In the beginning was the word. And then — if you want any readers — photos, images, pie charts, and videos.
That’s the conclusion of a June, 2014 poll by Orbit Media Studios, which indicates that today’s blog readers are more likely than ever to see images alongside text.
It’s the beautification of the blog. Nearly three-quarters of blogger respondents said they used an image such as a stock photo or diagram in their blog posts, and 44.5 percent reported including more than one.
Why?
Orbit Media Studios argues that blog posts with images saw higher interaction rates. The best-read bloggers have adopted the graphics/video component to keep up with competition and drive traffic.
But bloggers don’t have money to throw around. Nearly all US bloggers promoted their blog posts on social media, but just 4.5 percent of respondents said they pay to promote posts.
eMarketer expects growth in the number of U.S. bloggers to remain low in the coming years. Its estimates show 2.2 percent growth this year to total 27.2 million people, or about 10.8 percent of internet users and 8.5 percent of the US population.
