Caption Test for Images that Boost Your Conversion Rate

The Caption Test

Most of the images used on a webpage do not have a caption. This is unfortunate, because readers who are scanning your page will read these, often more than will read your headline and certainly more than will read your copy.

Many web images don’t have captions because there is no intelligent caption that could be written. If you tried to write a caption for many of the images on your site, you would be at a loss.

This is a sign of irrelevance.

Your images leave me baffled at best, distracted at worst.

Left on their own, what would these images tell you about the site they were found on?

iStock_000012057784XSmalliStock_000000481451XSmallPortrait of a female executive

Not much.

If you’re selling question-mark-shaped doll houses, orange couches or business apparel, these will work. The sites I found these images on are selling financial services, insurance and IT training, in that order.

You’ve seen these or something like them many many times. Your brain filters out images like this on a Web page.

In Identifying Images that don’t Convert: The Caption Test, I propose a simple test that will help you weed out images that are irrelevant to your visitors, and thus are less likely to help your conversion rates.

If you find this educational, you really should subscribe to The Conversion Scientist by email. There is much more coming.

Brian Massey
5 replies
  1. Dave Evans says:

    It’s all about filler. The images you’ve identified–given the way they are being used–are the equivalent of potato chips for your brain. They look good, and fill that void in the marketing materials they were found in. But, like potato chips, they don’f give you much to run on.
    Nice post, Brian.

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] steals the prime real estate in the preview pane. Consider the meaning behind your images, too. As “conversion scientist” Brian Massey points out, if you choose generic stock images just because it breaks up the text, you are directing […]

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *