Infographics are an incredibly effective way to communicate with audiences and to engage it. Did you know that infographics are 60 times more likely to be shared, and 4 times more likely to be remembered than text articles? This statistic alone highlights their potential for driving traffic to your site. If you do everything right, of course.
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What exactly are infographics? Simply put, they are visual representations of data or information. They are meant to make complex ideas fun to read, easy to understand and remember.
So how to build an infographic? Here we will guide you step by step in creating infographics that captivate your audience and bring traffic to your website. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or beginner ― this guide will help you make the most of this powerful tool.
Why Infographics Drive Traffic
Infographics are more than just visually appealing pictures; they are a strategic tool for online growth. They really work so effectively, since they:
Increase Engagement
Visuals capture attention. Unlike plain text, infographics break down information into digestible chunks, making it easier and faster for readers to understand and remember. Studies show that people remember 80% of what they see, compared to only 20% of what they read. This higher engagement keeps visitors on your page longer, reducing bounce rates and increasing the chances of conversion.
Enhance Shareability
Infographics make your content incredibly shareable. They are really perfect for spreading your message on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. A well-designed infographic can go viral. Don't forget to integrate your branding into the visual — and thus you'll get a powerful brand promotion for free! For example, a finance company might create an infographic on “Top 10 Money-Saving Tips” and see it shared thousands of times across platforms.
Work over time
Good infographics are memorable and stay with people for a long time. A great infographic — whether useful, valuable, or humorous — is often saved, revisited and shared even years later! If you integrate company branding into it, this branding will work for you over time.
Improve SEO
How to make an infographic boost your search engine rankings? Add keywords to the image file name, alt text, and accompanying content to make it easier for search engines to find and rank your content. Moreover, when people share or link to your infographic, it generates backlinks, a crucial factor for SEO success.
Strengthen Brand Awareness
Build a cohesive identity with your infographics. Incorporate your brand colors, logo, website URL, and tone of voice to ensure that all people who see the infographics get aware of your brand and associate the topic with your company.
Build Trust and Authority
Establish credibility with clear, professional infographics. Present well-researched data in a visually compelling way to show you’re knowledgeable and trustworthy. For instance, a healthcare brand sharing an infographic about “Common Myths About Vaccines” backed by credible sources can position itself as a reliable source of information.
Creating High-Impact Infographics
Creating impactful infographics requires a combination of good idea, thoughtful planning, strong design, and strategic promotion. Here's how to do it step by step:
Planning & Research
1. Define Your Goals
What do you hope to achieve? Is your goal to educate your audience, entertain them, or promote a product? Defining this early on will shape your infographic’s design and content. For example, if you want to drive product sales, your infographic could compare your product to competitors, highlighting key advantages.
2. Choose a Compelling Topic
Pick a subject that aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. For instance, a fitness brand might create an infographic about “10 Simple Exercises You Can Do at Home,” while a tech company might focus on “The Evolution of Smartphones Over the Last Decade.” Search for infographic topics among the most popular queries in search engines. What people search for most often is exactly what interests them the most. The more burning topics you provide, the more likely your Infographics become popular.
3. Choose format
Choose an appropriate format: informational, entertaining, comparative, or others that align with your goals, audience and positioning. An informational infographic can educate, while an entertaining one engages through humor or storytelling. Comparative formats are perfect for side-by-side analysis, and statistical layouts highlight data-driven insights. The right format ensures that your content resonates with and captivates your audience.
4. Conduct Thorough Research
Use credible sources to gather data. Ensure the information is accurate and up to date. This builds credibility and trust with your audience. For example, if your infographic is about climate change, referencing scientific journals, government reports, and reputable news outlets is essential. Below, we’ll suggest reliable sources for gathering information.
5. Identify Your Target Audience
Understanding who you’re speaking to will influence your tone, design, and level of detail. Are they beginners, professionals, or casual readers? What is their awareness level in the topic? For instance, an infographic aimed at business executives might focus on high-level data containing professional vocabulary and visual style, while one for students might include more detailed explanations and visuals and a vivid visualization.
Design & Development
Designing an good infographic requires a balance of creativity and clarity and a clear understanding how to design an infographic in a proper way, ensuring your message is easy to understand and memorable. A well-crafted infographic grabs attention, engages the viewer, and delivers its content with impact.
Keep It Simple and Clean
Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information or cluttered visuals. Use white space strategically to make your infographic easy to read. A clutter-free design ensures the main message stands out clearly.
Use a Visually Appealing Color Palette
Stick to 2-3 primary colors that complement each other and align with your brand’s identity. Tools like Adobe Color can help you find harmonious color combinations. For example, a travel company might use calming blues and greens, while a tech startup could opt for bold reds and blacks.
Incorporate Relevant Visuals
High-quality images, icons, and charts make your infographic more engaging. Choose visuals that enhance the message rather than distract from it. For instance, if your infographic is about population growth, a well-designed bar graph can convey trends more effectively than text alone.
Choose the Right Font
Select fonts that are easy to read and professional. Avoid overly decorative styles that might make your infographic look unpolished. Pair a bold font for headings with a clean, sans-serif font for body text to ensure readability.
Tell a Story
Guide your audience’s eyes with a logical flow. Start with a strong headline, follow with key points, and conclude with a call to action. For instance, an infographic about personal finance could begin with common financial mistakes, then offer solutions, and end with a prompt to visit your website for more resources.
Promotion
Optimize your infographics for SEO to maximize their impact and attract more organic traffic to your website. Learning how to make an effective infographic that search engines love can significantly boost your content marketing efforts.
Optimize for Search Engines
Use relevant keywords in your infographic’s file name, alt text, and surrounding content. This ensures your infographic is discoverable through search engines. For example, name your file “Top-Social-Media-Trends-2025.png” instead of “image1.png.”
Make It Shareable
Add social media sharing buttons under the infographic. This encourages users to spread your content with just a click. Include your website URL and a call-to-action at the bottom of the infographic to drive traffic back to your site. Use responsive design to ensure your infographic looks great on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Embed the Infographic on Your Website
Add a short description and embed code to make sharing even easier. Consider writing a blog post that expands on the infographic’s topic to provide additional context.
Promote Your Infographic
Don’t just post it and wait. Share it on social media asking to share it, email it to your subscribers, and submit it to infographic directories. Consistent promotion ensures maximum reach. Platforms like Reddit, Medium, and industry-specific forums can also help boost visibility.
Tools & Resources
Back in the early 2010s, I was introducing a website builder to a new market and realized that infographics could enhance our content marketing strategy. But the question remained: “So, how do I create an infographic?” I came up with a plan and developed the content, but designing the visuals proved challenging. At the time, creating professional infographics required hiring a costly graphic designer. Thankfully, that's no longer an issue today. Creating professional infographics doesn’t require advanced design skills, since there are plenty of tools for that. Here are some tools to help:
- Canva: User-friendly with customizable templates.
- Piktochart: Ideal for beginners with drag-and-drop features.
- Infogram: Great for creating data-driven infographics. Gives examples how to make infographics.
- Venngage: Offers templates tailored for various industries.
For data and visuals, consider:
- Data Sources: Data.gov, Statista, World Bank, or your own company’s reports.
- Image Sources: Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer high-quality, royalty-free images.
- Chart Tools: Google Charts and Tableau can help create compelling graphs and data visualizations.
- AI Tools: Beautiful.ai, Visme will assist you as AI designers.
- Animation Tools: Canva Pro, Piktochart, Visme, Powtoon, Animaker know exactly how to create animated infographics.
