Good question.  I look forward to hearing an answer from the experts on this question.

@deairby When I was growing up, I was intimidated by books that were all text.  If they threw in a picture here and there, it helped break the text up and made it look less overwhelming. The picture also helped me visualize the story which made it more interesting.  

I’m personally a huge fan of screenshots.  Some would disagree and say that you need fluffy photos for an impact, but I think that depends on the type of articles you are writing.  

• If you’re writing a personal development article, then have some happy people or inspirational nature settings.  
• If you’re writing about gardening, then have some beautiful gardening pictures.  
• If you’re writing a how to post on how to build a chair, then have some photos of the chair in the process of being built and the finish product.  
• If you’re writing a tutorial of how to do something on the computer, then have some screenshots of each step along the way.  

Images help in social sharing.  When someone shares a post with an image on Facebook or Google+, they can select an image thumbnail from your post to go with it.  This will make it stand out more in the news feeds and make it more likely people will click on the link.

I get my images using the following.

• For screenshots, I use the free version of Jing - http://techsmith.com/jing.html. 
• For photos, I use the Advanced Flickr Search - http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/ - and check the box to only search Creative Commons licensed content which means you can post it on your blog with a credit back to the photo’s owner.

It is not necessary to publish your post with picture but it really gives you chances to get more views

@deairby
Hey Deairby! after reading your this post yesterday, I wrote a post for my blog.. I wish if you have a look at it : http://www.invortex.com/blog/blogging/role-of-images-in-your-blog

@shazansayani great advice!

@shazansayani I will go there right now, thanks.

I think not only does a picture make the post more visually interesting and break up the post as @kristi-hines has said, it also can create allure or tell your story better.

Sometimes an image alone is what will get me to click on an article or blogpost. I also tend to like images that are a bit different and maybe just ironic or subliminal. This can add personality and intrigue to your post and make you stand out.

Make sure that you are putting in alt text to help you out in search and also try to stay away from stock photos, as they are over done and not quite as interesting.

@joancrocker I remember a huge blog post I wrote where the site owner asked if they could change the opening image.  I put my foot down and said the image was what made the post. Sure enough, I received several comments that it was the image that drew them to the post.  :)

@joancrocker Great Comments Joan ! and you’re absolutely right about images.. they also increase CTR !!

As @kristi-hines said, most people are visual. Imagine if all Social sites were text.
Thanks for the tip on Jing! Here’s another free one I use which will allow you to take a screen shot of anything on the screen small or large. MWSnap Today it is much easier to take photographs, and consider taking them yourself.

@deairby It was a creative commons license.  It was one of the few times that I used a fun photo (hockey game) vs. a screenshot to illustrate a point.  He wanted to switch to a screenshot, but I said this conveyed the point better.  :)

I use my phone sometimes to post to my wordpress. Have you checked to see if there is an app for Wordpress for the iphone. I know there is for  the “crackberry” — i loved my old phone but have since upgraded my smartphone to the MyTouch with droid. and I found an android app for my new phone. I use it for drafts and it is very easy to add pics from my phone directly to my draft post. then when i get to my computer I add the final touches, edit and schedule or publish immediately.

other than that … you got the amount of steps down right. Whether I use my own photos (use my phone or camera, upload images or send to email/facebook/twitter, then open wp dashboard and upload image to post) or find photos on line via flickr or other photo sites (download image to computer, then open wp dashboard, and upload image to post). Quite honestly, outside of control C and then control V (copy and paste) there really isn’t a simpler way, outside of going into the html on the editor and using html code to add the image with the link from the website. Example (not a real link): <a href=”http://www.yoursite.com”><img src=”http://www.yoursite.com/nameofimage.jpg” width=”300″ height=”300″ alt=”name of image”></a>

don’t know if that helps, but it’s my input

Kimberly ~ Gypsy

@kimberlylosavio @blogsbyheather Wow! What amazing information. Thanks so much for all your help. It may take me a while to process the content and research the easiest way for me to get photos and post them. 

This SME networking group is the best!!!!

In the post I wrote for SME back in July, 26 Tips for Using Images to Engage Fans and Followers  tip #25, specifically speaks to why images are good for blog posts:

#25: Why images

Adam Singer describes images as being vital to modern blogs for six reasons:

content moves through the social web lightning-fast and strong imagery can’t be ignored;

images are a signal to visitors that a site’s material is premium and unconsciously we elevate the worth of a site that has images mixed in with stories;

strategic imagery helps bloggers build their brand—the imagery can help build a stylish brand associated with their sites;

images are mood setters and help writers tell their stories better;

images are a precursor to the inspiration that happens from effective copy and can give a blog an advantage over their competition;

images help bloggers create viral content.

