Can InfoGraphics Really Boost My SEO?

The short answer is yes. They are an excellent way to share information quickly across a vast audience.

What Is an Infographic?

An infographic is a picture that illustrates a lot of information that can be understood at a glance. A road sign is a great example of an infographic. It’s universal—instantly understood by everyone, no matter what language you speak or how familiar you are with the topic.

If you have a message that requires a lot of explanation and a lot of boring words, an infographic may be a better way to present that info and keep your audience engaged. Plus, they may be more likely to share what you have to say (i.e. the infographic) with others.

How Does It Boost My SEO (Web Site Optimization)?

It’s all about links. Infographics encourage sharing—especially since our attention spans are getting shorter and the less time it takes to comprehend something the better. Someone sees your infographic, likes what it has to say and how it’s presented, and shares it with someone else. That person shares it with another, and so on. They all visit your site to check out more of what you have to say, and then want to link to you.

This is great for SEO in two ways: First, search engines see inbound links to your site. It makes them view you as an expert in your field, which under new rules automatically puts you higher on the SERP. In the same way, search engines recognize what is shared on social media sites and how they are managing social media marketing campaigns. The more popular you are on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and such, the more positive attention you get from the search engines and the higher you rank.

Kevin Gibbons at eConsultancy.com shares some great tips on using an infographic to your SEO and paid search engine optimization advantage. If you’re still not convinced, let me reiterate why you should consider at least trying an infographic on for size.

Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Using Infographics in Your Content

1. They are quickly understood by those who aren’t familiar with your topic, or even language.
2. They are easily reposted, raising click-through rates and likelihood that you’ll gain more links.
3. They are easier to remember than large chunks of text.
4. Search engines love new, original content and infographics are a great way to share old information in a new way.
5. They’re Panda proof. Infographics don’t require text, which means you don’t have to worry about keyword stuffing or other word-related pitfalls Google has been going after.

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Brianna Smith presents a lot of other great reasons to use infographics as well as some interesting trends that will impact search engine marketing (SEO) in the near future. In her article she writes that paid links will have less of an impact on page rank while social signals will have more.

But Hold On—Quality Counts

Just because you create an infographic doesn’t guarantee you success. It needs to be well thought out and well designed, which take time, effort and unless you are great at graphic design, money. Quality infographics require careful research of your audience to ensure resonance. And they need to be properly executed with a design that is not only eye-catching, but conveys the message you want to convey in a way that’s quickly understood and easily remembered. Humor helps. Think about the commercials that stick with you. They aren’t the ones giving you straight facts.

At the end of the day, it’s about getting your message across. And let’s face it. Our attention spans are shrinking. Infographics make sense—especially well designed ones. A picture is worth a thousand words—and about ten million clicks.

James Ussery is CEO of Machus Corp., a white label online marketing provider, with expertise in Web design, SEO and Web applications.

Author Bio:

Machus Corp., A technology solutions company based in Coppell, Texas, provides SEO services , Search Engine Optimization , Internet Marketing Services, Pay Per Click, Web Design and Development Services.