ScoreMySite

Design

Generic stock photos and illustrations

By Caleb Gross · Updated · Based on Jev AI scores of 119 pages

Short answer

Replace stock images with your product, your real team and your real customers. If you need illustrations, use one consistent style that explains something.

Stock photos of people pointing at laptops and generic illustration packs are easy to add and easy to spot. Visitors recognize them and learn nothing from them.

8.7/10

average modernity score across the leaderboard

Why it matters

Images take up the most space on your page. If they're generic, that space builds no understanding and no trust.

Signs your page has this problem

  • Photos of models in offices or handshakes.
  • Illustrations from a popular free pack.
  • Images that would fit any company's site.

How to fix it

  1. 1

    Show the product

    Screenshots and short clips beat any stock image.

  2. 2

    Show real people

    Your team, your customers (with permission), and you.

  3. 3

    Make illustrations explain

    If you use them, show how something works, in one consistent style.

Checklist

  • No stock photos of models
  • Images explain the product or show real people
  • One illustration style if any

Pages that get this right

The highest modernity scores on the ScoreMySite leaderboard.

V

vercel.com

Agentic Infrastructure - Vercel

10.0/10O

ovioui.vercel.app

Ovio · The motion layer for developer websites

10.0/10N

notion.com

The AI workspace that works for you. | Notion

9.8/10

Questions

Is it okay to use stock photos on a landing page?

Sparingly, for backgrounds or context. They shouldn't stand in for your product, team or customers.

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