Blog Photo Tips - From Size to Alt Tag
February 04, 2017
My laziness is one of the reasons why my attempt at blogging in the past always fail. Nonetheless, I want to get a different result now. So, here I am, babbling about how we can use our photos in our blog posts.
Now, I want to try to consistently create content that's entertaining and informative, too.
So, let's start with the truth about photos; choosing and editing photos is tiring. The process of choosing to editing can consume an entire day. And you haven't created any post to come with that.
I really commend bloggers who edit their own photos, write their content, and still stay within their deadlines, kudos!
Oh, and yes, you have to set a deadline for yourself, but that's for another post.
So, let's start with the truth about photos; choosing and editing photos is tiring. The process of choosing to editing can consume an entire day. And you haven't created any post to come with that.
I really commend bloggers who edit their own photos, write their content, and still stay within their deadlines, kudos!
Oh, and yes, you have to set a deadline for yourself, but that's for another post.
Luckily, I have hubby to take photos and edit it for me. Shout out to the boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, and husbands who does this for their partners, too!
So, let's make this a step-by-step discussion, let's start.
So, let's make this a step-by-step discussion, let's start.
Appealing
Having photos in your posts makes it visually appealing. It's the case especially when you're writing a travel blog, OOTD, review, and other similar posts.
Always remember that humans are visual beings, take advantage of that.
Always remember that humans are visual beings, take advantage of that.
Increase CTR
Use image/s that are relevant to your posts. Using relevant photos on your posts increases the chances for a click-through rate on your featured or related post.
Break Text
Breaking a text with image/s allows the readers to rest their eyes. However, most of the time I follow the write-post-photos-later mantra.
Should I use my own photos or use free stock images?
I'm sure that there's no right or wrong answer to most of these questions, especially this one. First, there are three different photos you can use in your blog, these are:
Some photos require attribution, some don't. All you have to do is check the license of the image and include the necessary attributions before publishing it with your post. As long as you use and credit photos appropriately, it's good to go.
However, using your own photos also makes your site more reliable considering that you make most of your content.
I try to find free photos online if I don't have a decent photo to use for my post. Here are some sites you can check for free photos:
An 800 x 600 is a typical photo size for a blog. You can also use the standard photo size in Adobe Photoshop or the standard image size in Canva.
Sometimes, the size of the photo you'll use for your blog depends on the design of your blog. Some factors o consider include the width or overall size of your blog or the set thumbnail size for images.
I'm not exaggerating here, but there are a lot of apps, websites, and software that you can use to edit your photos. Here some of the basic photo editing platforms or software you can use:
- Your images
- Free images
- Images for sale
Some photos require attribution, some don't. All you have to do is check the license of the image and include the necessary attributions before publishing it with your post. As long as you use and credit photos appropriately, it's good to go.
However, using your own photos also makes your site more reliable considering that you make most of your content.
I try to find free photos online if I don't have a decent photo to use for my post. Here are some sites you can check for free photos:
- Unsplash - this is where I usually get photos from as most of the photos are high resolution and they have a very lenient user policy.
- Pixabay - there are also a lot of images for free here with under CCO rights.
- Getty Images - it has a huge database and you can use some photos, too, provided that you won't remove their watermark.
What is the standard blog photo size?
After choosing your photo or images, the next thing you ask yourself is what's the best size of this photo for my blog?An 800 x 600 is a typical photo size for a blog. You can also use the standard photo size in Adobe Photoshop or the standard image size in Canva.
Sometimes, the size of the photo you'll use for your blog depends on the design of your blog. Some factors o consider include the width or overall size of your blog or the set thumbnail size for images.
- Adobe Photoshop - this is what I use in the past to layout my photos and add text or other elements.
- Canva - a free and convenient alternative to Adobe Photoshop is Canva. This is what I'm currently using as it's easier to use, has preset layouts, and you can also easily make charts and graphs here.
- Adobe Lightroom - I still don't know how to properly use this. All I do is use the presets and viola, I'm done.
Where should I place the photos on my post?
Once you're done editing and designing your images, you then have to find where is/are the proper photo placement in my post? Again, this boils down to your design preference and aesthetics.
As for me, I put a cover photo first on my post. Then I put all the other photos at the end of my post. That's if the post is less than 500 words.
This breaks the rule of wanting to break the text. I'm doing this because I want readers to, hopefully, enjoy the photos and the text separately.
Should I use alt tag on my photos?
The answer's a big fat yes. The alt tags describe or are the titles that describe the use of an image. Alt tag on images is important for SEO. It's also helpful for visually impaired users to identify the images they search.It's important to provide relevant filenames for the images.
The filenames, according to the image publishing guideline by Google, are also used by search engines in providing results. The more you describe the image (e.g. boho dresses for women) instead of just saving it as "dress" or IMG_123.jpg.
However, do not stuff your alt attributions with keywords to avoid being flagged as spam.
Additional Tips:
- Use graphs, charts, or tables to present data related to your post.
- Don't be afraid to use black and white photos, especially when it represents or compliment your design well.
Do you have any other tips for using photos for your blog posts?
14 Comments
Thank you so much for your very interesting insights about how to use photography with blogging, I read your words with a lot of curiosity since I am fairly new to blogging and I have so many things to learn! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love using Canva and Adobe Lightroom for my photo editing and creating graphics! I'm getting the hang of alt tagging for SEO... This is a great post for newbie bloggers like me :-)
ReplyDeleteI found this article really useful, especially the bit about tagging my photos. Im fairly new to blogging and hadnt worked that one out yet!
ReplyDeleteLots of great tips on here! I try to take a lot of time with my photos to ensure that they speak to my content - and luckily my boyfriend doesn't mind taking some for me!
ReplyDeleteAs a newbie I appreciate this post. I love canva and I use adobe photo for photo editing. Other than that I’m a little lost.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! I'm new to the world of blogging so tips like this are MUCH appreciated! Bookmarked :)))) thank you lovely x
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have someone to help you with your pictures. I think they do enhance a post.
ReplyDeleteSome great tips here. I struggled to figure out photo size and tagging in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteWoah thanks giving us this informations, I was searching for image editor online and see what others use but I'm glad you shared these, I'm taking those in my not Canva,Adobe Photoshop and lighroom got it.
ReplyDeleteWould have loved to have all of your helpful informations when I first started! My pictures where a complete mess! Thanks for making this awesome post! I'm sure it will be extremely helpful to lots of people!
ReplyDeletethanks for these suggestions! i've never taken a photography class so i dont know much about it. this was really helpful and informative!
ReplyDeleteReally great post. Very informative for those who are new to blogging.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post! I have been working with my team on the importance of having high quality photos in their posts. I will be sure to post this along!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post. Very informative and helpful for those who wants to start to blogging.
ReplyDelete