When you visit a website or blog where does your eye go first? Are you pulled into the content? Do you want to read more, or are you tempted to simply slam the book shut and stick it back on the bookshelf? When visitors come to your website, you have a choice. You can make it inviting and pleasant, or you can make it just about as appealing as the innards of the phone book. The only difference? ... Images. Images - photos, illustrations, or other graphics -- are often the first thing visitors look at. If the image is compelling, visitors stay to check out the text. If the image is poor quality or unappealing - or non-existent! - visitors leave. It's really that simple.
Here are some ways effectively using images enhances your blog: 1. They break up text. Facing a page of black-and-white text is daunting. Images can give the eye a place to rest, breaking up the flow of an otherwise monotonous page. 2. They lead into the text. Since people look at them first, the images provide a starting point for the rest of the blog post. Good images are like flashing arrows that say, "START HERE." 3. They introduce the topic. Picking an appropriate, related image gives the reader an idea of what to expect from the post. For instance, a photo of a street sign that says "Bumpy Road Ahead" lets the reader know that the post is about challenges or change. 4. They support the post content. A diagram, graphic, or other image can further illustrate the post's content. A flow chart of a sales funnel, for instance, gives you another way to explain the concepts you're presenting.
Now that you're convinced that images are an important part of each and every blog post, you might be wondering where you get photos and graphics for your posts. There are several places, paid and unpaid, where you can find just about any image you might need
So what are some of the best online places to go and get royalty free images? These days, you can take web-quality photos from inexpensive cameras - and even from your cell phone. ** www.flickr.com/ Check out the guidelines at www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ for full information on the rights photographers are retaining and the usage requirements. www.sxc.hu Create an account and use one of their 400,000 images on your blog. ** www.iStockPhoto.com A large collection of professional and business quality images and illustrations are available to buy from iStockPhoto.com. The drawback is that it is a paid service that works on credits. ** Check out www.clipart.com for the widest variety of images (illustrations, photos, animations, and more), ** One of the best value ways to get your hands on hundreds, even thousands, of bargain priced images for your blog is to buy packs or royalty free clip art. You can get ones like our pack of over 4000 images for only $17 with instant download. There is also a huge Christmas and Vintage royalty free image pack available on the site.
Incorporating Images into Your Post . Adding your selected images to your blog posts is as easy as following these steps: 1. Save your desired image to your desktop in a usable format. Use the ones like .jpg can be edited and uploaded without any problems whatsoever, and .gif, or .tif are usually supported, but refer to your blogging platform's guidelines for more information. The most common one with uploading and editing problems is .png and occasionally .gif 2. Resize the image. You don't want a huge image that overtakes the whole post, and you also don't want an image that is so small that it's hard to see. Ideal size will depend on your blog theme, but typically around 300x300 pixels is a safe size.You can resize using a free photo editing program like Irfanview (irfanview.com), or if you are on a Mac you can do it right from the preview screen. 3. Save as a smaller, lower-quality file. No one wants to wait several seconds for your blog page to load (hint: It's usually the graphics that slow things down!). To rectify this problem, save your image as a smaller file.The higher the resolution, the larger the file and the slower the upload. 72dpi is perfect quality for a web page and loads very quickly. Again, Irfanview or your Mac preview will let you change the file quality. 4. Upload to your blog post. You used to have to use an intermediary hosting site to add your images to your blog - no more! Most blog platforms (certainly Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress) enable direct uploading of your images. Just click on the "add image" button, browse to select, and away you go. Many programs will let you resize and place the image once it's added to your blog post. 5. Add caption and copyright info. If you've used a photo from Flickr's creative commons database or any other image with creative commons license restrictions, you'll need to provide attribution. On Wordpress, you can create a caption that includes the photographer's name and copyright info. On other blogging platforms, you may need to place a note in the blog text with that information. There you have it; a simple, five-step process to jazzing up your blog posts quickly and easily with the images of your choice.
Avoiding Mistakes. Just like everything else online, using images in your blog posts is fairly easy, but it's also easy to make a mistake. Here are some of the most common image-related mistakes and how to avoid them: Not using an image. It's better to use a generic image than no image at all if you can't find the specific photo or graphic you want. Even if the image doesn't directly support the text of the blog post, it still provides the benefits of breaking up text and pulling people in. Using goofy clip art. We used to see stick people all over Powerpoint presentations and in corporate newsletters in the early days of the web.With the wide variety of high-quality graphics available online for free, there's no excuse for using 1990s-era clip art. It makes you look unprofessional, not retro. Using unrelated images. If I see one more sidebar ad with a bikini-clad woman and the words "Obama wants moms to go back to school," I am going to scream! Sure, people may look because there's a good looking babe, but using unrelated graphics to pull people in is rude. They won't stick around once they know they've been misled. Not resizing the image. While images can make your blog looked polished and professional, having images that hang over into the margins or that are cut off is sloppy blogging. Use a free software program (Irfanview.com is great) or, if you're on a Mac, your preview tool, to resize the image to the right proportions. Stealing someone else's images. There are so many places that you can get non-copyrighted images, there's no excuse for stealing someone's copyrighted work. Many photographers and illustrators rely on their work for their livelihood; don't get yourself in hot water (or bad karma!) by usurping their stuff. Using too many images. Yes, it is possible to overdo it on the photos and illustrations. Make sure each graphic you use adds to the quality of the overall blog post. If you don't need it, don't use it. Using images your audience cannot relate to. Just as the bikini woman is probably not a great draw when trying to reach middle-aged moms, you can easily miss the mark with graphics and photos if you don't know who you're writing for. This is where knowledge of your market is critical; know what they want, and give it to them. If you're worried about using images properly, just start slow. Begin by using your own photos so you don't have to worry about copyright issues, and practice resizing, uploading, and tagging. You'll soon be ready to take on bigger challenges, and your blog will thrive as a result of your efforts.