@deairby You’re welcome!

@vladiiancu thanks, totally agree

I read an article recently on this topic and the author suggests that putting an image at the top left of the blog is more visually appealing, less interrupting, and more engaging than anywhere else. He had stats to back this up, but I don’t recall them.

@kristi-hines   @shazansayani
Thanks for those pointers and advice on using photos in blog posts. I think you are right about using them in a way that breaks up the text but adds to the flow. Having relevant photos are naturally important but I’m thinking your point about adding to the story is even more important for creating interest.

@glengorham is there an additional cost for this addon? 

Three relevant points here:1. Some people love pictures, some text. Do both.2. Pics, well chosen really ARE worth a thousand words.3. We are in the middle of the biggest behavioral modification experiment in the history of the world and it’s called the net.  Shorter attention spans, inability to connect complex concepts, addiction to site-surfing and a whole generation who don’t even read books. It could be seen as the mass dumbing-down of the world, but like it or hate it, fast, quick-grab attraction and  connection IS the name of the game.

@deairby no there is not if you are using wordpress.org (most likely wordpress off your own domain). No cost at all

@deairby without the quotes. I subscribe to http://www.iclipart.com for clip art and pictures. It’s about $70 for the year for unlimited use. I can usually find what I need but occasionally have had to look elsewhere.

Not sure if anyone else posted this suggestion, but I find http://compfight.com a great way to quickly search flickr for creative commons images. And remember to always give credit to the creator.

I always use a picture with every post. Since I very often write about products, I usually use the Amazon image or the product picture from the company page. For screenshots, I find the snipping tool in Windows works fine. 

I recently read in a blog post, a trick for making your posts more popular on Facebook. Instead of posting the url, upload the picture and then add the title and url in the comments. The picture will be much larger and draw more attention.

I was a high school yearbook adviser in my first career. I constantly reminded my students about the importance of a “dominant image” — a photo or graphic that is at least twice the size of the other elements on the 2-page spread.

The same theory (tweaked slightly) applies to blogs. A clear, decent-sized image that enhances the theme of your post attracts the reader’s eye and helps them remember what you wrote.

I evaluate a lot of blogs that use images in every post, but the images are postage stamp size. When we have to squint to see the image, that defeats the purpose. The image doesn’t have to be gigantic, but it should be large enough to see easily.

Avoid using blurry images — a fuzzy image is worse than no image at all.

There are lots of places to find images online for free or for a very low cost. Before you download a stock photo, carefully read — and follow — the licensing agreement. If using the photo requires that you post a credit line in your post, make sure you do that so you are abiding by copyright law.

Here’s a link to a post I wrote called “Best Places to Find Free and Low-Cost Stock Photos Online.” Hope you find it helpful.

I always make sure that there is a right mix of images and words as Images are always a relief for eyes and catch attention and more over as the old saying goes A picture says a thousand words so less words 

ThanksSandeep

@debbie-hemley Thanks, Debbie! I’m going to watch and implement your tips. 

Marc

@jeremyshuback Thanks for the resources!Marc

As @kristi-hines and @linda recommended, Jing for screen captures and CompFight for creative commons searches are two of my favourites. 
- http://techsmith.com/jing.html- http://compfight.com

I also like http://skitch.com for when you want to markup a screenshot. I use this tool internally to offer design feedback but also in blog posts when I want to illustrate a point about design or copy. 

@deairby thats for asking the question.  This has been a most informative and helpful post!  Thank you everyone for sharing your experience and sources.  I’m a visualizing learner which means I can create the image out of text, but it is always better when there is alread an image for me to build on.  I am a new blogger and have always tried to include at least one picture in my blog, but I would love some feedback on how I’m doing.  http://myoxisamoron.wordpress.com/

I personally love images but one thing that I’ve noticed on long blog posts with multiple images is that sometimes the page takes a while to load.  This is especially true when videos are added to the mix or larger images are used.  I’ve been using WP Smush it to make the actual image sizes smaller.  

I also use Jing, Picnik, Gimp, and have been getting images from Big Stock Photos although I’d love to try out the Flickr Creative Commons Licensed Images and maybe Photoshop Elements.

there was a forum post about “beware of Jing” I just saw the title and haven’t read it yet @rebeccaolkowski

@deairby I had not heard anything negative about Jing.  I don’t use it that often but so far have not had any trouble with it.  I’d be interested in seeing that post though.

