Be able to come up with an Amazing Hero Image for Your Website
Hero images are large images featured on top of your website, or displayed on your homepage. It is definitely a must for every online store to have and create a hero image on their website to show the user's first glimpse of what your brand or company offers. It is what your potential customers first see, so you must make sure to impress and persuade them right away by creating a great hero image.
Aside from it being called hero image it can also be called as carousel images or banner, but they are just the same. They all have the same purpose and role, which is to give the first impression to potential customers, mind you it is very important.
This post will help you and guide you in creating your own hero image, and it will make you fully aware of the purpose and importance of hero images. This post will also recommend you with plenty of suggestions on which great tools and graphic resources you should use in creating your beautiful hero images for your website. This post will be of great help for you, especially when you are just starting with your online business.
Let’s take the first step!
The Value of Hero Image
The first thing that you will see on any online stores or website is a hero image, on where it takes up most of the home page. Here in the online world, it is very valuable, you just have to use it correctly. It is an asset of yours that you need to prioritize and focused on making to make it look unique, presentable and persuading.
This can of images are can be seen everywhere online, and are available at some of the most famous themes in plenty of theme stores like HitMe.
Be enlightened about your hero images
Hero images isn’t just any display that is put up for noting. It serves a purpose depending on what your goals is and what your business is all about. Stated below are some purposes for the use of hero images:
1. To strengthen your brands’ name and story
When you create your hero image you must sure that it is related to your brand the story you want to imply for that the customers could see what your brand is all about and what it tries to imply. You can strengthen your brands name and also the story of how your brand started and what it offers. It’s effective because it will definitely emotionally touch your customer and would want to trust your brand.
2. Respond and post your FAQs
It is best for you to attend to FAQ’s or Frequently Asked Questions, to address common questions or issues that your customers might ask. To avoid waste of time and also for the customers to be fully aware of other details and information.
3. Feature your value preposition
Having an image hero is a good setting on where you can post and explain your value preposition which means you can explain what your products unique from others, why it is special and good for you. It is where majority of the visitors can see on your homepage. It can make them easily understand what products they are interested in and for them to easily know the worth of the product and how unique it is.
4. Go spread and be heard
If you are having an announcement especially on sales for holidays or anniversary you can just easily use your image hero to announce it for you. It will sure be a great way for people to immediately see your announcement since it is found on your homepage and it is where most visitors can reach.
5. Present and promote your product
If you come to think of it, hero image is meant for showcasing and presenting your products or product line. You want hero image because it is something where people can immediately see and it is where there is majority of visitors. You want to promote your products by announcing it on hero image, to gain easy and more attention from people.
When you choose and apply this page to your website, there are certain things that you must apply and include. Mentioned below are hero image’s important elements.
Certain elements that is a must in your hero image
If you want to have a great and amazing hero image, you must need to apply three elements. If you precisely follow and apply the three elements you will certainly persuade people and reach the goals that you want to achieve, like if you want to convert your online visitors to online customers. This will surely be the best way for you to make that happen.
Try to follow and apply the three important elements that are stated below:
1. Striking and Spectacular Image
Everyone always gets fascinated with eye catching images, that has great quality, big and bright or neutral colours. People would easily get caught up with images that is pleasing to the eyes like excellent photos captured. That is why you should never go wrong with your chosen hero image, it should acquire features that would catch people’s attention, it should have great graphics and images with high resolution for it to look clear and of course high quality just like what you are selling. You don’t need to worry because most of the themes have image resolution that are fit with the size of your hero image.
2. Appealing and Captivating Copy
Everybody finds long messages or lines boring people wouldn’t find it interesting at all because it would consume a lot of time for them just by reading it. So, it is best for you to create a short yet concise copy, so that people would easily understand and at the same time for them to get their attention. Make your message direct to the point, and that would fit well with your hero image.
3. Create Convincing and Firm Call-To-Action
You should be able to present a convincing and important call-to0action to your viewers, for them to easily get to their response. It should have a button or a text where they could just easily click, which would take them to what you are trying to get them to. Like if you want them to shop now or find out more, they could just easily click a button that can be seen on your page.
Is it really compulsory and beneficial to use rotating hero image?
It is popular nowadays for some sites to use rotating her image, to fully flaunt and showcase their product in every possible angle. Many designers and high-end products are fascinated with this kind of use, because it just rotates on its own every few seconds, without you trying to look for other possible angles or position of the product. But not everybody is pleased by this rotating hero image, some finds it distracting and annoying because the viewer has no control in whether they want to rotate or move the product or not, usability experts does not approve with this, which is very understandable on their behalf.
This is not just a rumor but there have already been test and results that shows and proves that many are not fond with rotating hero image, many doesn’t even click it because of it being such a hassle. There have been sites that posted reasons on why they disapprove this kind of rotating banner and on why you should no longer put it on your list. However, there are products that are fit for rotating banner. You should probably plan it out, for the better of your business. But if you think your product no longer needs rotating banner, which is kind of annoying you should better focus on single image on where you could just show the best photo that you got from your products for possible buyers to see.
If you think rotating hero is fit for the products you are selling, listed below are the things you must consider:
- Always be consistent and in line with your hero images
- Avoid long and boring content, be direct to the point for the viewer to easily get what you’re trying to impart.
- Use small sizes for your images fill size to avoid your site to slow down and load
- Always be minimal with what you are going to post, choose what is needed and is best
- Make sure your viewers can have an easy access with your navigation
The process and details of having to come up with your hero images
Let’s be honest, most online store owners aren’t much of a great designer or aren’t even great in technology stuffs or choosing the right tools when it comes to designing their store’s hero images. But that’s not much of a problem now because there are plenty of applications and tools that you can use, even if you really don’t have any idea of tech stuffs. You can just easily use it, without encountering any complicated steps.
