There are hundreds of articles and blogs telling you that using images in your content can improve engagement. But we want to think more about what types of images give your engagement the biggest boost. Choosing the right images for your blog, website or social media campaign can be the difference between a successful campaign and one that doesn’t perform.
So, what should you look for when you want to pick an image for your content:
Make sure you pick images that are relevant to the content
When you’re creating a blog or website it’s important that the images you use are relevant to the topic. In a recent article from , they said that content with ‘relevant’ images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images.
Be original but not obscure
Picking the right image can be tough, you need to find the right balance between clichéd images that might make your content look dated, and something too unique and obscure that will leave your visitors confused. The best way to avoid this is to follow rule number 1 and keep your content relevant.
Use images of people
We’re hardwired to respond to faces, so using images of people in your content can be a simple way of boosting engagement. Choose people who are relatable to your audience, think about your content and keep the people relevant e.g. if you are talking about working in the creative industries don’t use an image of someone in a corporate office in a suit.
Use images to break up text
So you know what kind of images you need, but how many should you include in your content? Of course, it depends on how much text you have, but as a general rule try and insert an image every couple of paragraphs. In they say that than those without – do you need another reason to start searching?
Make sure the images are good quality
When adding images to your blog, website or campaign it is important that they are high resolution images that are going to look sharp and not pixelated. Check out our blog ‘how to choose the right file size for your project’ for all the information you need.
How do you find the perfect image?
Use Google ImagesÌýÌý
Google Images is a great way to find a broad selection of images. You can source images from thousands of different sites all in one place. Remember though, for any images you find on Google, you’ll need to have the right permissions to use it. Take a look at our blog ‘is it safe to use Google images’ to find out more about which images you can use and when you need to get extra permissions.
Use stock images
Stock photography is a great way of finding the images you need quickly and safely. There’s a great variety, you can check whether images have the right releases and you can easily buy the license you need and be sure you have all the right permissions to use the image.