most. [70] Captions and part numbers also make good SEO copy (see Figure 5.4).
[68] MarketingSherpa. 2005. Landing Page Handbook 1. Warren, RI: MarketingSherpa, 51.
[69] Ibid., 49.
[70] Ibid., 51.
Is your site easy to find, simple to navigate, and enticing enough to convert prospects into buyers? Website Optimization shows you how. It reveals a comprehensive set of techniques to improve your site's performance by boosting search engine visibility for more traffic, increasing conversion rates to maximize leads and profits, revving up site speed to retain users, and measuring your site's effectiveness (before and after these changes) with best-practice metrics and tools.
