We talked last month about how to get photos for your blog, but maybe you’re not yet convinced that’s even something you need.  So let’s back up a bit.

You know the feeling when you arrive at a web page and see a wall of text, right? Your reaction is probably the psychological equivalent of backing away slowly before turning & running, but with much less energy expenditure — you simply click away.

Three Reasons Your Blog Posts Need Photos

We live in a visual age, so including images in your blog posts is important.  Here are three reasons why.

Photos Catch Your Audience’s Attention

You can help avoid “tl;dr” syndrome by breaking up your post with an eye-catching image.  Our eyes are drawn to images, and when you’re fighting for attention on the internet (which you are), a striking image can be the difference between a click in or a click away.

Photos Give You Another SEO Tool

Another benefit of including images in your blog posts is that they give search engines another opportunity to find you — if you’re incorporating SEO.  And you can optimize your images in two easy steps:

1. Use a meaningful file name.
2. Include alt-text.

Photos Make Your Posts More Appealing to Share

If you’ve ever shared an article on facebook, you’ve probably noticed that you have the option to select an image from the page to appear with your link.  And thinking about your own habits on facebook, aren’t you more likely to a) actually see the link with a photo and b) click it?

Giving your readers an image to share gets your small business on Pinterest and facebook — and that sort of word of mouth is some of the best, most targeted advertising you can get — and it’s free.

Need More Proof?

The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and MDG Advertising has done a wonderful, statistic-pudding-filled infographic.

Infographic by MDG Advertising

Blog Writing and Pinterest-Ready Graphics at Sarah Writes Stories

If you’re ready to take your blog to the next level but need help doing so, let’s chat!  I’d love to work with you to create a blog that engages your readers and brings in the new customers you’re looking for.