Including Images in Your Blog Post
Adding your best images in your blogs can be as easy as following these steps:
- Save your valuable desired image to your desktop inside a usable format – .jpg, .gif, or .tif usually are supported, but refer to your blogging platform’s guidelines for more information.
- Resize the look. You don’t need a huge image that overtakes the whole post; likewise you don’t want an image that’s so small that it’s hard to see. The ideal size will depend on your site theme, but typically around 300×300 pixels is considered a safe size.
- Save a smaller, lower-quality file. Nobody wants to wait several seconds for your post to load (hint: It’s usually the graphics that slow things down!). To rectify this issue, save your image as a smaller file. The larger the resolution, the more expensive the file as well as the slower the upload. 72dpi is perfect quality for a web page and loads very quickly.
- Upload to your article. Most blog platforms (certainly Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress) enable direct uploading of one’s images. Simply click the “add image” button, browse to pick the image you want, and away you go. Many programs enable you to resize once it’s added to your website post.
- Add caption and copyright info. If you’ve used a photograph from Flickr’s creative commons database or another image with creative commons license restrictions, you’ll need to provide attribution. With WordPress, it is possible to develop a caption that features the photographer’s name and copyright info. On other blogging platforms, you may have to place a communication within the blog text with this information.
There it is; a simple, five-step process to jazzing up your blogs quickly and easily with the images of your choice.
Finding Images for Your Blog Posts
Now that you’re convinced that images are an important part of each and every article, you could be wondering in places you get photos and graphics to your posts. There are numerous places, paid and unpaid, to find virtually any image you might need:
- Your personal photos. The easiest spot to find images might be your own personal camera! Particularly if you talk about family-oriented topics including kids, cooking, crafts, or weight-loss, your own personal photos may be the perfect choice. Nowadays, you can take web-quality photos from inexpensive cameras – and also out of your mobile phone. The positive: You receive just what you need. The negative: Sometimes you need to get the article done, not take time to get a photo shoot.
- Flickr. Flickr.com houses an incredible number of images all around the globe. You can search by topic or by photographer. To stay on the right side of copyright law, search Flickr’s creative commons database which includes images that photographers are earning readily available for use. Read the guidelines at www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ for full information on the rights photographers are retaining and the usage requirements.
- Stock.XCHNG. Stock.XCHNG (www.sxc.hu) is a free stock photo site. Create a free account and employ one of their 400,000 images in your blog. Stock.XCHNG is a touch more limited than Flickr, but generally high quality.
- IstockPhoto.com. A large assortment of professional and business quality images and illustrations can be obtained from iStockPhoto.com. The only drawback is it is a paid service working on credits. You can buy credit plans starting with 12 credits for $20.75 or a subscription starting at $108/month.
- Clipart.com. For your widest variety of images (illustrations, photos, animations, plus more), have a look at Clipart.com. Over Tens of millions of files, all high-quality. Additionally, it has a paid service with subscriptions starting at $14.95 for a week of unlimited downloads and topping out at $299.95 for 2 many years of full access.
- Fotolia.com. Also includes a sizable assortment of buy by credit service. This web site comes recommended by David Sparks of Hawthorne Media.
If you’ve looked from the above choices and still can’t find something you prefer, there are numerous other choices. Just google “copyright free images” and you’ll have more options than you can actually use.
Why Add Images to Your WordPress Blog?
Grab a copy of the White Pages off your shelf – if you still own one! – and flip open to any page. 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:
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s true, you can’t afford NOT to use images in your blog posts. They may be the most powerful tool you have.
