Image optimization

Introduction

Images are a favorite among users. Social networks like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram have long recognized the appeal of visual content. People crave more images, and search engines are responding to this demand.

Back in 2010, Google revealed that daily pageviews from Google Images had surpassed 1 billion!

Over the years, Google Image Search has evolved into a major source of image discovery, with millions of users accessing it daily. For many websites, this presents an additional avenue for driving traffic.

However, just like any other SEO strategy, optimizing for Google Images is essential.

That’s likely why you’re here. You might be wondering, “How can I optimize my images to appear in Google Images and attract clicks?” or “What steps can I take to leverage images to boost my SEO and rankings?” Well, we’ve got you covered with some image SEO best practices and proven strategies to enhance your visibility through Google Images.

Let’s begin with one of the most crucial aspects of image SEO: filenames.

Chapter 1: Filenames

Optimizing Your Images for Better Search Rankings

How Image Filenames Impact Search Rankings

When trying to improve the ranking of a page, the title plays a significant role in determining which keyword it will rank for. This same principle applies to the filenames of your images as part of your on-page SEO strategy.

Cameras, however, don’t have the capability to identify what’s in a photo. As a result, images are often assigned generic filenames like “DSCN0042.jpg” when transferred to your computer.

A common mistake many people make is uploading images without first renaming them.

Why It Matters for SEO

If you search for an image on Google Images using a default or generic filename—such as the one automatically assigned by your camera—you’ll quickly find millions of results from websites that haven’t optimized their images. These websites miss out on valuable traffic because they aren’t optimizing images for Google Image Search.

How to Optimize Image Filenames

Before uploading your images, take the time to rename them. Assign descriptive, keyword-rich filenames that clearly indicate the content of the image.

The filename of an image is a key factor in how Google determines which images to display in search results. This is why, for example, when you search for “red cars,” only images of red cars appear.

The Advantages of Using Specific Filenames

When users are searching for images, they typically use longer keyword phrases. By giving your image files specific and descriptive names, you can benefit in several ways in terms of image search optimization

• Improved rankings in targeted searches
• Reduced competition
• Increased clickthrough rates

For instance, naming an image “small-red-race-cars” can significantly boost its chances of appearing in relevant image search results. By ensuring your image filenames align with the content, you’ll enhance your SEO performance in image search.

Chapter 2: Alt Text

The Importance of Alternative Text Attributes

Another key aspect of image SEO is the alt attribute. If you’re not familiar with HTML, you might not be aware of the alt attribute or its purpose. Originally, the alt tag was created for accessibility reasons. It allows users who cannot view images—due to slow internet speeds, errors, or the use of screen readers—to understand what the image is about. This is the core function of the alt text attribute.

In the image above, you’ll notice the alt text for Google’s homepage. If the image fails to load, the word “Google” will appear in the top-left corner in place of the image.

What we see

What Google sees

<img src=”whitehouse-lawn.jpeg” alt=”White House Lawn” />

Google also relies on alt text, as its crawlers cannot “see” images like we do. Instead, all Google can interpret is the HTML code used to display the image.

For instance, while we may view a picture of the White House lawn, Google’s crawler only reads code indicating the webpage is showing an image of the White House lawn. The actual image could be entirely different! This is why naming your image files and adding descriptive alt text is crucial.

Alt text not only helps Google, but it also serves as a useful way to incorporate important keywords on your website.

When used properly, alt text can boost your rankings on specific pages of your site. It’s a straightforward opportunity to enhance your SEO by adding relevant keywords and optimizing areas where text might be limited. Don’t miss this chance to improve your search visibility!

Where is alt text located?

When adding an image to your website using HTML, the alt attribute should appear right after the image source. Here’s an example of proper alt text implementation:

<img src=”image-seo-guide.jpeg” alt=”Guide about image SEO” />

Alt Text in Image SEO

Take note of the alt=”Guide about image SEO” within the image tag. This is how alt text is defined in HTML, providing Google with a clear understanding of what the image represents and aiding your search rankings.

Alt text serves as a brief description that allows Google, browsers, screen readers, and other search engines to gain context about an image. Even if the image is not visible, the alt text should still give users an idea of what the image is about.

