How to: Choose Great Images for Your Blog Posts
Ask anyone if images make them read the blog, majority will answer yes. Images can spruce up your blog entries. They can be compelling, create some emotions and they can help you convince your readers.
You can use photographs you took yourself or make do with stock images available online. Some are for free while others are available for a fee. With lots of images available for you, which one will you use? Here are some tips to guide you in this endeavor.
1. It must be relevant to topic.
Choose an image that is appropriate for your topic. Don’t pick something that can confuse your reader. If your blog post is about guitars, then use an image of a guitar.
2. It must convey your message.
What is your blog post about? The image you choose must give be a visual representation of your post. You’ll know you’ve picked the right photo when the image can summarize your article. Use a black and white image of an electric guitar on a pedestal if your post is about rock icons.
3. It must be interesting.
You add an image to your blog post to catch the attention of the user. You don’t want to use a boring image. A guitar on fire will generate more buzz than say an acoustic guitar lying on the floor.
4. It must have a small file size.
Bigger is not always better. A smaller sized image has a faster loading speed. People hate waiting for the page to load up, making them leave the site without even reading the content. The faster your page loads, the better chance for the visitor to stay and read your post. So if your image is 1MB in size, downsize it before using it in your blog.
5. It must be of good quality.
Sometimes using a much smaller sized image might mean it is deficient in the quality department. This must not be the case. The image must retain a high level of quality. You must not use pixilated images, as it isn’t aesthetically nice.
A photo is said to be worth a thousand words. When you use the right image for your blog post, not only will you provide a visual aid for your article, it’ll also make your blog more pleasing to the eyes. What do you think is the image that best suits this article?
April 13th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
hello! Can I ask what theme are you using in your blog? thanks!