Infographics help break down complex issues into an easily digestible format. Instead of writing long definitions, you put the gist in a form that is easy to understand, write down and share.
As a result, they can be very effective in link building for software houses. If your infographics are well done, people are more likely to share them and link to your site.
Software houses are a perfect example of a niche where infographics can provide significant benefits - including when it comes to attracting organic links.
So how do you build links for your software house using infographics? Let's find out!
Why infographics work so well
You probably know what infographics look like. They're everywhere: from blogs and tutorials to stationary stores and doctors' offices. Why is that?
Infographics are easy to digest.
It's understandable that you want the content on your software house website to be as detailed as possible - after all, you're presenting your expertise there.
Sometimes, however, it is worth reaching for simpler solutions. A detailed approach is fine for professionals looking for in-depth information, but not every reader wants such a barrage of knowledge. The latter group often includes your potential customers.
And this is where infographics come in handy.
First steps with infographics for link building at Software House
Before we get into the details of working on infographics, we need to talk about the basics: understanding the audience's intentions at different stages of their journey.
Let's divide them using a common sales funnel ( sales funnel):
- ToFu(Top of the Funnel): At this stage, audiences are just beginning to explore their needs or problems. They are looking for general information, so infographics at this level should cover rather superficial topics.
- MoFu (Middle of the Funnel): At this point, audiences better understand their problem and analyze the available options. Infographics can focus on comparing different solutions, showing the benefits of specific technologies or presenting success stories.
- BoFu (Bottom of the Funnel): This is where you find people who are willing to make a decision. They know what they need and are looking for specific solutions. Infographics can highlight unique features, advanced techniques or detailed case studies relevant to your software house.
- Post-purchase: After the sale, the goal becomes to keep customers engaged and satisfied. Infographics can play a role at this stage, offering tips for getting the most out of a product, updates on new features or industry insights.
Such infographics are not just about creating content, but also about making an impact. They allow you to reach your audience at the right time with exactly the information they need.
Software companies-including software houses-are somewhat different from other industries in that, in their case, the stages of the funnel may intersect more often.
For example, an infographic created for the ToFu stage can also be what convinces and converts a potential customer into a customer in the BoFu stage. Technology solutions are complex, and a comprehensive infographic can be the key to success.
Define your target audience
Knowing your ideal reader helps define the topics to be discussed and the tone in which they should be presented.
In the case of your software house, it will be a mix of software engineers and non-technical buyers - or at least that's what we can assume without research.
To decide who you want to target with your infographics, you need to ask yourself some questions (and back up your answers with data!).
There are many frameworks that can help with this. The StoryBrand framework is a popular choice.
It divides the process into seven steps, each with questions to better understand potential customers and how to help them.
Choose the right topics
Now that you know who your target audience - or potential customers - are and what their needs are, it's time to find the perfect topics for your infographic content.
A simple way out is to provide ChatGPT with data on your target audience and ask for suggestions on topics. However, this tactic may mean cloning content that your competitors are already publishing. And that won't help you stand out, at least if you don't surpass them in every possible aspect.
amiast take a look at the data you already have. Check the traffic of your blog articles and see which topics are doing best. Adding infographics to them can increase their value even more!
Once you know what works for your audience, you can refine it. One method is to revamp a popular topic. Or you can analyze a complex topic from a new angle to make it easier for your audience to understand.
Alternatively, you can research topics that your potential customers may be looking for. AnswerThePublic is a great tool for this. When you enter a keyword related to your business, you'll get a list of real, relevant questions people are asking online.
Whatever topic you choose, make sure it has enough good information that users will find it engaging but not overwhelming; if it contains too much information, they may lose interest before they get through the whole thing!
Content preparation
After selecting a topic, it was time to content preparation. This includes collecting and verifying data from reliable sources and compiling it into a "knowledge base" that you will use when working on the infographic itself.
Depending on the topic, you may want to try to include interesting facts, figures or tips, as these attract readers while providing valuable insight into the topic being discussed.
You should also look for appropriate images or illustrations that support the visual elements of the infographic. These can range from charts and graphs to photos or diagrams, depending on what best fits each section of content.
Make sure that all assumptions are supported by concrete data! This will increase your credibility and authority among your readers.
Only by being friendly can you be sure that you are creating content that is both educational and interesting - making users more likely to share it further!
Preparation of infographics
Once all the research was completed, it was time to draft the layout of the infographic.
This includes deciding what sections to include, how to divide the sections into subsections, and what visual elements will accompany each section.
You should consider using several different formats - such as columns or timelines - to display data so that readers can quickly understand the information without having to read long blocks of text.
