We’ve all heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true when it comes to content marketing. After all, humans are basically visual creatures. We are drawn to images and videos because they help us understand and remember information better than text alone.
It should come as no surprise that content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images. Not only does visual content help capture attention– though, but it can also boost your SEO efforts.
When you need a powerful tool to stand out and get noticed in the crowded online world as well as improve your SEO effort, you need visual content.
Now the question is, “but, how can visual content help improve your SEO and generate more traffic for your website?”
1. Google Loves Visual Content
Just as we see the beautiful scenery while on vacation, so does Google when they see engaging visuals on your blog. Google values visual content because it can help improve the overall user experience.
After all, visuals are an important element of storytelling and they can enhance your message by providing deeper insight into what you’re trying to convey in your content marketing efforts.
You see, when done right, videos like motion graphics or images add value to your web pages with information that would otherwise be hard to communicate through text alone.
Plus, as we all know, Google loves high-quality content and they are always looking for ways to improve the user experience on their search engine results pages (SERP). So, by providing relevant and engaging visual content along with your written content, you can help satisfy Google’s needs while also improving your SEO ranking.
But, you need to make sure that the content you provide is up to date and helpful for the audience. Content like this is way more attractive because people will love to learn fresh information on the internet. Also, you should post your content regularly to maintain your audience’s interest in your brand. Use a weekly schedule template to help you plan content update on your website.
2. Visual Content Can Help Improve Click-through Rates
According to studies, people are more likely to click on a search engine result if it includes an image. In fact, relevant visuals will increase click-through rates (CTR) by about 47% and will drive more traffic to your website from social media.
So, if you want your website to rank higher in the search engines and generate more leads, be sure to include plenty of videos, infographics, or images in your content.
But, don’t stop at including just any old image. Make sure the images you include are high-quality and relevant to your topic. Make sure to give each image a descriptive filename and use keyword-rich alt text. This will help the search engines understand what the image is all about and rank it appropriately.
Also, if you can add relevant videos to your content, this is even better as they tend to perform even better than images when it comes to click-through rates.
3. Visual Content Increases Dwell Time
Dwell time is a measure of how long someone spends on your website. The longer they stay, the better it is for your SEO ranking. Google loves websites that provide their audiences with the information they’re looking for. And one way to increase dwell time is by using visual content.
When you build a website, make sure to include visual content on your pages. Visuals help keep people engaged and make them want to learn more about what you have to offer. This means they’ll spend more time on your site and increase its dwell time, which will give you a higher ranking in the search results.
When you use videographics or infographics to convey information, you provide not only easy-to-digest information but also a great opportunity for people to stick around and learn more about what you have to offer.
4. Visual Content Is Easier on the Eyes
One thing that people often forget about SEO is that a good user experience (UX) plays an important part in how well your site ranks. One of the ways you can improve your UX is by using visual content.
Visuals help break up text and make it easier on the eyes, which means people are more likely to stick around and read your personalized content. In other words, it makes your website more engaging.
In fact, research shows that including visuals in your content can increase the chance of someone reading a piece of content by 80%. Not only will this help keep people engaged, but it can also help you rank higher in the search engines.
The search engines are getting smarter and they are taking into account how well a website’s content is received by users. By using visuals, you are not only providing a better user experience, but you are also boosting your content SEO.
5. Visual Content Helps You Stand Out from the Competition
Any website should pay attention to visuals whether you are in a static complex industry like healthcare, blockchain, IT companies, finance, or manufacture, moreover, in sectors that need to be visual like art, entertainment, and travel websites.
If you want your website to stand out from the competition, you need to use visual content. In a world where everyone is using text-based content, visuals can help make your site stand out. Google loves websites that do things differently and they reward them by ranking them higher in the search engines.
Your content will also stand out from the crowd if you use visuals along with it. People are more likely to share your visual content on social media than anything else, which means you’ll get even more visitors and rank even better in the search engines as a result.
6. Visual Content Can Help Increase Social Shares
Visual content is more likely to be shared on social media than any other type of content. In fact, tweets that include images are retweeted 150% more often than those without images. The more content gets shared, the more it will rank higher in the search engines.
Plus, when people share your content on social media, they’ll also be promoting your website and increasing its authority with Google. This means you have a better chance of ranking well in the search results if people are sharing their visual content on social media.
Conclusion: Go Forth and Create Visual Content
It’s safe to say that visual content has become a must-have type of content on your digital marketing mix. And including visual content in your website’s SEO strategy is a must if you want to rank higher in the search engines. Not only are visuals more likely to be clicked on by users, but they also help with reading comprehension and increase social shares. So, when you need an effective way to boost your content SEO, start using visuals– whether on social media platforms or websites.
Another good news is that creating engaging visual content shouldn’t be that hard. Thanks to the internet. There are plenty of easy-to-use tools and resources you can use to help make your visuals look great such as Canva, Piktochart, Powtoon, and more. Just take a little time to learn about how to use them and you’ll be on your way to better SEO results in no time.