@marcbaldwin This page shows you how to actually insert images into WordPress posts and pages.  :)

http://codex.wordpress.org/Inserting_Images_into_Posts_and_Pages

hey @deairby there are a lot of responses on this thread i hope my answer doesn’t get too lost in the mix.

The most important and usually the only reason you want to use an image on your blog “besides visual appeal for readers” would be for Google.

Google likes images but the truth about images is, Google cannot see the image itself, they see the http://”whatever the link to that image is”.com

Your images on your blog become another source for google to to figure out what your site is all about.

How about that for some SEO…

Ever see the section where it says name your image? You can literally name your image when you submit it into your article (you will want to name the image your keyword you are trying to rank for.)

Quick tip: save the image file as your keyword, or something similar to the name of your keyword on your computer…

Then, when you upload the image to your server, the link to that image will have the keyword inside the URL.

Skype me at Fobusiness or send me and message if you would like to talk more or have any more questions.

Your message did not get lost and thanks for your input. I had heard about naming your photo to help with seo. Great tip to save it on the computer with the key word in the title. @louisdagosto

Thanks  @deairby   That’s so surprising to me because I haven’t had a problem with Jing but good to know.

thanks for the tip about the keyword in all the blanks, I’ve been giving the photo a name only in one of the blanks! @amyhallbiz also, great reminder about real not stock photos!

Hi @shazansayani and @debbie-hemley, your post was very useful for me! And @kristi-hines I already read your blogposts and I like them a lot! It’s great to see all of you here!

I am always in a trouble with finding the proper picture. I tell you an example: Last time I wrote about landing pages. Which is the picture fitting to a landing page? Finally I did a slide with a child – you know, “landing” on the ground. (here is the post)

Another example: I wrote a post today to sum up how to make FB friendly promotions, so I used the image of Casper the friendly ghost. Here is the post.

My biggest question is: Is there any recipe to find a good picture for your post? What is the way of thinking you should use to find great pics?

@zsuzsaszab If screenshots aren’t applicable (because I always start with screenshots), then I move to http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/ and check for good creative commons images. 

If you’re into affiliate marketing, you can check out this article by  @brankicaunderwood - http://live-your-love.com/free-images-for-blogs/.  It’s on using free images from AllPosters.com and possibly making some income if anyone decides to buy a poster based on the image you used in your post. 

Sometimes if I see a link about a topic. I might still click it based on the interest it has to me, but I feel that I might click one with a photo more often even just to see the photo on a larger scale. 
That’s why everyone loves pinterest.

a lot of terrific info here.  over a year ago i got an old copy of adobe photoshop essentials [essentials 5, and i think they're up to 10 now] for only 13 dollars, which also included shipping from some warehouse– just did a search for it.  been using images, at least one on every post, sometimes two or more if the article is a bit long.

i’ve received positive feedback on the use of images; not only for my blog, but also as they images post on facebook… plus its fun.  didn’t notice if http://www.dreamstime.com was mentioned in reading thru the thread, but they have a number of royalty free images.  i even purchased a several images from them, a few of them i used as cover art for a couple of my books.

Since I posted to this forum the last time, Pinterest arrived, so we have another reason to use images in our blog post. People may pin images to Pinterest, and if the pic is engaging enough, followers will “repin” it. Once somebody clicks to the pinned image, then he/she will land on your blog.

Do you use pinterest? I am on it, and I love it, see my board: http://pinterest.com/szabozsuzsa/ (And let me know if you need an invite.)

@deairby
People love visuals.  Unfortunately, this is the reason why books take a backseat to movies in our day and age. Image are wonderful!
However, be sure to include high quality photos.  With the type of cameras and resolution available today, it would be wise to avoid low quality photos.  
I agree with @sharijstauch that there should be one at least, but it doesnt hurt to have more.  Screen shots, infographs, or real photos are always recommended!

Tweet @GoOmnibeat

Thanks @kristi-hines …I completely agree! I love to come across a nice looking blog with a good amount of written content and enough pictures, to move it along. (I usually put too many pictures or videos myself). Also…my pet peeve…coming across too much written content, with long sentences and small letters! Most pictures I use are my own, but I like to use videos from YouTube., since any subject is available! Wondering if using images from search results might work also?

On my checklist before publishing a post is to ensure that there is a “feature image” as well as any of the other screenshots that go with each post. I use this feature image to set expectations and lead them in to the content.
These feature images also clearly identify a series of posts. I make sure that all <alt> tags and data are properly set and clearly identify either the photo, screenshot or subject. I’ve seen traffic come from image searches as well.

Yes, we are visual creatures.

@ferrisstith  I’m with you for testing the waters and seeing what works best.