Poorly Placed Photos Lead Readers Away From Your Blog

By: Team WTI | Date: September 9, 2019

Categories: Local SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design Articles,

Tags: Blog, Blog Design, Blogs, Design, Layout, Photos, Readers, SEO, Website Design Articles,

Are your photos subliminally leading people away from your blog posts? The orientation of photos matters and can be the difference between your blog being read or ignored. Poorly placed photos can lead readers away from your blog.

Great design relies heavily upon psychology, which reflects on how we process and perceive our world.

Our mind fills in the blanks of photo movement

Subliminally, our mind constantly evaluates and makes decisions about the visual elements we’re seeing.

For example, if a photo shows a person walking, our eyes will naturally follow the direction of the walk. If the walk leads away from your blog post, then readers’ eyes also will leave.

We’ve spent our entire lives looking at photos. We understand they’re a moment captured in time. As a result, our mind subconsciously fills in “what happens next.”

Take the image of a football quarterback preparing to throw the ball. The quarterback is looking downfield, his arm is pulled back and his body is in motion to throw.

We know what will happen next. The ball will be released and travel away from the quarterback.

As the quarterback prepares to throw, our mind naturally fills in the direction the ball is likely to take, and our eyes move accordingly.

Naturally, our “line of sight” fills in the likely trajectory and moves in the direction the ball will travel.

The photo itself is stationary, but our brains understand motion, so the mind fills in the blanks about what happens next.

If that line of sight looks away from your blog content, recapturing a reader’s attention will be difficult.

You have limited time to engage readers

The average attention span is only 10 minutes. You have a limited amount of time to engage your reader in what you’re saying.

The kitten is looking to the left as it plays with a flower. As a result, the eye travels to the right.

Brains are wired to focus on specific things. Using photos to subliminally point the eye back toward your content is key.

In his classic book, “The Design of Everyday Things” Donald A. Norman describes design as “an act of communication.”

Great designers understand how the human mind works. Design isn’t solely about “looking pretty” it’s about helping your readers connect with your content.

Avoid the mistake of poorly placed photos. Looking for content creation? Let our SEO experts at Team WTI ensure customers are engaged with your site.