Will a Picture of YOU on the Header Graphic of your site increase conversions?

[JaniG]

Hey guys,

i am getting my site made for my next launch, and i wanted to see if anyone has experienced better conversions by having their picture on the header graphic of the sales page / opt in page ?

any one here with any thoughts on this?

Jani G

[BurgerBoy]

If you're a beautiful hot looking female it might help.

If you're a butt ugly male it might not help.

[Ryan Shaw]

any way to put yourself as more of a believable , real person, the better I use a good professional picture any time I can on my sites

[JoMo]

A picture of me anywhere wouldn't help sell anything.

[Brian W. Wang]

It depends on if you have a reputation or not. If you're pretty much unknown then it's not really worth the trouble.

However, if you do have the reputation, it will help tremendously.

[Brad Gosse]

Pictures help authenticate your site. The problem is so many stock images out there make some people skeptical.

I recently had some cartoons done of me for twitter etc. These (along with images of myself) have really helped me.

[Wade Watson]

Photographs of people have always had a generally positive effect on conversion in advertising. Anything that humanizes you as a seller is good. Other ways are to use your name in the business name, tell a personal story, mention where you are from, and so forth.

[new2ebiz]

I don't see the need for a picture in the header unless it is your personal site or you intend to brand yourself in that niche.

I have many niches sites where I place images or pictures related to the niche topic in the header graphic, but only use my picture where it might make a difference to my customer; for example, making me more real to them. One might include a picture in an ebay auction to make the buyer feel the object being sold is real.
If it is a information product you're selling the buyer is more interested in what the product can do for them, not how the author looks. On the other hand, you might include some info in the sales letter that shows how you are qualified to create the product.

[JaniG]

Originally Posted by Brad Gosse

Pictures help authenticate your site. The problem is so many stock images out there make some people skeptical.

I recently had some cartoons done of me for twitter etc. These (along with images of myself) have really helped me.

Hey thats great

a cartoon !

i should get one of those done aswell

[JaniG]

Originally Posted by Wade Watson

Photographs of people have always had a generally positive effect on conversion in advertising. Anything that humanizes you as a seller is good. Other ways are to use your name in the business name, tell a personal story, mention where you are from, and so forth.

Very good point.

some people in this thread said a picture of them would not help because they are not 'attractive'...

well it doesn't matter how you look.

its about the psychology.

when someone sees an image of YOU, it makes them realize there is a real person behind the site.

And i think if you use a picture of you in the actual graphical header, it makes people see YOU even sooner, since people usually leave after 3-5 seconds if they are not drawn to your site...

also someone said that it depends on your reputation.

Again, this should have nothing to do with it.

A picture makes your site more real, so for example, if you and another site
was selling 'how to improve your gold swing' product...

...and your site had no picture of you and the other site had a picture of the person that looked real, my guess is that the other site would have a better chance of making the sale.

Ofcourse we need to think about other factors such as good copy etc.. but overall the image of the 'real' person, makes people less skeptical and trust you more..

Jani G

[tommygadget]

Originally Posted by BurgerBoy

If you're a beautiful hot looking female it might help.

If you're a butt ugly male it might not help.

I share this sentiment. Interestingly put IMO.

TomG.

[JaniG]

Originally Posted by tommygadget

I share this sentiment. Interestingly put IMO.

TomG.

IMO, the hot female will help sell your product if your product is a scam lol

selling a REAL product, it doesnt matter what you look like since we are not trying to impress people.

The more 'Real' you look, and Ugly could be more perceived as 'Real' since there are more 'not so good looking' people than 'good looking', then the more trust your prospect will have...

[Dana_W]

Can you do a split test? One header with the picture, one header without, and send half your traffic to one and half your traffic to the other version? I'd love to know the results. But without split testing, anything that anyone says is pure speculation.

[InternetMarketingCenter]

A picture of you in your sidebar or on your "About Me (Us, the Company, whatever)" page is a nice way to build a connection, or if you're doing a long salesletter, next to your salutation. But unless you are selling yourself, you don't need to be in the header. Save that for your product.