People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences.
– Nielsen Norman Group
People don't read on the Web.
Watch your own behavior, and you'll probably agree. You scan the headline and the first paragraph, then scroll down, picking out subheadings and important points. But there is one thing that everyone notices, however short their attention span: the images.
Here's why you want to include images within all your content:
- Images keep people reading. There's nothing more intimidating to Web users than a wall of text. Sprinkling photos throughout your content keeps their attention while "scanning" – particularly if there is a caption associated with the photo.
- Images improve social media sharing. When someone shares your article, most social media platforms will automatically insert one of the images, thus making it more likely to be noticed – and shared some more.
- Images instantly identify your brand personality. For this reason, keep your images positive. If you're writing an article about saving for college, use something like this:
Happy.
Instead of something like this:
Sad.
At Media Shower, we strive for two or three high-quality images per article. Be sure to either use:
- Fully-licensed stock photos (higher quality images, but you'll need to buy them), or
- Public domain images that do not require attribution (lower quality images, but free).
Avoid pulling images randomly off the Web, unless you want to be hunted down by the stock photo police later on. (Yes, they really exist). Read on.
Next: Promoting your content!