Writing can be difficult, especially when you are writing for yourself. Your words must inform, convince and drive your readers to act. It's a big challenge, but it's much easier to achieve if you accompany your words with an image that will do some of the work for you.
A picture is worth a thousand words ... if and only if you use it properly.
The most attractive images ask the person looking at them to make a mental effort to connect what he sees in the picture to the words you use. “Square” illustrations of your subject also work, but are not as engaging.
Here are two examples:
Let's try to find an image to illustrate the title: "This group offers consulting services that will pave the way for you to a bright future"
There is nothing wrong with this picture. This is a good illustration of professional advice. We have a woman who seems to be giving advice to the man on the other side of the table. It is certainly this type of image that comes to mind when you think of professional advice.
But why choose the easier route?
The first image is good, but it is limited by two things:
- The image is specific to a particular ethnic group and may make some readers feel excluded.
- It looks like an image bought on the internet (and it's a good one)
Read also: How to automatically choose an image on your blog WordPress
The second picture does not illustrate the concept of professional advice rigidly. It invites the reader to put himself in a situation, to project himself into the image. The reader then imagines opening the door, and is tempted to know more about the future that awaits him on the other side.
The difference is that the first image is literal, while the second image is conceptual.
See also Why Some Design Trends Are Risky and How to Use Them Properly
There is a time for literal images, and a time for conceptual images.
If you need to show a product that you are selling, your goal is to use an image that clearly shows your product, and in the best possible light. A beautiful, clean, high-resolution, literal image is essential.
But if you want to engage the reader on an idea, a conceptual image is what you need. To choose a conceptual image, you have to think about the answer you would like to evoke in your readers.
Ideally, you should make sure your reader is able to engage with the image, so that it matches their daily experiences. It must establish an emotional connection with your words, through the image you have used.
Focus on what is important
To make sure that the image you have chosen really speaks, focus on the important elements, and remove those that are less essential.
Read also: Why Authentic Reviews Are Important on WordPress
Here is an example of what you can do with an ordinary stock image.
Focus on the part of the image that really tells your story, and crop the rest. Be strict! If a part is not relevant to your topic, remove it!
You don't need too high-tech software to do this: you can even do it quite easily on the internet, via websites like drpic.com, and for free. You can trim, add light, and add some pretty simple effects to your image, and download the result.
Find Attractive Images
There are a very large number of websites that sell on the web. One of the ways to find conceptual photos on these websites is to add the words "Concept" ou "Abstract" to your research. It will make it easier to display images that are off the beaten track, and that might interest you more.
Do not hesitate to consult our article on How to compress and resize images on WordPress
Good websites for buying images
Here are some pretty cool links if you need images for your artwork:
- istockphoto.com
- shutterstock.com
- dreamstime.com
I would like to point out that the photos available on these websites are not free.
Free images!
Obviously, there are websites that offer free images in stock:
stock.xchng : probably one of the oldest websites offering this type of service. This website will not fail to offer you to go to a higher level (for a fee), but if you resist this temptation, be sure that you will always find beautiful images.
morguefile.com : don't let this name fool you! It's a collection of images of very creative people, and shared absolutely free.
Still have questions about using images for your marketing?
Let's talk about it in the comments!
Discover also some premium WordPress plugins
You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern appearance and to optimize the handling of your blog or website.
We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.
1. SUMO Affiliates
Le WordPress Plugin SUMO affiliates is simple and straightforward. This solution dedicated to affiliation works with the different themes supported by WooCommerce.
It offers as features: the export in CSV format of unpaid commissions, the possibility of being translated, the affiliate cookie validator, the affiliate link generator, the fully customizable layout, the available dashboard for each affiliate, etc ...
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2. Go Portfolio
Ce WordPress Plugin premium is the ideal solution for creating portfolios, showcases or teasers. You can create new custom post types or use your existing posts, customize post or product types.
If you want create a portfolio or you are looking for a complete portfolio management solution, then this tool is for you.
Discover also to go further How to create a filterable portfolio WordPress
Go Portfolio is not only very easy to use, but also very fast to create impressive portfolios and integrate them into your WordPress website using the control panel of the latter.
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3. Rebar
ReBar is a WordPress extension premium that sets up a highly colored progress bar for your blog posts. It gives your readers a graphical view of the time estimate and reading progress for each article.
Its progress bar can be personalized according to your needs from the space dedicated to parameters. In addition, this extension works perfectly with all types of devices (iOS, Android), as well as all popular browsers (IE8 +, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera).
See also our 10 WordPress plugins to improve the traffic of a blog
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Recommended Resources
Find out about other recommended resources to help you build and manage your website.
- How to insert a table on WordPress with the TablePress plugin
- 7 WordPress plugins to add an audio player
- 5 WordPress plugins to create "push notifications"
- 10 plugins to integrate payment gateways on WordPress
Conclusion
Here ! That's it for this tutorial, I hope it allows you to use the image just on your WordPress blog. Do not hesitate to share with your friends on your favorite social networks.
However, you can also consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on WordPress blog creation.
If you have suggestions or remarks, leave them in our section Comments.
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