1. As discussed in class, please provide three reasons why visuals are important to web content. Please ensure you go into detail for each item. (6 Marks)
- Enhances user engagement
Visuals are the most powerful tools for ensuring users engage with your message and marketing efforts. On the internet people are constantly being bombarded with vast amounts of information so to make sure that our messages stand out images are a key way to make sure we are noticed and engaged with. A website with interesting images that significantly relate to your content and brand will make sure that you are visually grabbing the reader’s attention. We know that images are important to the success of a website because people only read 28% of the content that is written on the site and they spend 100% more time on websites with visually engaging images(W9 – B – The Power of Visuals– Slide 7&9).
This proves that images are more attractive and appealing to readers. People’s attention spans have dropped significantly due to the rise of visual content so to keep them engaged we must adapt by coming up with unique, eye-catching ways to get our messages noticed. These infographics allow complex information to be simplified and understood by the reader in ways that trigger emotional responses. This will enhance user experience and make these messages easier to share which results in an increase in backlinks to your website.
A highly engaged user can understand an important and relevant message quickly, this is important to wed because we can use emotionally triggering and informative infographics to display messages that lead to visitors staying on the site longer, exploring our content, sharing content, and returning to the page.
Images encourage page interaction due to how the user experiences the written text on the page by breaking up large bodies of text. Adding visuals inside the body text can ensure the visitor reads more of your content because it is more digestible and easy to view. Large blocks of content will increase bounce rates because it is overwhelming. Using photos to break up text will decrease the likelihood of the user leaving the page because they are not interested in reading these long bodies of text and is more appealing to a wider audience with different learning abilities. (W9 – B – The Power of Visuals (W25)-slide 8). This statistic proves why platforms like Instagram and TikTok have been so successful in the digital landscape.
- Improves Retention and Comprehension
Visuals and infographics increase memory retention for the audience in many ways. Breaking up the text makes for smaller, easier-to-comprehend chunks of text. As well as the purpose of compressing ideas into smaller forms of text to let the image do most of the storytelling. Visual senses are the highest sense humans have and we know that visuals are processes 60,000x faster in our brains than words.
This proves that people will remember what they see more than what they read which is why we need to pair text with meaningful images that speak to our message’s purpose to increase comprehension and retention. Studies say that people only remember 10-20% of what they read, while visual content was remembered by almost 65% (W9 – B – The Power of Visuals (W25)-slide 7). This shows how our brains store images in a different way than they do words which is key to understanding internet content because we need to be able to effectively deliver and place our messages in the minds of the reader in a compelling and visually entertaining way that will stand out amongst all the competition! Visuals improve learning by 400% (W9-D-Enhancing Content (W25)– slide 11). By successfully understanding how important visuals mixed with content are to the reader’s ability to comprehend and retain the message we will be significantly more successful in becoming recognized and remembered.
The power that images have for retention and comprehension is so powerful for content on the web because as advertisers we want to leverage emotional triggers to draw in our audience. Images can convey an emotional message much stronger and faster than words which makes images an incredibly useful tool when coming up with content that people will remember and understand. Our eyes are our strongest sense and are so involved with how we remember, think, and feel.
- Strengthens Branding and Storytelling
In the digital landscape, where people’s attention spans are short and visual content is everywhere we look, images play a crucial role in establishing a strong brand presence and connecting our brand storytelling. A consistent visual identity that spans many platforms will create an instantly identifiable and memorable brand presence.
Mixing colour patterns, image relevance and consistent tone to create a visual aid for example a logo, will create a brand identity. For internet marketing, it is important to stay consistent with this visual branding to ensure that we establish credibility in our brand which builds trust. These elements not only create credibility and trust but will position these elements in the minds of your audience and they will start to associate these things with your brand directly.
When creating content, we must use imagery as a main source of content because this is what will be the quickest way to advertise our brand and our messages. It’s important that our visual content is relevant to our audience’s wants and needs, and that it is formatted in a visually appealing way, but most importantly it needs to evoke a consistent feeling to make sure we have strong brand storytelling. Visuals evoke emotional reactions quickly and set the tone for our brand. It creates a narrative of who we are and what we align ourselves with. Unlike text, images allow brands to communicate complex ideas quickly and effectively. A picture has the ability to tell a compelling story about a brand’s mission, vision, values, and personality in a way that will stick in the viewer’s mind. This is because people 90% of information received in the brain is visual based and it’s much easier for people to comprehend images than text (W9 – D – Enhancing Content(W25)-slide 4). Brands must use visuals to accomplish virality in the digital landscape and leverage their weight to shape their narrative and values to stand out against the competition.