It may seem painful at first, especially if you don't have much experience with visual representation of data, but fortunately there are tools that can help you. Let's take a look at a few of them:
Canva
Canva is a visual design tool full of infographic templates that can be easily customized. It's beginner-friendly, with drag-and-drop functionality and a huge library of graphics to quickly create visually appealing infographics!
Venngage
Venngage is another widely used tool, an alternative to Canva, focused specifically on data presentation. It has many templates for infographics, flyers, diagrams and more. All of them can be customized for brand visualization. It's also free and easy to use, making it a great tool for beginners.
Figma
Figma is a tool for more advanced users. It offers a large number of social templates. This gives you more control over your design, so you can fully customize the look and style of your infographic to best represent your brand. It may take some time to get used to, but the results are worth it.
Creating infographics
After doing the necessary research and preparing a rough draft, it was time to start putting the infographic together.
Try to make your design vibrant and visually appealing while ensuring that it remains relevant and informative.
Every design element, from typography to color palette, should support the overall message and enhance the readability of the infographic.
Here are some best practices for designing infographics for software houses:
- Be strategic when choosing aesthetics. Repeated visual themes are great for reinforcing key ideas.
- Don't overcrowd the graphics. Leave plenty of white space so the viewer can easily focus on the most important information.
- Create well-organized sections. This will smoothly guide the viewer through the material and make complex concepts more digestible.
- Use visuals to break down large chunks of information. A combination of bullets, charts, graphs and icons can be used to concisely highlight key points.
Remember that creating an effective infographic is not just about making it look pretty. It's about presenting complex information in a clear, concise and visually appealing way that is easy for your audience to understand and engage with.
When your infographic can achieve this, it becomes a valuable resource that others will want to share - and that's when you start getting backlinks!
Here is another example of a well-crafted infographic.
It uses contrasting colors to draw attention to specific parts of the page - such as the title, the GLOBAL sign and each of the six statistics mentioned.
Promoting infographics and link building
Once the infographic is ready, it's time to release it to the world!
Publishing infographics
The first step is to upload the infographic to your website.
You can create a new page or add it to an existing blog post. The infographic should be accompanied by a short description that provides an overview of the content and its key points.
You can also include a link to the infographic so viewers can easily access it directly. This is especially useful for people who may not be able to view the whole thing on a page due to limited screen space or slow internet connections.
Next, optimize the site for search engines. This includes adding relevant keywords to the article text, as well as the page title and meta description, and including infographics in relevant categories.
Share and promote the infographic on social media
Once the infographic is available on your site, it's time to share it on social media.
Take the time to create an engaging post that will grab viewers' attention and encourage them to click through. Use topic-related hashtags to help your post reach a wider audience and increase the chances of it being shared.
You can also invest in paid ads or sponsored posts to reach more people with your infographic. The more people see your infographic, the more likely you are to get shares and backlinks.
Reaching out to influencers and other websites
Another way to get links to infographics is to work with influencers and other websites.
Start by making a list of potential websites and influencers who have a large number of followers and would be interested in sharing your content.
Then research their websites to get an idea of what kind of content they typically provide and how best to approach them.
Offer something of value in return, such as a free trial period or discount code, and be sure to provide a link to the infographic so they can view it before deciding to share.
You can also join relevant forums or comment on blog posts related to the topic and post links there. This is a great way to get your content out to people who might not otherwise see it.
Find the right catalogs
Finally, you can upload your infographic to directories such as Visual.ly, Slideshare i Infographic Journal.
These directories provide a platform for sharing infographics and getting backlinks to their websites.
Many also have a feature that allows viewers to share infographics on social media, increasing their reach and chances of generating backlinks.
Monitoring progress
Monitoring the progress of link building is essential to obtain relevant information.
This could include measuring the number of visitors to the site where the infographic is hosted and where they came from, such as social networks or directories.
This can be easily done with UTM tags - and the infographic Terminus est a great starting point.
It's also useful to know who shared them and what type of content accompanies such shares; this will give you an idea of which platforms generate more backlinks and impressions, so you can focus on them in the future!
In addition, pay attention to any mentions ofthat may not have been automatically tracked by analytics tools, as they can lead to the generation of even more high-quality links.
Valuable tools for monitoring these metrics include Google Analytics, Ahrefs or more comprehensive marketing tools such as Brand24. They provide comprehensive data on who is linking to your content, as well as other useful information that can be used to optimize future campaigns.
Summary
Link building with infographics is more than just mastering the content and design.
It's a process that starts with knowing your audience, narrowing down relevant topics and creating an eye-catching infographic.
Focus on providing value to your audience. The goal of such infographics is to explain complex information, whether you're talking to industry experts or potential customers unfamiliar with technology.
Start planning and see your software house grow!
