Using images effectively on your blog

• Why you need images and where they fit into the multimedia space

• What kind of images you need and where to get them

• Presentation, sizing, captions & alt tags, slide shows

• Images for SEO & Branding

Why use images?Colour and form Reinforce the story

People take information in different waysBring traffic to your blog

Words

Audio

Video

Images

Timeline

Perceived Value

Must Have

Added Value

Media adding value

Travelcastnetwork

SmugmugTwitter

Travelblogexchange

Youtube

Tripfilms

Picasa

Facebook

I-tunes

Flickr

Vimeo PodcastsVideo

ImagesOther Social Media

Blog

Multi-media strategy

What kind of images do you need?

Gorgeous scenery The places I went

The journeys I tookThe people I met

What if I don’t have any images?

Foxnomad.com is a great example of using photos to make a point

Suitcases by Live and Basic Laptop by Ed Yourdon

Vote by Theresa ThomsonPodcast by Zoomar

Borrow someone else’s images

• Do an advanced search on Flickr• But only use photos with a creativecommons.org

licence• Always credit the photos you use• Or for commercial use buy from stock libraries like

istockphoto.com or Freefoto.com

Use images for traffic and branding

• Always use alt tags and captions• Monitor your traffic from Google images

through Site meter• Brand your photos with a watermark• Add your website as part of your title tag• Add your URL to all photos on your photos

hosting site e.g. Flickr, Picasa

Where you can find this information

• Articles at mybloggingjourney.com under the images category

• Free PDF report at mybloggingjourney.com/reports/