Choosing Between Conversion and Experience: When to Skip Hero CTAs

Does Your Hero Section Really Need a CTA?

“Hero” is the most focused section on the website. Many businesses expect it to do the magic, especially when they’ve paid so much for a website design; …the first page must bang. It’s some designers’ nightmare.

Hero sections traditionally carry a few core elements: the headline copy, subheadline (subcopy), a nice background or illustration, CTA button(s), and navigation.

Most designers interpret the CTA as the most important part of the hero section. It’s treated as non-negotiable. But here’s what I’ve learned through designing for different contexts: the CTA isn’t always the hero section’s main job.

The question isn’t just “does your hero need a CTA?”; it’s “what is your hero section actually supposed to do?”

The False Assumption: CTAs Belong Everywhere

We’ve been conditioned to believe that every hero section needs a button. It’s become the default. But here’s the thing: not all designers question this. Some follow the rules and norms without doing thorough UX thinking or research into what actually works for their specific project.

I don’t just follow trends. I look at what really works, and that means understanding my users deeply. The same design solution that works for one project might fail for another, simply because the context is different. And context is everything.

This false assumption comes from a specific context: conversion-focused design. When your goal is immediate action, the CTA makes sense. But not every website exists to convert in that way.

Here’s the problem: many teams assume they need a CTA without thinking critically about whether it serves their actual users. The internal pressure is real; stakeholders see a prominent CTA as proof that the design is “driving action.” But a cluttered, poorly-placed, or contextually wrong CTA can actually hurt the user experience and reduce conversions.

The irony? The thing you added to boost conversions might be the exact thing preventing them.

Outside this article, read about “psychological principles of different types of buttons” … lets go further on this conversation instead..

Understanding the Two Paths: Conversion vs Experience

There are fundamentally two different jobs a hero section can do:

Path 1: Conversion-Focused Heroes

These hero sections exist to drive immediate action. Their primary goal is to get users to click, sign up, download, or subscribe right now. The CTA is essential because conversion is the entire point.

Examples: SaaS platforms, e-commerce sites, app download pages, waitlist signups, subscription services.

Path 2: Experience-Focused Heroes

These hero sections exist to set a mood, build trust, showcase work, or tell a story. The action comes later, or happens naturally as users explore. The experience itself is the engagement.

Examples: Photography portfolios, creative agencies and portfolio, luxury brands, art sites, company rebrand announcements, media/journalism sites.

The Tricky Part: CTAs Still Exist, Just Differently

Here’s where it gets nuanced: experience-focused sites don’t mean no CTAs. They mean CTAs that don’t dominate the hero section. The idea is that they appear as alternatives, positioned contextually where they make sense.

Why does this matter?

Because on experience-focused websites, you want visitors to enjoy everything you’ve built on the platform. You want them to explore, engage, and feel the quality of your work before asking them to act.

Think about portfolio websites. Developers and designers always want to outdo themselves; to showcase their best work and let it speak volumes. A prominent “Hire Me” button in the hero breaks that immersion. Instead, the work is the engagement. The CTA comes later, naturally, when someone is already impressed and scrolling through your projects.

The experience builds trust first. The action follows naturally. That’s the difference.

See the design context below: one version of the website has a dominant CTA, while the other features an alternative action that is likely hidden under the menu modal on mobile, but is visible on desktop view.

Real-World Example: The Photography Website

The design shot above was designed by me, along with others I’ve shared throughout my work. But let me focus specifically on the photography website redesign… because this is where my approach to the hero section fundamentally shifted.

My goal was simple: make the photos the CTA.

The photographer’s best work is the invitation. A loud “View Portfolio” button would be redundant and would break the immersion. Instead, I used subtle navigation and let users naturally scroll to explore.

Here’s what changed in my thinking: I stopped asking “what button should go here?” and started asking “what does this visitor actually need right now?” The answer was clear; they need to feel the work, not be pushed toward an action.

The subtle contact link exists (because bookings do need to happen somewhere), but it’s positioned contextually, not in the hero, where it competes with the imagery. It appears where it makes sense in the user’s journey.

That’s the difference between forcing a design convention and serving the actual user experience.

When Experience Speaks: Skip or Reframe the CTA

For experiential and visual-first websites, a prominent CTA button often feels forced and distracting. The hero’s job is different:

• Set the mood — Let the visuals and copy establish the emotional tone
• Build trust — Show (don’t tell) through quality work and storytelling
• Let the work speak — The content itself is the invitation

When to Include a CTA (But Make it Smart)

If you’re in an experiential space but still need some form of call-to-action, consider these alternatives to the standard button:

• Subtle link or navigation — Understated but clickable, doesn’t dominate the design
• Scroll indicator — Invites users to explore without pushing a specific action
• Form field — Integrated naturally (e.g., email signup without being aggressive)
• Secondary visual element — An icon, arrow, or design element that guides without shouting

The CTA can exist without being the hero’s focal point.

Conclusion: Context Over Convention

The real lesson isn’t “never use CTAs in hero sections.” It’s “use them when they serve your actual goal, and skip them when they don’t.”

Too many designers add CTAs because it’s what’s expected, not because it’s what the design needs. This leads to cluttered, ineffective hero sections that try to do too much.

Consider this: Cognitive load theory tells us that every element on a page competes for attention. An unnecessary CTA increases mental effort and reduces focus. Similarly, the Zeigarnik effect shows that people remember incomplete experiences better sometimes, and not telling them what to do creates more engagement than spelling it out.

Before you design your next hero section, ask yourself: What is this hero actually supposed to do? Is it here to convert, or to experience? The answer will tell you everything you need to know about whether you need a button.

Choose wisely; based on context, not convention.

Work by

Daniel Ayomide ✦

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