Reasons Why Infographics Still Matter in SEO

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Content research and artwork by SEOlogist

Infographics and SEO: A match made in heaven?

Infographics are a hugely popular information format both in print and online. Like the video and the use of data, infographic design now appears in most internet articles; just hop onto any major media website and you'll see information delivered through one. It's true - the infographic is everywhere, and for inbound marketing, it is a must. In fact, 65% of the people that hit your page are visual learners.

There are lots of reasons for this. The best infographics communicate often complicated information in a simple way. Large data sets or figures can be compressed to a more easily understandable value and, with the help of some snazzy design tricks, help the reader to appreciate what is really being said.

Aside from that, infographics are colorful and attractive. They grab a reader's attention and they hold it. High quality infographics are 30 times more likely to be read than text articles. Through a combination of images and words, they can tell a story. If someone sees an infographic in an article, they are more likely to click on that article. And it's a great way to break up a boring big chunk of text. Why read 500 words when an infographic will do?

But many people do not associate the illustrated infographic with SEO. After all, the infographic deals with images, not words. And to an extent that's true; you can't pack a chart or graph with hundreds of keyword phrases. You can leave a lasting impact on those who come across your content through the use of colors and images. Recent studies have shown an 82% increase in readers' attention spans and recall through the use of colors in infographics.

Despite this belief, infographics remain a fundamental part of the package for any website hoping to generate backlinks, produce proper link building, and, more generally, see traffic inflow rise.

In this article, we'll explain why infographics are an adaptable and practical means of communication and marketing and why they should remain a key part of your SEO strategy.

The Importance of Infographics in SEO: Yes, They Still Matter

Visual stimuli is known to be attractive to humans. We like the flashing lights and pretty colors. For that reason, people will often show more interest in clicking on infographics than plain text. Hence the reason videos and images should always be included on a Twitter post, for example.

But let's drill down into the reasons behind it.

  • Great Link Building Pieces: There are a million different types of infographics, from education infographics to entertainment. They're incredibly pliable and adaptable to almost any area. And this is their beauty. When an infographic is done well, it is packed with quality, researched information and figures that can be shared. When your website offers interesting tidbits of information that together form an incredible and compelling whole message via infographic, it gets shared. It gets shared, and it gets referenced, and inbound links are produced. By making it easy for a site visitor to share or like your infographics, you can remove obstacles to widespread sharing. A win-win for both creator and reader.
  • Help with Image Search: SEO is all about getting a website to be ranked among the top echelons of Google search. Well, with the help of infographics, your website can climb the image search results. This is important because it's separate from the normal keyword search and so, whether people are searching for the information you have via Google's usual text-based search or via images, your website is more likely to appear. Just make sure your infographic is jam-packed with quality information.
  • People Stick Around: You might think that by leaving infographics out of articles and instead including more words, people will stick around longer because it takes longer to read a mountain of words. Well, you'd be wrong. As newspapers and other websites rely heavily on advertising that demands metrics like time on page, visitors are often less inclined to stay on a page if they're met by a wall of text. Only if the writing is superb, engaging, and unique, they will remain. Lucky for you, great infographic ideas improve stick rates, meaning that people are staying longer more frequently.

Why do Infographics Still Matter In SEO?

We've looked at the whys, now let's look at the hows. In this section, we'll look at how infographics justify their inclusion within the inbound marketer's arsenal and remain a key piece of a happy, lead-generating website.

  • Infographics Boost Brand Awareness: For an SEO company that wants to give their articles a plush and interesting vibe, the question of when to use an infographic doesn't really come up. The answer is easy: as much as you can.
    There's a good reason for that. Because infographics are so adaptable, you can use them to present information about your company in an interesting and engaging way. If you want to compare the quality of the services you offer against major competitors then there's an obvious way to do that; through an infographic. The visual impact helps keep your brand in the reader's mind and helps boost brand awareness.
    Remember that infographics can also be adorned with logos or images of a company. You don't want to take anything away from the message of the infographic, but you can add a logo or tagline to help the reader remember your brand that bit more.
  • Infographics Are Ideal for Sharing: When you start seeing your infographics being shared within your online communities or across social media, you know you've been doing something right. Making a quality, a valuable infographic is only half the battle for marketers with SEO ideas in mind. The other half is making it shareable. Thankfully, that's easy to do with a few lines of code.
    But remember that shares aren't the only way to increase your infographic's reach. If they're also set up for easy linking then you're twice as likely to build those connections and get people coming back for more.
  • Infographics are Adaptable: There is no absolute rule for how to create an infographic but one general piece of advice is to change it up now and again. Don't use the same type of infographic or the same layout and design; infographics are adaptable and variety, as they say, is the spice of life.
    When the content on a website is diverse, it is a far more alluring prospect for a reader. As an author or creator, you have complete control over how to present information. Which infographic should you use, but try and adapt it to the context and the people you're trying to reach.
  • Infographics are Direct: A major part of why infographics are important is because they speak directly to your audience. Unlike text where there might be as much filler as a thriller, the format of the infographic demands that the author choose only the best and most appropriate pieces of data. This has the added benefit of cutting through the unnecessary, getting straight to the point with the message you're making, and getting right to your target audience. This sort of content lasts because it offers real value, and it's this sort of content that gets used by others and linked back to.
  • Infographics Improve Attractiveness: Aside from the inbound links, click count, and all the other SEO-related information that backs up the need for infographics in SEO, the simple fact is that by using infographics you make your website more attractive.
    They're not so boring as a chunk of text, so more people are likely to click on them, nor are they as internet heavy as a full video, so those on mobile (an extremely important part of your audience) don't need to hesitate if they're using mobile data. The particular space that they occupy, as both easily digestible but still provide good depth in information, means infographic is appropriate for all ages. Just make sure your infographics look good!
  • Infographics Create Business: When you produce high-quality infographics with information gleaned from well-regarded sources, you not only help generate credibility within Google's search results via backlinking, but you also built credibility with your audience.
    When you're a credible fountain of knowledge on a business vertical, academic area, or particular profession, people come to you. They seek you out for opportunities that create business and make the infographic creating absolutely worthwhile.
  • Infographics Help with Marketing: This last point really ties in all of the above. As part of a marketing strategy to get your website, brand, or company better known, infographics are hard to beat. The way that specific information can be aimed at a target audience, how they're easy to share and link to, and how adaptable and attractive they can all make infographics are a superb marketing tool. They're essential to help your business grow and thrive.

So there you have it. We've listed all of the reasons to explain why infographics are an effective part of the inbound marketer's arsenal. From brand awareness to marketing and direct knowledge transfer to website attractiveness, infographics remain a major part of the SEO process.

Whether you're building SEO in Toronto, New York, or anywhere else on planet earth, you should be utilizing infographics in your strategy. Miss them, miss out.

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