Infographics, are they worth paying attention

This is a good question, because the modern version of Infographics does not seem to be going away. They seem to be sticking around which usually means that they have a use, either a social use or a commercial use. However, many, many websites do not use them, so one may assume that the readership of these Infographics is fairly small but still robust. One may also assume (rightly or wrongly) that Infographics are not suitable for every website. So, are they worth paying attention to?

 

What are modern Infographics?

The technical term “Infographic” stands for any image that disseminates information. So, the cave drawings of men hunting deer, for example, are technically Infographics. The modern version is an image that is placed upon a website or email. It is a digital image file that has an image similar to a page in a colorful book. The page is filled with text and images, all of which are supposed to give a message.

It is quite popular for people to present raw data in charts and for people to add images in order to enhance the text that is written on the Infographic. However, it can be set out as a page for a business proposal if you like; however, it defeats the object of putting it on an image file. Since it is on an image file, you may as well make it highly graphical.

 

They are easy to spread around the Internet

It is quite easy to spread them around and share them because they are image files; ergo they are not subject to the duplication rules that hinder most text based adverts or features. A person cannot spread the same text across numerous domains because Google will punish the sites involved. However, because the Infographic is an image file, it cannot be punished under the duplication rules. You can spread it around as much as you like without any negative consequences.

They do contain text, but the text is on the image, which means that the search engines cannot read it. So, you still get to avoid the duplication rules.

 

They can be used to promote a site

In essence, you could use your Infographics as poster adverts. In the same way that you would design a poster to put on a wall, you could also design an Infographic the same way. It could start with a big headline about your website, and the moving downwards, it could explain why your website is so good.

You could use Infographics to show people all the things that are on your website. You could populate it with elements that would stimulate the interest of your website viewers. For example, if you have a section that sells DVDS, a section that sells BluRay and a section that sells HD DVD, you could have similar sections on your Infographic. You could also explain why people should visit that section of your website, or give metrics that people can follow, such as how many you have sold in 2013.

 

You can use them to inform people about your site

Your site may be host to an online tool or a web element that people are unaware how to use (they may not even know what it does). You could create an Infographic that informs people about what your site does, or how to use the tools on your site. The Infographic could even explain the purpose of the tools, or how they were created, or how other people have used them to great success.

 

You can use an Infographic to explain your products

Not every product is straight forwards. Some people do not know how to work them, so you can show people with an Infographic. You can explain how they work in a step-by-step guide, or you can fill your Infographic with examples of what your product may be used for. You can spread this information around the Internet, as well as placing it on the same page as your product.