Eyes follow arrows and gaze

Eye-tracking studies show that people follow the gaze of faces in images. If the person in your hero photo is looking at the camera, visitors look at the face. If they're looking at the sign-up form, visitors look at the sign-up form.

This isn't subtle. Heat maps show a dramatic shift in attention depending on where the face is looking. The same page, same layout, same copy. Just the direction of gaze changed, and click-through on the CTA shifted measurably.

Arrows work the same way. A hand-drawn arrow pointing at a button sounds corny. It also works. The visual cortex processes directional cues automatically. You don't decide to follow the arrow. Your eyes just do.

This extends to layout flow. If your content naturally leads the eye from left to right and downward toward the CTA, the user arrives at the button as a natural endpoint. If the CTA is off to the side or above the content, the flow breaks and the button becomes an interruption.