The power of visual content: 7 effective ways to boost your SEO strategy
Written by Kevin Dam | 21st August 2024
SEO is important for businesses to succeed online. While traditional tactics are still useful, visual content can help you reach more users who have shorter attention spans.
As most consumers prefer visuals over plain text, most marketers already see visual content as the powerhouse of content marketing strategies. We’re here to help you maximize your SEO strategies with the seven effective implementations of visual content.
What is visual content?
Visual content captures the audience’s attention through an image-based element that effectively and simply communicates the message. It comes in many forms: images, videos, infographics, and illustrations.
Why is visual content important?
Visual content has become effective in today’s digital landscape for the following reasons:
- Enhances Engagement: Visual content can instantly evoke emotions, leading to higher engagement than text alone.
- Improves Information Retention: Research shows that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. This means visuals simplify ideas and make content more memorable.
- Leverages Social Media Success: Visual content on social media is designed to capture attention. With this, social media algorithms reward visual content with higher reach and engagement.
- Better User Experience: Visual content creates a more engaging experience for users, as it breaks up text, guides the eye, and makes your website or content more visually interesting.
- Effective Storytelling: Visual content can convey emotions, build connections, and bring your brand’s story to life to stand out and leave a lasting impression. With imagery, videos, and infographics, you can paint vivid pictures that foster a deeper emotional connection with your audience.
- Stronger Brand Identity: Consistent visual content in your branding helps consumers recognize your brand and stand out from competitors.
- Offers SEO Benefits: When users encounter an engaging visual content, they are more likely to stay on the page longer, reducing bounce rates – a factor that is being used by search engines to assess a website’s relevance and quality.
7 ways to maximize your overall SEO strategy with visual content
1. Optimize your images for search engines
Image optimization helps improve your website’s loading speed, increase user engagement, and enhance the overall search engine ranking. To do this:
- Use Descriptive Filenames with Relevant Keywords
Search engines crawl filenames to understand the content, so use descriptive filenames with relevant keywords before uploading the visual content.
- Compress Image File Size for Faster Loading Speed
Large images can be slow to load. Compressing your images reduces their file size without sacrificing quality, leading to faster loading times.
- Write Clear and Concise Alt Text that Includes Relevant Keywords
Writing clear and concise alt text with relevant keywords not only assists search engine crawlers in identifying your images but also improves accessibility for visually impaired users.
- Include Captions for Further Context and User Engagement
Search engines use captions to understand the context of the image better. Remember to keep captions concise and relevant to the image content.
2. Leverage engaging videos
Videos had an audience reach of 92.3% during the second quarter of 2023, making it a great opportunity to increase reach and visibility. You can utilize product demos, customer testimonials, and explainer videos.
To create SEO-friendly videos, optimize video titles and descriptions with relevant keywords so that search engines understand the content of your video. Engaging thumbnails can also engage viewers and get them to click.
3. Create shareable infographics
Infographics with valuable and interesting data are shareable. Focus on presenting data clearly and concisely. Use a cohesive color scheme, readable fonts, and compelling imagery.
The content should be informative yet digestible, breaking down complex information into easy-to-understand visual elements. Incorporate your logo and website address to reinforce brand recognition and integrate social media sharing buttons directly into the infographic.
4. Incorporate keyword-rich alt text
Alt tags serve a dual purpose: help search engines understand the visual content and describe images for users who cannot see them. To write effective alt text:
1. Ensure that the alt text incorporates relevant keywords related to the image and your content to help search engines index your image correctly.
2. Do not stuff the alt text with too many keywords, as this can be seen as spammy and can negatively affect your SEO.
3. Provide a clear and brief description of the image. Try to convey the image’s purpose in a few words.
5. Create high-quality, relevant visual content
Visuals complement and support various types of content and posts. High-quality images, videos, and infographics can also capture attention and enhance user experience, impacting SEO.
Tips for creating high-quality visuals:
- Invest in high-resolution images and videos
- Ensure visuals are visually appealing and relevant to your target audience
- Consider using a consistent color palette and design style
6. Optimize for mobile and user experience
Almost 62% of all website traffic comes from mobile. This shows the need for responsive design, ensuring that your website and visual content provide a seamless experience across all devices.
Here are some tips for mobile optimization:
- Use image formats like SVGs and WebP that automatically adjust to various screen sizes so that images remain clear and sharp whether viewed on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
- Host videos on platforms that adjust the video quality based on the viewer’s internet speed and device.
- When designing visuals, consider the dimensions and resolution of smaller screens. Use larger fonts, high-contrast colors, and simplified graphics to ensure visual content is easily readable and engaging on mobile devices.
7. Utilize visual content tools and resources
Incorporating visual content will be more efficient and effective when leveraging various tools and resources. These tools streamline creating, optimizing, and integrating visual content, ensuring it looks appealing and enhances your site’s search engine performance.
Several visual content tools include Adobe Photoshop and Canva for images, Piktochart and Venngage for infographic design, and Adobe Premiere Pro and iMovie for videos.
Conclusion: Master the art of creating engaging visuals for SEO success
High-quality and relevant visual content captivates and retains your audience and sends positive signals to search engines, improving your rankings. Remember to incorporate keyword-rich alt text, ensure mobile optimization, and leverage various tools and resources to streamline your visual content creation process.
Implement these strategies today and discover their impact on your SEO results.
Author's bio
Kevin Dam is the CEO and founder of Aemorph. A seasoned entrepreneur and digital marketing expert. Kevin started in digital marketing, specializing in Search Engine Optimisation since 2010, and is helping Finance, Insurance, E-commerce, Medical, B2B, and SaaS companies.