Don’t Use HTML?

Many content management systems (CMS) don’t require you to manually add HTML for text and images. However, if you’re inserting an image through one of these CMS platforms, make sure there’s an option to include alt text.

If you don’t see a field for alt text or “descriptive text,” you might want to consider switching to a CMS that includes this important SEO feature. Leaving out alt text can negatively affect your search engine optimization!

Chapter 3: Image File Size and SEO

The Effect of Image File Size on SEO
A crucial factor in Google’s ranking algorithm is how quickly a webpage loads. Improving your site’s load time can help boost its search rankings.

While image file size doesn’t directly influence your images’ ranking in Google Images, it can have a significant effect on your site’s overall performance.

One of the most effective ways to speed up page load times is by reducing the size of your images. Large images can slow down your site, and background images are especially prone to being large and slowing things down.

Even images that appear small on your website can significantly slow down page load times. This often happens when you have a full-sized image stored on your server, but only display a smaller version.

For instance, if you upload a high-resolution image (e.g., 2500×3000 pixels) but display it as just a 400×600 pixel image, it’s taking up unnecessary space and negatively impacting page speed. By reducing the image resolution, you can significantly decrease its file size. This not only speeds up image loading but also improves your website’s overall performance.

The following example demonstrates how compressing images can save space and boost your website’s speed:

Chapter 4: Additional Tips

Other SEO factors that can help improve image rankings:

While the filename, size, and alt text are the most critical factors influencing image rankings, there are a few other elements that also affect how Google ranks your images.

Let’s take a closer look at these points:

1. File Types
   While you may not often face this issue, it’s something to keep in mind. Google tends to favor standard image file types like JPEG, GIF, and PNG. If your images are in a different format, it might be worth considering converting them to these more common types for better search performance. For example, a PSD file is unlikely to rank well, as many users can’t open Photoshop files, and they tend to be quite large.
2. Contextual Content
   It’s always beneficial to surround your images with relevant content. For example, placing an image of a car on a page about boats wouldn’t make sense to your visitors. Even if Google can’t “see” the image, it can recognize that users are leaving your site quickly due to confusion, which may negatively impact your rankings. Ensuring that all content around the image aligns with the subject matter helps both users and search engines understand your site’s relevance and quality.
3. Organizing Image Folders
   The way you organize your images can also affect your site’s performance. Google recommends storing all of your images in a single folder on your server and referencing them across different pages, rather than dispersing them across multiple folders or storing them haphazardly. This streamlined approach makes it easier for Google to locate your images and can improve your site’s loading speed by reducing the need to search through multiple subfolders.
4. Sitemaps
   For websites with numerous images, it’s a good idea to include an image sitemap. While this might sound technical, the key takeaway is that an image sitemap helps Google discover the images you’ve placed on your site. This increases the likelihood that your images will appear in Google Image search results.

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

<urlset xmlns=”http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″> xmlns:image=”http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1″>

<url>

<loc>http://www.example.com/sample.html</loc>

<image:image>

<image:loc>http://example.com/image.jpg</image:loc>

</image:image>

<image:image>

<image:loc>http://example.com/photo.jpg</image:loc>

</image:image>

</url>

</urlset>

After creating your image sitemap, ensure you notify Google through Webmaster Tools. Google won’t be aware of your sitemap unless you submit it to them manually!

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve mastered the basics of image SEO.
Incorporating image SEO into your website is just as essential as standard SEO. It’s more efficient to implement these strategies gradually as you build your site, rather than trying to make bulk changes later on.

We hope this guide has been helpful and that you’ve learned valuable tips to enhance your site’s performance. Improving your SEO through image optimization or getting your images ranked in Google Images isn’t as complicated as it may seem. With some practice and by following our suggestions, you can easily achieve great results!

Need Expert Guidance?

If you find yourself needing some expert assistance with the image SEO tasks covered here, or if you’re looking for advice on improving your overall SEO, online marketing, or website performance, the DigiTotal team is here to assist. Our tailored SEO strategies are designed to help businesses like yours achieve higher rankings and maximize ROI through search.

Don’t hesitate to contact the DigiTotal team to learn how we can support you in enhancing your technical SEO.