Menu
Gone are the days when well-optimized, text-only web pages received tons of organic traffic. To drive searchers to your site and convert them into paying customers, visual content must be a part of your business’s online presence.
“Visual content” refers to images, videos, animations, infographics, quote cards, and other visual media used to communicate your message and brand identity. Essentially, it’s anything you can see that’s not text on a page.
I can’t overstate the importance of visual content. As AI gets more intelligent and floods the internet with cheaply-made content, attracting perfect-fit prospects organically will only get harder. Visual content is that extra boost you need to engage your audience, which improves your page’s ranking on Google.
In short, visual content isn’t an enhancement anymore — it’s a necessity. Here’s how it can attract perfect-fit prospects and how you can easily create engaging visuals (for free!).
While I want to believe humanity has advanced past its tendency to judge a book by its cover, research suggests we’re a very visual species. In fact, when we meet someone for the first time, we make assumptions about them even before they open their mouths.
The same is true about visual content. Human beings process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. If you want to capture a visitor’s attention before he or she gets bored and returns to Google’s search results page, consider the importance of visual content.
This is especially relevant for blog posts. A visitor strapped for time will skim the page for an infographic that summarizes the blog post’s main points. A thorough reader who wants to remember the blog post’s message will download the image and save it somewhere special.
Consider this text message from one of our clients’ customers. The blog post he read moved him so much that he printed and hung its infographic at home.
Without visuals, you miss these opportunities. You may lose visitors, who return to Google to find a website that resonates with them more quickly.
You’ve probably heard the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When you use accurate metadata for your images, a picture can literally be worth a thousand words — keywords, that is — and send your web page to the top of Google’s search results.
Metadata is data that describes other data — in this case, text that describes images. It helps Google sort and identify those images’ attributes, which then informs which web pages the search engine sends to the top of its search results. Thus, when you include your SEO keyword in your metadata, your web page performs better on Google.
Here are the metadata best practices we’ve seen have the most success:
Beyond metadata, images can further wave their magic wand over your page’s SEO ranking. Here’s how:
Boosting SEO by creating engaging visuals isn’t difficult, especially when you adopt the following best practices:
Consider the pair of stock images below.
The photos show the same scene, but in two different ways — and the second photo is much more engaging.
Why? None of the subjects are looking directly at the camera. Instead, we as the viewers feel we’re getting a glimpse through a doctor’s window rather than looking at the results of a photoshoot. Because the baby in the first image breaks the fourth wall by looking straight at the camera, the photo feels stiff and manufactured.
Choose stock photos that don’t look like stock photos — photos that provide a realistic glimpse into what it could look like to be your customer.
When selecting multiple stock photos, be cognizant of physical diversity. Don’t use the same blonde woman in every image. To cast a wide net and speak to a larger audience, portray potential customers from various walks of life.
The following best practices are non-negotiable for infographics and quote images:
Subtitles are a great way to keep viewers engaged while also adhering to accessibility standards. Use dynamic rather than static subtitles that continue as the video subject or narrator speaks. Be sure to choose a simple, readable font.
I’d be lost without the following tools, which consistently produce beautiful visuals that boost our clients’ SEO.
Integrating visual content into your online presence is no longer optional. It’s an essential weapon in your fight to retain customer attention in a crowded marketplace and draw perfect-fit prospects to your site.
Whether you’re embellishing a blog post, designing a webpage, or creating a video, remember the best practices discussed here. Experiment with different types of visual content until you identify what best represents your brand and resonates with your audience. Before long, your engagement will soar.
Kayla, our Marketing Assistant, is the heartbeat of Fluxe, keeping projects and deadlines in perfect harmony. She combines her knack for organization with a creative flair that makes her an invaluable asset to our team. A Dallas native, she’s a baking enthusiast, a creative spirit, and a loving mom, fully immersed in the joys of family life and crafting.