Image SEO: How to Do SEO for Your Images

Image SEO: How to Do SEO for Your Images

Image SEO: How to Do SEO for Your Images

Do you remember the time you uploaded an image to your website? You might have downloaded it from a stock photography site, uploaded it on the backend, and inserted it on your page. However, you’re probably mistaken if you think this is the perfect example of image optimization. Image seo is more than this, which is why in this blog, we will discuss image seo and discuss seo tips for images that can help you improve and increase your website’s ranking. Suppose you are new in the field of digital marketing. In that case, you might be unaware that images make your content more accessible and attractive and engaging for users. Overall, they are important for seo. Understanding the elements of image optimization provides your content with the opportunity to succeed with seo. 

Let’s understand everything about image seo. With seo images, you can help search engines understand the site and content. In addition, you can get more exposure in image search results. Continue reading further to learn about image seo and how it helps increase your online presence. 

What Is Image Seo?

Image seo can be described as optimizing images to get more traffic from search engines. Optimizing for image seo can help a website rank higher on Google Images. Image optimization involves developing and presenting high-quality images in the format, size and resolution to enhance user involvement. Image optimization also includes accurately labelling images with proper metadata so that the search engine crawlers can read them and understand page context. 

However, for some, image seo is among the overlooked elements of on-page seo, but it is still essential. In addition, image seo can improve accessibility on your website, which is also becoming a legal requirement in many countries. If you are not careful, poor seo free images sink your page’s ability to gain links, climb in the index, and drive valuable organic traffic. 

Why Is Seo For Images Important?

Good seo ensures that your targeted users can find you online. It is also the best way to gain a top spot in search engine page results (SERPs). Many business owners think that seo only applies to title tags, headers, and body content. However, all these are important places to do the seo but remember they are not the only ones. Search engines cannot process the images the same way people can, which is why image seo is the only way to assure they can understand. 

Although seo image optimization is relatively straightforward to make your images ready for search engines, image seo optimization is another step towards improving your website’s position in search engines and ultimately attracting visitors to your site. 

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/l5if0iQfV4c 

Different Ways To Do Seo For Your Images:

Below are some best practices to implement if you want to increase your google ranking with image seo. 

• Resize Your Images-

Image size and file size are different terms; image size connects to the dimensions of an image, whereas file size is the storage space. Images with high resolution and larger dimensions slow down the page loading time. Although they work better for printed designs, they should be mounted down and sized for the websites. For resizing the images, you will need first to fix a few things that are-

1. Saving an appropriate format- PNG, GIF, and JPEG each have unique benefits. However, the most recommended form is JPEG for images with lots of colour and PNG format is best for simple illustrations. 
2. Choose the correct compression rate- how an image is well-compressed is affected by both file size and quality, the smaller the file, the poorer the quality will be. Many editing tools like Adobe Photoshop, have a web option that automatically minimizes the file size while increasing image quality. However, if you do not use photoshop, then tools like affinity photo, Pixlr, gimp and plugins like image recycle, short Pixlr, WP smush, and Yoast seo can help. Here you will need to experiment with file types and compression rates to see what will work the best. 
3. Test speed- How can you know that your website page loading times are speedy enough after optimizing your image? For checking the page loading time, you can use tools such as Pingdom, web wait, google page speed insight and many more.

• Optimizing Image File Name-

Name the file with relevant and descriptive keywords to get the most Seo benefit. You can target keywords at the beginning and set them apart with hyphens. Do not use underscores as search engines do not identify them and won’t be able to see the words separately. Moreover, the file names should make sense for humans and search engines. Let’s say- if the original name for an image of a girl in a makeup salon is makeup123.jpg, then rename it with the help of a descriptive keyword or title like girl-having-a-makeup-in-salon.jpg.

• Use Alt Tags-

Humans can understand the image, but search engine spiders need clues. Without alt tags (alternative tags), search engines cannot index the image accurately. However, a reasonable alt tag also provides context and helps visually impaired users. It is also helpful when a bug obstructs a vision from loading, as search engines can read the alternative text. Try to write an alt tag in detail than the file name.

• Make Images Mobile Friendly-

Google’s algorithm uses mobile-first indexing so that crawlers can have a look at the site’s mobile version. Thus, your images should be mobile-friendly, so you must ensure your pictures and website layout are responsive to the device. However, some website builders automatically resize images, but you can define image size based on the device width. 

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/eveI7MOcSmw 

• Optimize The Image Title-

WordPress takes the image title from its file name. However, if you don’t use WordPress, you can update it using appropriate keywords like file names. 

• Include Captions-

As the name suggests, image captions may not directly impact the seo, but unlike file names and alt text, the captions can be added to the website. Adding captions can directly impact seo, improving user experience images and engagement metrics. 

• Use Unique Images-

When you use stock photos, it is optional that it can help your search rankings because other sites usually use similar images. Similarly, unique content is always good for seo and it is always better to upload individual images. 

• Add Image Structures Data-

Including structured data on the pages helps search engines display your images as rich results. Google images support structured data for images, videos, and recipes.

• Use Site Maps-

Site maps are a critical part of seo as they tell search engines about the website pages and structure. According to Google, a site map is a file where you can list the pages of your website and tell google about your site content. However, to ensure that the search engine crawlers observe every image, like an infographic, meme, photo, or thumbnail, you can include them in your site map. 

Final Thoughts:

When you take out sufficient time to optimize your website’s images properly, you can have a noticeable impact on the website traffic. In addition, it can also improve user experience with faster loading times and improved accessibility. In the above blog, we have mentioned a few tips that can help you to increase your ranking with the help of image seo.