Images are important elements in your business blog entries. When readers click on an entry, one of the first things they’ll probably notice are the photos. These photos can draw readers into your article or push them away. If, for example, you have a long-winded post with unappealing images, the first impression readers may get about your blog is “boring.” A good photo also helps create an emotional response to your topic. For instance, a beautiful sunset would most probably bring about nostalgic feelings. Finding the right images is thus very important. However, it can also be time-consuming and frustrating for any serious blogger. Here are some tips to get you started on looking for images for your blog:
Use multiple pictures for long paragraphs
Images help to visually break long articles into digestible parts. If you have a long article, use one image for each point you’d like to emphasize or create a slideshow to break up long paragraphs. Take note though that long slideshows can become very irritating for readers who don’t like waiting for each page to load. One good practice is to give an option for readers to see the whole article instead of forcing them to go through each slide.
Make your photos social media friendly
Social media friendly images are those that usually get shared on sites like Pinterest and Facebook. Some types of images that have high virality are:
- cute photos of animals or children
- memes
- quotable quotes
- beautiful landscapes, homes, dresses, etc.
- weird or interesting gadgets and ideas
- infographics
Since you’re most probably sharing your blog entries to the most appropriate social media sites, make your images “share-worthy.” First, make sure that the image is not over-used (case in point is the call center agent that you’d always see on brochures, print ads, and the web). If you’re sharing your article on the image-dependent social network Pinterest, for example, you’d want to use a unique and high-quality image. There are also specific strategies for sharing images on Twitter.
You can check out this RingCentral blog post for sharing via Tweegram. Second, check that your direct competitors are not using the same images. It’s not unusual to see competitors using the same “models” on their sites.
Optimize your photos for search engines
One big mistake bloggers make is uploading their photos with the name Photo00002.jpg. Remember, we call them “search engines” since they’re supposed to make search easier on the net. Nobody is going to search for such an obscurely named photo. Remember to fill up the Photo Alt Text, so images can be optimized for search engines. Also, make sure that the surrounding content and captions closely match your photo but avoid stuffing the content with keywords. The more apt the photo description, the more likely search engines will find the photo relevant. Lastly, make photos moderately sized (Salesforce recommends 100X100 size up to 500X500).
A picture may not be worth more than your words when you’re writing blog entries. But they’re definitely important and deserve a lot of thought.
Author’s Bio:
Henry Conrad is a 29-year-old game developer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aside from gaming and being a tech junky, he also dabbles in creative writing, which allows him to create great storylines and backgrounds for his characters. Follow me on Twitter and join me in Google +