Why Should You Use Images Of Humans On Your Website?

Human faces are extremely powerful design tools. People constantly look for things that are familiar, because familiarity brings reassurance and comfort. When we see a face, we respond with empathy, which helps us connect with and understand what is on a page.

Faces add a human touch to your website and can trigger a range of emotions in visitors, which makes them a valuable element of web design. Here are the effects human faces can have on your visitors, and how to use them well.

Faces catch visitors’ attention

One of the most powerful effects of faces is that they catch attention. People look for familiar cues, and a face gives a page personality and an edge. It makes visitors feel they are in a social setting they can relate to, rather than looking at a cold, impersonal page.

A large face near the top of the page draws the eye, and a face looking toward the visitor makes browsing feel more personal. Compared to a page of only words and graphics, it helps people feel understood and welcome.

Faces increase engagement

One way to keep visitors engaged is to include people. A face provides a personal touch that puts visitors at ease, and many people are drawn to faces because they can see themselves in them. Interactions that involve faces, such as short welcome videos, can be very captivating.

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Faces guide the visitor’s line of sight

Faces are a great way to direct where visitors look. In real life, when we see someone looking at something, we get curious and look too. The same thing happens online, and usability testing has long shown that visitors tend to follow the direction of a person’s gaze on a page.

Use faces purposefully. If you do not think about where to place images, and you do not test them, you waste the chance to guide visitors where you want them to go. You may even distract them from the most important parts of your page, which are your products or services. A photo of a person looking toward your headline or call to action is a simple, effective choice.

Faces help visitors relate to your product or service

People feel more understood when they recognize themselves in the faces they see online. Use images that show different groups of people, or expressions that resemble the audience you want to reach. That makes your site more relevant and shows visitors that it was built with people like them in mind.

Real faces create a sense of trust

Putting people on your website helps build trust between your business and the customer, especially when the images feel genuine and likeable. Team pages, customer stories and support pages often use faces for this reason. Online, it is easy to seem impersonal. People prefer to know who they are dealing with, and revealing who you are makes it easier for visitors to trust you.

Authenticity matters here. Photos of your actual team, your actual work and your actual customers (with permission) build more trust than generic stock photos, and visitors have become good at spotting generic images. Be careful with AI-generated faces too. They can look polished but fake, and they undermine the trust you are trying to build if you present them as real people.

Faces help visitors feel emotion

Emotional expressions are a universal language. People around the world understand laughter and tears, and expressions help visitors picture feelings. For example, a photo of someone enjoying your product can be far more persuasive than a wall of descriptive text.

Faces improve the visual appeal of your website

People are drawn to warm, natural photos, and good photography improves the overall look of a page. Choose clear, well-lit images with natural expressions that fit your brand, and keep style and color consistent across the site.

Recognized experts create a sense of authority

Faces of well-known people can help create a sense of authority, but only if they have real expertise relevant to your product or message. A famous politician may not be a credible voice on fashion or makeup, while a respected stylist or makeup artist would be. For most businesses, the strongest authority comes from showing your own experts, their credentials and their experience.

Groups of people can influence behavior

A single person doing something in an image can influence some viewers, but a group of people doing the same thing has a much stronger effect. A photo of many people smiling in a restaurant, for example, is more persuasive than a photo of one person smiling there. Group scenes draw visitors in and invite them to join an experience that others are already enjoying.

Smiling faces leave visitors in a good mood

Human faces can make visitors smile, which leaves them in a good mood, and they add personality and humor to a site. Look for natural, genuine smiles when you choose images. If you prefer not to use photos of people, illustrations or caricatures are a good substitute.

Make every photo load fast and describe it

Images of people only help if the page stays fast and accessible. Compress your photos so they load quickly on phones, and write short, accurate alt text that describes each image for visitors who use screen readers and for search engines.

If you want to optimize your web design to increase traffic and leave good impressions, adding images of real people is a good place to start. Still unsure? You can always leave it to the professionals to design your website. Feel free to contact us today if you are looking for the best website designers around.