You’ve probably heard the phrase “seeing is believing.”

Well, link building can be an excellent embodiment of that rule, if done properly. Images can bring you lots of links if you know how to build them effectively.

In this post, you will learn three proven ways to build links using images. Once you see it work for you, you really will believe it.

So let’s begin!

Images Attract Links, but Why?

As a rule, to embed the image to the post, you must point out the source this image has been taken from. The source is the backlink that the owner of this image gets in return as a kind of credit.

As you can see, the author of this post has pointed out the source of the image along with the link leading back to the main website.

The next important question to ask is: What kind of images attract links?

Building links with the help of images can be a complicated process. You won’t see great results using any old image, such as an image of your dog.

To acquire backlinks with images, you will need to create images people would like to embed in their content. Here are the best types of images to focus on:

● Photos

This doesn’t necessarily mean the photos you post on Instagram. However, if you use images from a resource like Unsplash, you are sure to attract backlinks.

● Graphs

Graphs can attract links like crazy as well. Just check out this graph:

Source – example of chart

This graph has been featured across 277 pages.

The problem with creating graphs is that you will have to hire a graphic designer who can master them.

● Maps

Check out this map:

Source – example of map visual content

This map acquired 6.88K backlinks from 556 referring domains only.

● Infographics

There are lots of reasons why people like infographics. And one of the reasons is that infographic link building works well. Nowadays, infographics are less popular than ten years ago. Nevertheless, if you know how to make an infographic perfectly, it can help you get lots of links.

And here is a wonderful example of such an infographic:

Source – example of infographic for SEO

This infographic has 94 backlinks from 42 referring domains.

Three Proven Ways to do SEO Link Building with Images

There are three actionable ways to build links using images. Let's review them one by one.

1 - Ask people that use your image to link back to the main source

When you use someone's image, you should credit this person with the link. If you noticed, I credited all the sources with the links that I used as examples.

However, lots of people don't follow this rule and never credit image owners. But you can still find the original source of an image, and as an image owner, you can request that those who have used your image include a link to the source.

First, you must find the images that have been used without permission and do a Google reverse image search. Go to Google and upload the image (or URL) and you will get all the results where the image has been featured.

Afterwards, review each page and explore those that haven't pointed out the source. Once the opportunities are found, you should reach out to a blog editor and ask to add a link to the source.

Keep in mind that you should do this process every few months to make sure all the images from your blog are properly credited.

This process can be very time consuming. Plus, it is difficult to analyze each image from your blog. You can make this process easier with the help of a tool like Image Raider. The tool is paid and for a monthly fee you will be able to analyze up to 10,000 images.

2 - Identify links with the wrong attribution and ask to fix them

Let's assume that you have already created some type of visual content. You have used image optimization properly and the images can be found on Google easily. Hence, other people might already use these images for their purposes.

You see that the source with the link back to your website is provided. But when you start to review the details, you notice the following:

The link redirects you to the image file but not to the page itself. Unfortunately, this backlink is useless for your website, and it won’t help your page to rank.

How can you find these improper attributions?

Go to the Site Explorer tool and review "Backlinks" report using ".png" or ".jpg" in the "URLs of backlinks" and show only "dofollow" links:

The report suggests 527 backlinks that direct on image files. Your task is to review all these backlinks and reach out to website editors asking to fix them.

3 - Create more images to attract more backlinks

How can you create more images that attract backlinks like a charm?

You can do this by following the steps below:

Explore the topics in trend

The best way to find what is trending is via Google News. For example, you are interested in logo design. Google News suggests to you everything that trends up to date.

Lots of websites are discussing logo design trends that would be essential in 2021.

Research what interesting images you could add to the topic

Since the topic is about design trends, you can collect the most interesting ones and create a collage. If you don't have any idea how to create a collage, you can review the examples on Google. It shouldn't be related to your topic. The only thing that you need to understand is how to create it. For instance, the collage of the history of Valentine's day could be a wonderful source of inspiration for you.

Source of image collage

● Create your image

Brainstorm ideas on how you could name a future image and create the image itself.

When the image will be ready, you should work on the promotion of it. Use the old-fashioned blogger outreach method and build links. It will help you not only build links but drive sales with the images.

Final Thoughts on Visual Content and SEO Link Building

This guide proves that building links with visual content is worth your time. Images are easily embedded and they represent a visual type of content that is more appealing than plain text.

Nevertheless, not every topic can be converted into an image. And not every image deserves a link. It requires strategic thinking to create and use images that demonstrate enough value to attract back links.

How to Create Your Own Compelling Images

All-in-one platforms such as Visme offer a one-stop solution to creating your own graphic designs without needing any skills. Use them to make Presentations, Documents, Data Visualizations, Videos and other branded content.

Check them out here or click the image below.

Sergey Aliokhin is a Community Outreach Manager at Visme. In his spare time, Sergey likes spending his time with family, studying martial arts, and plucking fat bass guitar strings. Don’t hesitate to contact him.