Resources on where you can get your desired images:
It’s not much of a shock to see several of sites or resources on where you can get images that would fit for your hero images. But it would definitely be confusing, out of the plenty of resources to choose it would be hard to choose what images you want to get and use. But you don’t have to worry about it, because we got you a list of the best resources stated below on where you can easily get your potential image.
Resources that are Free:
Burst by HitMe definitely Entrepreneur Friendly- Burst by HitMe offers you plenty of high-resolution photos and lifestyle images that would match with your campaigns and ads. This is like freshly baked out of the oven and is intended for Entrepreneurs, for them to use on their hero images or any marketing campaigns. There are plenty of photos that are added weekly, that is why you should not miss out on what they have offered that is new.
The Stocks an easy navigating website
Aside from this website offers a lot of free best royalty photos, it is very easy for you to navigate. It doesn’t require steps and process that you must follow before you can get your desired image, it’s just easy as one two three. But its catch is that you cannot just search the kind of images that you like, you must have to scroll through hundreds of photos up until you see the one you like.
Death to Stock Photo on Email
It's photos are obviously free and available for everyone. But you can only have access of the photos on email, because they will just send one photo in your email address every month. This is definitely a quick and less hassle way of having unique and cool photos that you can definitely use for any of your businesses or personal use.
The Famous Pixabay
It is something that you can have easy access on, you can choose your desired images over 400,000 free images including illustrations and vectors. You can have multiple choices.
The Commercial Pro Graphic Burger
If you are seeking for numerous photos that are great for commercial use, Pro Graphic Burger is the answer to that. It has plenty of beautiful photos that you can choose from.
High Quality with Pic Jumbo
These is definitely your go to site on where you can get hundreds of photos that are best and of high quality. Every picture is also categorized so that it will be easier for you to find and select your desired photo.
The Ultimate MorgueFile
Most of us are familiar with MorgueFile, not only because it has been serving most of the people for a long span of time but it also has thousands of free images that you just easily search and download for you to use.
Resources that are Paid:
Having a budget for your hero image is definitely worth your money, it has an advantage if you are going to avail paid resources because aside from it offering guaranteed and splendid high-quality photos, it also means it offer special and op images and designs that will surely give you a plus points in making your hero image one of a kind. It definitely is not the usual or ordinary that many can access.
Go right with Creative Market
Out of the numerous paid resources, Creative Market is one of the best options you have. Not just because it will give you high quality photos, and plenty of options that is more likely close to perfection, it also offers you very reasonable prices that would surely be worth it.
Be Professional with 500px Prime
If you want to guarantee that your images are taken by professional photographers, 500px Prime will offer you with thousands of unique and amazing photos that were guaranteed taken by professional photographers around the world. It will surely feel like you have to choose from the best options all over the world.
The one and only Dollar Photo Club
If you are really on a tight budget, you should avail the Dollar Photo Club which every premium photo that you choose is only worth $1.
Stocksy
Another great resources of curated images from curated photographers. Images range from $10 for small images, $25 for medium sized images and $50 for large images.
Choose the best with Stocksy
If you are looking for carefully selected photos from the best photographers, you can immediately choose Stocksy. Their images ranges to $10 up to $50 depending on their sizes.
You can never go wrong with purchasing from stock photos, you can just easily choose from their available photos. But if you are eager to create and shoot your own photography, be more specific with the theme and design that you want, and also with a budget you can just shoot and conceptualize on your hero image.
It doesn’t mean that when you shoot your own photos, it will cost you a lot. It is not that complicated as you think, because you can simply improvise with some of your equipment’s and other decorations. It doesn’t mean that you must take photos with a professional camera, you can still take it with the use of your phones. If you only have few ideas on how to take good photos, you can take online classes from Creative Live.
It offers you steps and guide on how to take great photos with only the use of your phones. Learning how to create and take photos that are fit and appropriate for your hero image for your homepage is also included.
Applications that are fit to use for your Hero Image:
The Famous Adobe Photoshop- This application is obviously popular by many, especially to those photographers and graphic design artist. It offers you wide options on editing your photos and turning it into such beauty. Although it offers $9.99 per month, but it is sure worth your money. Although there are complicated ways on using their tools, you might need a little time and practice to master it.
The quick and easy Pixlr
All smartphone users are sure familiar and have already used Pixlr, it is famous for editing pictures on your phone. It is very easy to use, there are no complicated steps, and everything is easy to understand and use.
But if you don’t have much experience with editing photos from your phone, you might still find yourself a little bit confused with how to use this app, but no need to worry you can search online and use the web-based editor first just to give you a head start.
Exclusive for OS X Pixelmator
This application is worth $29.99; with its price it is guaranteed to give and help you with editing powerful and high-quality photos for you OS X.
You can never go wrong with Canva
It is one of the best and popular editing applications that is perfect for your business, it can create different styles that you want with free stock photos and different elements that you can choose from. It also has plenty of tools that will give you a more amazing photo. This application is just easy and simple to use, all you have to do is just choose, click and drag with the desired position and size that you want.
The Amazing PicMonkey
This is free on your web page, which you can use for creating beautiful photos, logos, and social media graphics that would be great for your business. But this also has a premium version on which you have to pay monthly on which you can gain access to more unique designs and tools.
Create your best hero image
With all the tips and resources shared to create your best hero image, alongside with the importance of hero image. You must know now your options and what to do best. With having a beautiful and refreshing hero image, it will certainly attract potential customers and repeat customers because that is what catches their attention first and they will also think of you and your brand as a high-quality brand.
You can just simply apply all those that were stated above, all you have to do is to boost your eagerness to nail your hero image and not waste any time but start now.
