How faces on websites DESTROY conversion

Summary

The video explains how people-focused hero images can either support a website’s message or distract from it. The headline, problem-and-solution copy, and call to action (CTA) should remain the primary elements. A visual should reinforce them rather than merely fill space.

Key principles

• Photographs draw attention to the person first. Viewers tend to focus on a face and assess whether the person seems trustworthy, familiar, threatening, or authentic. This can pull attention away from the copy and CTA.
• Illustrations are processed differently. They are more likely to communicate a general idea than to prompt the same personal reaction as a realistic face. Simplified or unusual proportions can help characters feel relatable to a broad audience, while highly detailed, realistic characters may seem too specific.
• More faces and detail can overwhelm. Busy illustrations and layouts make a page harder to understand. White space can help reduce that cognitive load.
• Use gaze deliberately. People naturally follow the direction a face is looking. A person looking toward the headline or CTA can guide attention there; looking away from the content can direct users off the page.
• Authenticity and fit matter. Overused stock imagery, overly polished photos, and artificial-looking visuals can weaken trust. The video cautions against publishing AI-generated imagery simply because it looks attractive: familiar or subtly unrealistic styles may feel distracting or inauthentic.
• The visual must match the message. Decorative graphics, charts, overlays, or faces that do not clarify the product can compete with the copy. Sometimes removing the image and improving the text is the better choice.

Website examples reviewed

• An overloaded isometric illustration adds complexity without explaining the product.
• A realistic family illustration may alienate visitors who do not identify with the specific people shown.
• A stylized illustration featuring a diverse group may feel more relatable, though too many faces can still be overwhelming.
• A crowded hero with many characters and elements is difficult to understand.
• A smiling person looking away from the copy draws attention away from the text.
• Remarkable is presented as a stronger example: the person’s gaze leads toward “made for thinking,” while the photo, sketches, and product imagery support the message. The presenter notes that the CTA’s contrast could be improved.
• Reused stock-photo models and unrelated “metrics” graphics feel generic and distracting. The presenter suggests removing them and strengthening the copy.

Closing point

The video compares this issue to banner blindness: people learn to filter out familiar visual patterns. Similarly, stock-like, generic, or uncanny visuals may be ignored—or make a page feel less trustworthy. Imagery should complement the content rather than overload it.

Main speaker/source: A single presenter and narrator from the Malewicz channel, analyzing example websites including Remarkable.