My life is a series of obsessions strung together in time. Some call that intense…others call it OCD…I call it my life. It is who I am and there isn’t much changing that at this point. Part of that obsession rolls into imagery and capturing life through the lens of a camera. While I am not very good at it right now, I can see the power of pictures through friends that are amazing photographers and that is inspiration to get better. Now that I have about one more line to convince you to read the rest of this article that had a title about a blogging weapon…what is it exactly and does my experience relate to something you can apply to your blogging?
Imagery In Your Blog Posts Set The Mood Of Your Articles
If you are not taking a serious look at how you use images, icons and illustrations in your blogging, you are missing out on a key connection point with your readers. While you may feel that your words can part seas and move mountains, the fact remains that not all of your readers are stimulated the same way you are. By using thought provoking images in your blog posts, you are able to connect on a deeper level with readers that are more visually stimulated. These same images also compliment the content for those readers that prefer to be moved by words.
Images Do Not Stop With Blog Posts
However, the use of imagery on your blog is not limited to complimentary images in blog articles. Through the use of illustrations and icons in your design, you can set the mood of your entire blog and make it a more powerful converting weapon. By using “eye catching” images and icons, you are directing your readers to where you want their attention. This can be newsletter sign-ups, rss sign-ups or advertisements for your paid eBooks. Whatever your most important assets are in your blogging, you can attract attention to those items on the page by using images and icons.
But be careful…
I have seen bloggers use this theory to an extreme creating a cluttered look that generates the opposite desired effect. Too many images and icons can cause a distracting mess that not only takes away from your content, but it also returns a lower conversion rate due to the mind blowing confusion. Like with all things in blogging and design, moderation and planning is generally the best rule.
So How Do I Get Kick Ass Images On My Blog?
Luckily, I have already published a couple of articles for you to check out on using images in blog posts.
- How To Find Killer Images For Your Blog Posts
- Complimenting Great Blog Content With Fantastic Pictures
And…of course…you can just take your own!
Here are a couple out I have taken recently…
8 comments
Bang on Robb, I love the use of images in written content, especially because, for me anyway, it breaks it all up as I struggle with reading a lot of blocked text due to being serverly dyslexic (hopefully spelt right lol)
On this site you have got the mix just right, for me as soon as I see this particular green you use I latch onto it and know it’s you straight away if you know what I mean?
On a seperate note, loving your coffee obsessed site, are you planning on doing a update on how it’s doing on here? I saw your first post on here about the launch but would love to see an update so we can draw down on it.
Absolutely man. I like how you have your images with your posts as well.
I’ll check back in on the Coffee Obsessed site soon. Have to get some other things off the plate first!
Images are so important to get the message out. Half my traffic comes from image searches. It’s something every blogger should take more seriously. I love the layout of this site. The look, the colors, the use of images, it all works perfectly.
I like that FREE DURT pic. That’s funny. I’m surprised there isn’t one that says FREE ROX. lol
Still like it? Changed things up a little bit. 😉
Free Rox would have been hilarious.
ha, I was just saying to myself, he changed it because I said I liked it… lol 🙂 It still looks great, professional and cool. Putting your ebook front and center should help sell more. Let us know if it works!
haha! Yeah that was it! Thanks man. A couple of bugs to still figure out (like the spacing on long comment names like yours) but it is coming along.
I like it, I need to focus more on images in my post – by the way – nice new site design 😉
Thanks Marin! Ever have one of those days that hits you like a ton of bricks? That is what inspired the change. A couple of bugs still to fix…but it is getting there.