If you knew that only one simple change can make your blog posts more popular, would you make that change? Probably yes, and that’s why today I want to explain why exactly images and infographics are so important for each blogger and how they can make your blog more popular.
1. They make text easier to read
Sadly, it’s hard for many people to read big writing pieces these days. The Internet can be viewed not only as a valuable source of information but also as an informational dump. Every day we see lots of informational pieces – blog posts, social media posts, news, commercials, etc. No wonder that it affects us in not so good way.
Various researches show that people’s ability to concentrate has decreased with the development of the Internet. Today many of us find it hard to process big amounts of information: that’s why so many bloggers advice making the paragraphs smaller so they are easier to read.
Images can be used for the same exact reason: when they appear in the middle of the text, they make it seem smaller and so people think that it will be easier for them to read such text.
2. They catch readers’ attention
However, that’s not the only reason why images and infographics matter. They also help catching readers’ attention better than texts. As mentioned above, people’s ability to concentrate has decreased, so they close the tab if a text doesn’t manage to catch their attention in the first few minutes. That’s why images are so important: they can make your readers stay on a page longer and actually get them to read your text.
What’s even more important is that images also make your posts more memorable, especially if we’re talking about infographics. People can associate the written content with the visual one or simply remember the images well. This could encourage them to return to your blog after some time or to recommend the post to their friends.
3. They help illustrate your point
Well-chosen images and infographics can illustrate your point better than hundreds of words. But even if you write very well, they can still be used to emphasize something and to make your posts more appealing.
Moreover, most of the top bloggers use images to illustrate their posts on a daily basis. That’s why some readers might think that if your post lacks images, it is poorly written – most likely, it’s not the impression you want to make.
4. They can increase social media traffic
When you surf social media, you stumble upon dozens of articles; however, you don’t actually open all of them. Probably you choose the ones that have some kind of a header image (though today it’s hard to imagine the ones that don’t) and make your choice based on the images that appeal to you the most. That’s how most of the people make their decision, so you can increase your social media traffic simply by choosing nice images.
5. They can increase your posts’ value
If you are able to create unique images and infographics, this makes your posts even more valuable. Unique content is always appreciated, but unique visual content is also easier to share. Moreover, people can share it not only on Facebook, but also on image-oriented websites like Pinterest.
Infographics are especially important: it’s one of the most popular types of content. If you create an original infographic for your post, people most likely will share it a lot.
6. They help increase search engines traffic
Images are another thing that can help you boost search engines traffic. First, they help finding your post with the help of images (if you ever used Google images service to look for images and stumbled upon various interesting articles, you’ll understand what I mean). Second, if you write the description and the tags right, this can affect traffic too, leading more users to your website.
7. They look fun and professional at the same time
Though images don’t always represent the amount of effort a writer puts into post creation, they do make the post look more presentable. At the same time, they help easing the reading process a bit, especially when an article is serious. Just imagine yourself, trying to read, analyze and remember a complex blog post – and then seeing a funny image that is somehow still related to what a writer is trying to say. Probably you’ll smile and keep reading, feeling a bit better.
Of course, it’s important not to overdo it: don’t choose too weird images if the post is very serious, but try to make it a bit funny at the same time.
8. They increase the number of views and likes
Things like views and likes are especially important for those, who view blogging as a business. Statistics provided by National Retail Federation show that blogs with images have 94 percent more views than posts without them. Same goes for likes, though it’s hard to talk about specific numbers in this case.
Conclusion
As you see, images can benefit your blog in many ways, making the posts easier to read, encouraging people to share them, increasing the traffic, and so on. Of course, we’re talking about well-chosen images or the ones you create by yourself. If you can make your own images and use them to illustrate your point of view, that’s great. If you cannot, that’s still okay: all you have to do is use someone else’s images, remember about copyrights, and try to be original instead of using memes that are all over the Internet (though in some cases that’s okay too).
It’s also good to check out the competitors or use your favorite bloggers as an inspiration: this way it’ll be easier for you to learn how to choose the right images for your posts.
I hope that my post will help you to decide whether you should use images or not. I wish you good luck with your blogging!
About the Author
Richard Nolan is a blogger and a private tutor, sharing his experience in spheres of blogging, self-growth, and psychology. Richard writes for numerous blogs and gives useful tips for bloggers, students, and teachers. Learn more about Richard on Facebook and Google+