Finding images for my blog posts is the most difficult and time-consuming part of blogging for me. So, why I even bother? I mean, why spend so much time just to find a little photo to accompany the text?
There are many reasons to include images with your blog posts, including:
Attract attention
Blog posts with images get 94 percent more views than those without, according to one study I read. I don’t know how accurate this percentage is, but I don’t want to take a chance by ignoring it.
Increase time on site
It seems to be common blogger knowledge that people spend more time on websites with images on them. This makes sense because they would look at the photos and, hopefully, read the text.
Encourage sharing
Blog posts with thumbnails attached to them are shared 40 percent more on Facebook than those without. I couldn’t find recent stats on Twitter sharing. However, we know that posts without images cannot be shared at all on Pinterest, which knocks out that social medium completely.
Support written content
Photos help the reader understand what you’re trying to describe through words by giving them a visual reference.
Make it memorable
Original and unique photos make your blog posts more memorable to the readers. Think, for example, about The Pioneer Woman’s blog, which is filled with photos of life on the ranch.
Create emotional connections
Images are better than words in making an emotional connection with readers. You can see and relate to the subjects of these photos.
Add visual differentiation
Without a photo, your blog is just like an old black and white newspaper. The “old gray lady is dead” in print, it should be on your blog too.
Finding and adding images to your blog posts can be difficult and time consuming, but it also obviously is important to the overall success of your posts. That’s why you should do it anyway. To help with the process, here are 5 Places to Find Images for Your Blog Posts.
