Why You Can’t Afford Not To Use Graphics On Your Blog
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*This is a collaborative post
Now, perhaps more than ever, it’s increasingly apparent that people love visuals. The popularity of social media such as Instagram and Pinterest show that people absolutely love looking at and sharing visual content.
If you’re a blogger or website owner wanting to stand out amongst competitors in your niche, creating and using good images and graphic design is vital.
Why It’s Essential To Use Images And Graphics On Your Blog
People Are Visual
We process images a lot faster than text. Thousands of times faster in fact. With 65% of people being ‘visual learners’, to ignore that and simply present a wall of text is essentially shooting yourself in the foot.
It’s More User Friendly
Using graphics and images can not only enhance what you’re saying, it can also make it more clearer and more understandable to your readers. You’re more likely to communicate your message effectively.
You’re More Likely To Get Views And Shares
Research has shown that articles with relevant images get on average 94% more views than those without. If you want your content viewed, adding visuals should be a priority.
As mentioned above, we are in a supremely visual age, with a huge percentage of the population active online and on social media. Content with images simply gets shared more, so if you want to have your content shared, you need to be creating eye-catching shareable graphics. That could be info-graphics, pin images, memes, Instagram photos, Twitter images, visuals for Facebook, the list goes on.
There are so many options in which you can use graphics to get your content out there.
It Helps With Branding
From your logo to your theme, the images and graphics you use all come together to create a style of branding for your site. Using consistent images and graphics that complement each other will give your whole site a more cohesive and professional feel.
How To Get Started With Graphic Design
You might be thinking that’s all well and good but what if you don’t have any experience creating graphics? Honestly, even if you’ve never tried it before there are some easy ways to get started and it doesn’t have to be complicated.
You don’t have to pay a designer, or even spend lots of money on design products. There’s some great software, design elements and stock photography available that is affordable and even free.
First you’ll need a tool to create your designs with – lots of people use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Another option I love is Canva – you can use the free version or upgrade for extra functions. These tools allow you to add your chosen images and fonts and edit your designs to create your own graphics to use on your website and social media platforms.
If you need help to use them they include their own tutorials to follow and there are tons of great guides available with a quick internet search.
Where To Find Affordable Design Elements
When you’re sourcing your photos and design elements, you’ll always need to check the license to make sure it covers you for your intended use.
A great way of getting some good and affordable design elements is to take advantage of Graphic Design Bundles – you can purchase bundles of graphics such as backgrounds, fonts, clip art, textures, patterns and more, at lower prices than buying individually. They also have a great collection of design bundles available for free (I’ve made use of some of those for the images in this post).
When it comes to using photos on your blog, there are plenty of free stock images on the internet, but again, be aware of the licensing restrictions. Also consider that these images are much more likely to be used by huge numbers of people, so if you want your visuals to stand out from the crowd it’s worth considering whether free stock is the right way to go or if it’s worth making the investment for some paid stick images.
Conclusion
Don’t underestimate the importance of the visual aspects to your blog or website. They say people ‘buy with their eyes’ and that’s true here too. The first impression and chances of holding your reader’s attention can be significantly influenced by your use of images and graphics, so don’t waste the opportunity.
Good graphics equate to more views, a professional look and a higher likelihood of being shared and reaching more people.
*This is a collaborative post
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