Infographics are everywhere these days and you can find them on just about any topic. Infographics are a great option for supplementing your content and providing great information to your readers. There are many great infographics out there, but there are just as many that are no good.
So how do you choose?
I am going to start with how to choose an infographic so that when you are in the search process, you can keep these ideas in mind.
How to Choose Infographics
Always think about how relevant the infographic will be to your target audiences.
For example, if your blog is about gardening, there are multiple ways you can go. You could easily focus on “5 Flowers That Must Have Sun to Grow”, but this would also be relevant, “10 Ways to Get Dirt and Grass Stains Out of Clothes.” Even though the stained clothing is not exactly on target with your subject, it still relates.
Keep your mind open to options.
The next thing you need to do is make sure the information provided is accurate and useful. There are many infographics I see that were created quickly with no fact checking done. Sometimes they are made to be beautiful, but offer very little value. For me personally, the infographics with no value are waste of time.
The goal is: Find an infographic that is both attractive and offers valuable information to the reader.
How to Find Infographics
Sometimes finding Infographics can be difficult. Obviously you can use the main search on search engines, but there are other strategies to find the best ones out there. I use the following below to get more recent infographics.
1). Check Sites That Collect Infographics:
2). Check Google News and Google Blog Search
Typically, I can get the best and latest infographics in Google News. Just search for your subject and “infographic” and see what appears. Sometimes I just search for “infographic” and I find hidden gems that I may use or save for later.
I use Google Blog Search the same way and I often find different infographics than I found in Google News. I use news and blog search because it gives me more up-to-date information.
3). Twitter Search and Hashtag #Infographic
People share infographics on Twitter all the time. Make sure you check this search to find new and recent items.
4). Google Alerts
If you don’t want to spend all your time searching, you can have Google find them for you with Google Alerts. Just have a Gmail account ready to go and add the search queries you are interested in. When things you are looking for are published and Google finds them, you will receive an email.
However, lately the service has not been working as quickly or effectively as I would like in some circumstances, but in other cases it is. You can always see if it works for you and if it doesn’t – just delete the alerts you set up.
Things You Must Do When Using Infographics
Anytime you use an infographic you should have a solid introduction to the infographic. Note who created it and link to them. It is really important to give credit to the infographic creator and a name and link is the proper way to do that.
When creating your introduction you should create at least 2 paragraphs on why this infographic could be helpful to your readers. Quickly review the interesting points and tell the reader why the infographic could be useful to them.
You also want to make sure that the infographic is sized to fit your blog well (width-wise).
Tips on Saving Infographics
If you download every infographic you like, your computer will fill up fast. I use Evernote to save all the infographics I am interested in possibly using. I tag them accordingly and can go back and use them when I need them.
You can also create a Pinterest board for infographics based on subject.
A Humorous Infographic for You
Why is this useful?
Well it makes people smile because it has cute cats in funny positions and it makes fun of social media. I just thought I would throw the infographic in to entertain you. As an editor and writer, I have found that appropriate humor does well with most audiences and can drive a lot of traffic.
This infographic was created by Avalaunch Media.
[Click image for full size version]
Thanks for the post, Melissa.
I wish that I was an expert graphics guy-just for the 2 or so years that infographics have been popular.
The infographics I could have created….
The Franchise King®
Ti Roberts
Great post, Melissa. Infographics are extremely useful and I’d like to start incorporating them more into my posts.
Ti
Thanks for the read Melissa. I’ve found great success using infographics to build links, generate social signals, create traffic, and grow brand exposure. They are certainly one of the many content marketing tricks you want in your bag.
@Joel Libava – We’ve been using infographics as an agency for link building purposes since 2008 and continue to see huge success with them. They certainly have grown in popularity as of late.
Martin Lindeskog
Melissa Fach: Thanks for the guide! Infographics is really hot nowadays! I agree with your goal setting: “The goal is: Find an infographic that is both attractive and offers valuable information to the reader.”
As a cat lover, I must say that SOCIAL MEowDIA Explained is a cute infographics! “Internet is made by cats!” 😉
Great article, Melissa! Question: Are all the infographics at the sites you mention available for use, royalty-free? Thanks again!