Why Are Infographics Important For Search Engine Rankings?

Source- http://www.schrockguide.net/infographics-as-an-assessment.html

Well, according to Rand over at MOZ, usefulness of infographics is definitely waning. He says that the vast majority of infographics used today are actually not as useful as their alternative, the visual asset (photos, small graphs, etc.) This could be for any of a plethora of reasons like, they’re overused, done poorly, have devalued link authority, or even just because they’re pasted into pages as large, useless images.

The Good News

Fortunately, he also says that in the cases that they are properly executed, infographics have huge potential. The keyword here is “properly executed” which has quite a bit of room for interpretation based on who’s doing the talking. Before we get into that, let’s talk about why infographics can be good:

They are:
• Shareable, linkable, and durable
• Measurable and give ROI data
• Potential Research mines to be utilized in White Papers or Press Releases
• A great way to visualize high priority news from other sources
• One way among many to gain visibility and links in competitive industries
• A way to build editorial link authority in Guest Posts
• Highly capable of explaining complex data through a visual form
• Potentially inexpensive

So, what is “Properly Executed”?

Source- http://www.richmedia.com/richideas/articles/what-makes-a-good-infographic

Well first of all, when creating an info graphic, never begin with visuals then stare at data for hours just so that you can fill in the lines. That’s the link bait that Google hates oh so much. Often, people take really small sets of data that are best suited to be showcased in simple charts, images, or graphs and force them into an ugly and uninterested infographic. Only create an infographic after an idea worth visualizing has already been realized, so that the content will drive the format. If you’re here to find out the specifics on how to put together a quality infographic, we suggest this fine piece of work!

From here, you need to evaluate what you want to accomplish with your infographic, be it branding, link building, or increasing overall visibility for SEO.
After this, you can decide what mediums to use to create said infographic. One way that has been tested to be tried and true was suggested by Jon Henshaw in his blog, is to create a standalone page to host the infographic with nothing more than a title, the infographic, a description, and an embed code.
This method is highly SEO friendly and is more suitable when your infographic is something you really want to showcase and contains a large amount of information. However, this method can be time consuming as it requires you to convert to HTML or CSS while using embed codes through an iframe.

Using an automatic Infographic Creator

If you’re more about efficiency or simplicity rather than making an intricate masterpiece with a page devoted to it, then some of these websites can help. easel.ly, piktochart, venngage, or even hubspot offer a platform in which to create your infographic. They may be less customizable and in some instances, less SEO friendly, but they sure do save time and make the process easier.
Also, don’t forget to place the Pinterest “pin it” button next to the infographics that you are most proud of!
Even though many experts are looking at infographics and evaluating them as less useful than they once were, it is clear that infographics still serve a large role in company’s online identity when “properly executed”.

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