A fascinating case study on landing page hero sections: video hurts conversion there, not helps it. Sahil Patel analyzed 130,000 split tests – and the numbers speak for themselves.
Metrics
- 130,000 split tests in the dataset
- −19% conversion from stock photos in the hero section
- 30–60 seconds – benchmark session duration on a landing page
- 16 seconds – average time spent watching a video
- 45 seconds – how much attention budget a hero video consumes
What doesn’t work?
- Stock photos and abstract lifestyle imagery above the fold
- Video in the hero section
- Autoplay
- Introducing new offers via video instead of reinforcing the main one
What does work?
- Real product screenshots above the fold
- Professionals in uniform instead of happy stock-photo families
- Video below the fold – for cold traffic
- A static screenshot with a Play button if a preview is required
- Explicitly showing video length
Quick test
Translate your landing page into an unfamiliar language and show it to five people. If it’s not immediately clear what the product is – your visuals aren’t working.
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