If you’re not using images in your blog posts then you’re missing out on the huge benefits they bring. When a visitor lands on your page the images are the first thing they will see before they attempt to read any of your text, but also they’re an excellent way to attract their attention.
If you don’t use any images and your page consists of just a wall of text then the viewer will likely switch off and leave your page unsatisfied. But breaking the text up by including a few images spread throughout your post will give the viewer something else to keep peak their interest.
Paid and Free Stock Photography
There’s a load of websites you can use to find stock photos, some of them free and some of them paid, and you’ll find that all these images have different licenses and terms of use. You can find a decent paid stock website by simply googling ‘stock photos’. But if you don’t want to pay the sometimes excessive prices for these, then a better option is a free stock photography website such as Monoimages.com and you can find these by simply googling ‘free stock photos’.
Picking the Right Images
The quality of the images you use is a big factor you need to consider when choosing your images. If the user arrives on your page and the first thing they see is an ugly, amateurish looking picture, they aren’t going to look any further into your post. This can also have the effect of making your post not seem professional or a reliable source of information, and the viewer will be more likely to think it was just thrown together with little thought behind it. You could have written the most epic and informative blog post, but if you decorate it with bad photos then you might just have ruined any chance of it being read.
On the other hand if you take the time to find some eye-catching, beautiful looking images then the viewer is guaranteed to take a look at them and this will encourage them to start reading your post.
The Benefits
Images have the effect of creating emotions and setting the tone of your post, and this starts as soon as they look at your images. It’s important to choose images that have some relevance in your post, because they give the reader visual information on what the post is about and what to expect when they read your blog post. For example if your post is a guide to organizing a birthday party then perhaps you could use a picture of a bouncy castle or a clown, and this will give them ideas for their party before they’ve even started reading your post.