There is an illustration style (stylised, flat-coloured people in generic "teamwork" or "using a phone" poses) that has become so common it has stopped communicating anything specific about any particular brand. It is no coincidence: these are stock templates used by thousands of websites at once, possibly including your direct competitor. The real question is not "illustration yes or no", it is when that genericness stops being acceptable and starts costing you differentiation.
When stock imagery is the right call
For businesses with a limited design budget, or for content with a short shelf life (a one-off news item, a secondary blog post), quality stock imagery remains a reasonable and efficient choice. The problem is not using it, it is using it on the elements that should actually differentiate you: your homepage hero, your flagship service's icon, the image that will repeat across every brand ad for months.
Where custom illustration actually shows and pays for itself
On the homepage hero, on the main service pages, and on any piece that will repeat across a lot of marketing material, a custom illustration (with your own brand colours, perhaps depicting a scene that literally represents what you do) conveys a level of care the visitor notices, even without being able to explain why that site "looks different" from others in its sector.
The middle ground many small businesses do not know about
Between commissioning 100% custom illustration (more expensive, slower) and using generic stock without touching anything, there is a real middle ground: buying a stock illustration with an editable license and changing its colours to match your brand palette. It is not as differentiating as a one-of-a-kind piece, but it costs a fraction of the price and already stops looking like it came from the same template everyone else uses.
Real photography as a third path
For businesses with a physical location, a visible team or a tangible product, real photos, even simple ones taken with a good phone, almost always convey more authenticity than any illustration, however nice. Illustration pays off mostly when the service is abstract (software, consulting) and there is nothing physical to photograph naturally.
Frequently asked questions
How much does commissioning custom illustration cost compared to stock images?
It varies a lot depending on style and complexity, but it usually ranges from several times the price of a stock license up to much higher figures for very elaborate or animated illustrations.
Can I mix custom illustration with real photography on the same website?
Yes, it is common and works well if style and colour consistency is kept between both types of asset, avoiding the impression that they were pasted in from completely different sources.
How do I avoid my stock illustration looking as "burned out" as other websites' does?
By always searching by the exact file name before using it, to check how many other websites it already appears on, and by prioritising recent or less popular illustrations within the stock library itself.