> The images just need to get across a vibe, they don't need to be perfect
I dislike super generic stock photo at the beginning of an article. It’s completely pointless, sometimes aesthetically unpleasant, often disconnected with the actual content, and hence a distraction.
If neither you nor the reader cares about the stock photo, why not just forsake the thumbnail or use your website’s logo?
Those metrics imply that what images are being used is completely irrelevant. Either that's true, and we could all just use the same photo everywhere (I suggest the one of St. IGNUcious, Your Mileage May Obviously Not Vary - all hail the irrefutable and infallible 2.3x metrics!) or it could still be true that a "super generic stock photo at the beginning of an article" is, indeed, pointless.
I dislike super generic stock photo at the beginning of an article. It’s completely pointless, sometimes aesthetically unpleasant, often disconnected with the actual content, and hence a distraction.
If neither you nor the reader cares about the stock photo, why not just forsake the thumbnail or use your website’s logo?