The old adage says that a picture is worth a thousand words, continues to hold true in the digital age. Across online platforms, images have been proven to boost performance and engagement.

Why is this the case? How exactly do visuals help?

The power of images lies in the fundamentals of human nature; we are wired to notice, remember, learn from, and respond emotionally to visuals.

People remember only 10% of information three days after hearing it, on average; adding a picture can improve recall to 65%. Consumers are significantly more likely to think favourably of ads that emphasise photography, over ads that emphasise text.

The impact of Images in Articles

Images are powerful on their own, but when mixed with text they become even more impactful. Audiences consistently respond well to the combination of words and visuals. Articles with relevant images get 94% more views, on average, compared to articles without images.

The Impact of Images on Social Media

Social media was initially text-driven, and audiences tended to react most strongly to this content. Today, it is visual pieces that garner the most views, likes, shares, and comments.

The Impact of Images in Search

A key benefit of images that’s is often overlooked by brands is their search impact: visual pieces are highly valued by both search audiences and search engines themselves. Consumers, especially local ones, respond strongly to images in search.

60% of consumers say they are more likely to consider or contact a business that has an image show up in local search results. Search engines understand this preference and increasingly prioritise visual-heavy content: pages that appear in Google’s featured mobile snippets have 12 images, on average.

Ensure that your business shines on search by making your pages well-structured and image heavy. Want to know how? Send us a message now.