7 reasons why visual content is critical to a successful blog
1. Blog images make your content interesting to read
According to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of people are visual learners. When bombarded with endless paragraphs of text, most readers click off a blog or continue scrolling in their social media feeds. Graphics provide visual relief to blocks of (boring) text and increase readers’ interest in and engagement with your content. Copypress found that Facebook posts with graphics get 2.3 times more engagement than plain text.
An illustrative and contextual graphic will interest your readers and encourage them to keep reading, driving up time-on-page and lowering bounce rates- both of which are important UX signals about your site to Google.
2. Including blog graphics makes your content instantly more shareable.
People like to read content with graphics, and they also prefer to share content with more visual content. A BuzzSumo study found that articles with an image every 75-100 words got double the amount of shares than articles with fewer images. In addition, tweets that feature graphics get 150% more retweets. A company blog aims to build brand awareness, so creating highly shareable content increases brand awareness and drives traffic to your site.
3. A picture is worth 1000 words.
Often a single graphic can summarize and clarify a complicated concept that takes paragraphs to explain. Including tailored “how-it-works” images and videos in posts discussing augmented reality (AR) and visual support will help readers understand the product, feel it and interact with it much more effectively than a lengthy text explanation.
4. Visual content makes your brand memorable
You want people to read your content, and you want people to remember that the content came from you, so they will come back for more. According to Brainrules, people only remember around 10% of an all-text article 3 days later vs. 65% of an article with graphics. Including branded graphics helps readers remember that you’ve got great content to offer.
5. Blog graphics help highlight important points quickly
We are a generation of skimmers, adept at quickly absorbing and classifying content as useful or not. (VWO) That also means we won’t waste time on boring or unhelpful content. Creating interesting pullout quotes or statistics helps skimmers understand your point quickly and easily and sends a message that your content is worth reading. Infographics are especially engaging and help readers understand the key data you want them to know.
6. Graphic metadata holds SEO value that can help your post rank higher.
Including relevant graphics with proper alt tags and descriptions helps search engine algorithms better understand the context of your post. Search engines consider a well-written post with several well-optimized graphics more robust and may rank it higher as a better-quality search result than a plain-text result. Furthermore, creating branded, quality graphics allows your post to rank in image searches, which can drive more traffic to your site. (Search Engine Watch)
7. Branded graphics make your brand stand out and improve brand consistency
People haven’t only become experts at skimming through text– they are also quite adept at filtering out generic stock images that add little to no value to your content. A photo of a person with a headset in a post about AR in customer service is as boring as it is meaningless. It can be used to illustrate thousands of scenarios and industries and doesn’t proactively help your reader understand the point of your content.
However, a customized, branded image showcasing a customer service representative using AR helps the reader understand you’re going to discuss something that offers unique value. Furthermore, graphics formatted with company colors, designs, fonts, and logos increase brand consistency and make your brand more recognizable.
Types of blog images to include:
- Infographics
Infographics are a great way of presenting massive amounts of information in an easy-to-digest format. Infographics are one of the most shared peices of content. Besides driving more attention, shares, and other forms of engagement, infographics can increase website traffic by 12%.
- “Pull out” style quotes.
Quotes add credibility to your content. Quotes presented in text formats can get easily lost. In comparison, quotes that are presented visually can be great visual assets. Such visual quotes will get more shares, backlinks, and buzz on social media networks.
- Statistics
Statistics presented visually help users to understand the message you are trying to make in your content by skim readers. Visual statistics will get many shares and backlinks and build brand awareness using branded colors, logos, and fonts.
- Fun Facts
Fun facts help keep the user engaged and provide visual relief by breaking up long sections of text. Fun facts make your content more memorable and get many social media shares.
- Graphs and pie charts
Data visualizations such as graphs and pie charts can communicate complex and large amounts of information in an easy-to-understand manner. Graphs and charts add credibility to your content and make them far more engaging.
- How-to/demo images
How-to graphics not only serve to build and deepen the emotional connection with the reader by helping them in a concrete way, they also boost brand recognition and help readers remember your brand sometime later when they might need your product or service.
Graphics are easily implemented into the blogging process.
Creating a branded graphic strategy involves deciding on-brand colors, styles, fonts, and other technical points. However, after hammering out basic brand templates, adding graphics becomes just another step in the blogging process. Finding unique images and branding them with text, color, and logo is simple with inexpensive tools like Canva and Venngage. As demonstrated above, this short-time investment delivers significant ROI, upgrades the UX, and boosts SEO significantly.
Conclusion
Creating visual content may take a little extra effort, but it is worth the effort as it gives a massive advantage in the value of your blog.
Blog images affect how people digest, understand, retain, and engage with content. Visuals also affect how successful that content is in ranking in organic search and how people react to it.
Use visual content to your advantage and help people and search engines understand your content better, more quickly, and efficiently, and watch your company blog attain new heights that you never knew were possible.
FAQs about visual content
What is visual content?
Visual content is a term for various visuals, primarily image-based. Some common types of visual content include pictures, charts, infographics, videos, gifs, screenshots, and slide decks. Visual content helps readers to understand content better, faster, and more sustainably.
How many blog graphics should I include in my content?
Including an image for every 150 words in your content is recommended. Although there is no set formula for deciding how many images you should include for your content. Blogs with more graphics get more shares and retweets than blogs with fewer images.
How to choose the type of visual content to include in my blog?
Here are some guidelines to help you choose the type of graphics to include in your content. Consider:
– What graphics will complement my content?
– Which types of visual content will add to the message I am trying to convey?
– How can I align my visuals with my brand identity?
Images are important in building an effective brand and creating engaging content. Selecting the right blogging images can help you take your SEO content marketing efforts to the next level to connect with prospective customers more effectively.