Here are some ways effectively using images enhances your blog: 1. They break up text. Facing a page of black-and-white text is daunting. Images can give the eye a place to rest, breaking up the flow of an otherwise monotonous page. 2. They lead into the text. Since people look at them first, the images provide a starting point for the rest of the blog post. Good images are like flashing arrows that say, "START HERE." 3. They introduce the topic. Picking an appropriate, related image gives the reader an idea of what to expect from the post. For instance, a photo of a street sign that says "Bumpy Road Ahead" lets the reader know that the post is about challenges or change. 4. They support the post content. A diagram, graphic, or other image can further illustrate the post's content. A flow chart of a sales funnel, for instance, gives you another way to explain the concepts you're presenting.
Now that you're convinced that images are an important part of each and every blog post, you might be wondering where you get photos and graphics for your posts. There are several places, paid and unpaid, where you can find just about any image you might need
So what are some of the best online places to go and get royalty free images? These days, you can take web-quality photos from inexpensive cameras - and even from your cell phone. ** www.flickr.com/ Check out the guidelines at www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ for full information on the rights photographers are retaining and the usage requirements. www.sxc.hu Create an account and use one of their 400,000 images on your blog. ** www.iStockPhoto.com A large collection of professional and business quality images and illustrations are available to buy from iStockPhoto.com. The drawback is that it is a paid service that works on credits. ** Check out www.clipart.com for the widest variety of images (illustrations, photos, animations, and more), ** One of the best value ways to get your hands on hundreds, even thousands, of bargain priced images for your blog is to buy packs or royalty free clip art. You can get ones like our pack of over 4000 images for only $17 with instant download. There is also a huge Christmas and Vintage royalty free image pack available on the site.
Incorporating Images into Your Post . Adding your selected images to your blog posts is as easy as following these steps: 1. Save your desired image to your desktop in a usable format. Use the ones like .jpg can be edited and uploaded without any problems whatsoever, and .gif, or .tif are usually supported, but refer to your blogging platform's guidelines for more information. The most common one with uploading and editing problems is .png and occasionally .gif 2. Resize the image. You don't want a huge image that overtakes the whole post, and you also don't want an image that is so small that it's hard to see. Ideal size will depend on your blog theme, but typically around 300x300 pixels is a safe size.You can resize using a free photo editing program like Irfanview (irfanview.com), or if you are on a Mac you can do it right from the preview screen. 3. Save as a smaller, lower-quality file. No one wants to wait several seconds for your blog page to load (hint: It's usually the graphics that slow things down!). To rectify this problem, save your image as a smaller file.The higher the resolution, the larger the file and the slower the upload. 72dpi is perfect quality for a web page and loads very quickly. Again, Irfanview or your Mac preview will let you change the file quality. 4. Upload to your blog post. You used to have to use an intermediary hosting site to add your images to your blog - no more! Most blog platforms (certainly Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress) enable direct uploading of your images. Just click on the "add image" button, browse to select, and away you go. Many programs will let you resize and place the image once it's added to your blog post. 5. Add caption and copyright info. If you've used a photo from Flickr's creative commons database or any other image with creative commons license restrictions, you'll need to provide attribution. On Wordpress, you can create a caption that includes the photographer's name and copyright info. On other blogging platforms, you may need to place a note in the blog text with that information. There you have it; a simple, five-step process to jazzing up your blog posts quickly and easily with the images of your choice.
Avoiding Mistakes. Just like everything else online, using images in your blog posts is fairly easy, but it's also easy to make a mistake. Here are some of the most common image-related mistakes and how to avoid them: Not using an image. It's better to use a generic image than no image at all if you can't find the specific photo or graphic you want. Even if the image doesn't directly support the text of the blog post, it still provides the benefits of breaking up text and pulling people in. Using goofy clip art. We used to see stick people all over Powerpoint presentations and in corporate newsletters in the early days of the web.With the wide variety of high-quality graphics available online for free, there's no excuse for using 1990s-era clip art. It makes you look unprofessional, not retro. Using unrelated images. If I see one more sidebar ad with a bikini-clad woman and the words "Obama wants moms to go back to school," I am going to scream! Sure, people may look because there's a good looking babe, but using unrelated graphics to pull people in is rude. They won't stick around once they know they've been misled. Not resizing the image. While images can make your blog looked polished and professional, having images that hang over into the margins or that are cut off is sloppy blogging. Use a free software program (Irfanview.com is great) or, if you're on a Mac, your preview tool, to resize the image to the right proportions. Stealing someone else's images. There are so many places that you can get non-copyrighted images, there's no excuse for stealing someone's copyrighted work. Many photographers and illustrators rely on their work for their livelihood; don't get yourself in hot water (or bad karma!) by usurping their stuff. Using too many images. Yes, it is possible to overdo it on the photos and illustrations. Make sure each graphic you use adds to the quality of the overall blog post. If you don't need it, don't use it. Using images your audience cannot relate to. Just as the bikini woman is probably not a great draw when trying to reach middle-aged moms, you can easily miss the mark with graphics and photos if you don't know who you're writing for. This is where knowledge of your market is critical; know what they want, and give it to them. If you're worried about using images properly, just start slow. Begin by using your own photos so you don't have to worry about copyright issues, and practice resizing, uploading, and tagging. You'll soon be ready to take on bigger challenges, and your blog will thrive as a result of your efforts.
About the Author:
Get over 4,830 royalty free graphics and clip art for only $17 Instant Download 24/7 - You will get a complete set of stock images including photos of business, internet marketing, finance, scenery, icons, food, dogs, household items, people, health, holidays, education + more. Check out our Christmas graphics clip art!
