On-page SEO optimization and image optimization are fundamental steps in an SEO campaign. As search engines become smarter, the process of achieving good search rankings becomes more and more complex.
Now, to get to the top, it’s not enough to just have quality content.
There are many factors that contribute to performing well in search engine rankings, and one of the most important is on-page optimization. On-page optimization is the backbone of SEO, and an important factor of on-page optimization is image optimization.
Image SEO optimization is one of the cornerstones of on-page optimization. Images are an important visual component of a web page. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Read: 4 Ways How Images Can Enhance Your Blog Posts
If used properly, they can help you convey your message at a glance, while if used improperly, they can ruin your overall impression. In addition to this, images can also be a good source of traffic for Google image search and other image search engines.
The most important image optimization factors include alt tags, title tags, image size, image name, and image link.
SEO Image Optimization Techniques
1. Image relevance
Image relevance is extremely important when optimizing images for SEO . Placing an image of a train on a page related to Ferrari isn’t going to do you any favors. I know it’s common sense, but this step is so important that I can’t miss it.
2. Alt Tags
Alt tags are probably the most important image optimization factor. Alt stands for alternative. If an image fails to display or takes too long to load, the text in the alt tag will be displayed in place of the image.
Most major search engines are text-based, meaning they cannot read images and videos. The location of the image appears as a blank space in the search engines. These blank spaces do not do your overall SEO any good. The alt tag not only tells the search engine that an image is placed here , it also tells it about the subject of the image .
A good practice for ALT tags is to keep alt tags short but descriptive.
Some plugins will automatically use the image name as the Alt tag. That’s why it’s crucial to rename your images and give them meaningful names before uploading them.
For example, the popular RankMath SEO plugin automatically uses the image name added as alt text. This simple feature saves countless hours for end users like you and me.
Alternatively, you can always manually add alt tags to your images.
Here’s how to do this in WordPress:
Simply select the image and on the right, you will be able to add a descriptive alt tag (see the screenshot below to understand)
Easy! huh?
Fill your alt tags with search engine friendly information, but don’t try to overdo it. For example, an alt tag for a birthday party picture might look like this: alt="My son Ronin’s second birthday party"
3. Image size and hosting
Image size is a very critical factor as it directly affects the loading time of your page . There are a few things you can do to ensure that your images don’t slow down your page:
- Use webp instead of .jpg
- Use .jpg instead of .png (works in most cases)
- Compress images before uploading. Use one of the WordPress image compression plugins .
- Using a CDN network will help your image-intensive website load faster around the world. Using a CDN has become essential.
If you are using WordPress, you can use the Shortpixel plugin which offers 100 free image optimizations per month. You can use it to optimize the image size of your uploaded images. Another reason to use this plugin is that it can convert your existing .png images to .jpeg.
Image hosting is another important factor, especially when it comes to attracting traffic to Google Image Search. The factors that go into selecting images for Google Image Search are not well known, but some say that image hosting is one of the important factors in the selection. Images hosted on the same domain as the text are said to be more valuable than images hosted on another domain, such as a free image hosting site.
Another important aspect of Google Image Search’s algorithm is how it blends images with the text on the page.
4. How to name images for SEO
Just as keywords are important in URLs, they are equally important for images.
Keyword-rich file names can help search engine robots determine relevance.
Avoid using default image file names such as " DSC0019.jpg " because it does not provide much information about the image.
Use descriptive file names where keywords are separated by a "-" (hyphen). For example, "Steve-jobs-on-the-launching-of-iphone.jpg".
5. Title tags and image links
Images are attractive and therefore great for linking. But proper image linking techniques can provide even better results. One of the basic tips for image linking is to avoid linking directly to images. When linking to images, always use relevant anchor text. This is more effective for your SEO when embedding images in guest posts or other pages designed to get links back to your website.
When you link images, always use title tags. Title tags provide a tooltip when you hover your cursor over the link. Use relevant keywords and SEO-friendly descriptions and your title tags will be outstanding.
6. How many images should you use?
There is no fixed number of images, as it depends on the type of page you create. For some types of pages, even one image is enough, while in some cases (such as tutorials), you may use 10-20 images.
The key point here is that your images should not slow down the loading time of your page. Make sure your page loads in 2-3 seconds on a 3G connection. Apart from that, you should also focus on optimizing the speed of your images and the entire page/site.
These are simple tips for SEO image optimization that will not only be effective for your SEO but will also increase your traffic. If you want to know how to get images for your blog, you should read:
- 10 Free Image Download Sites
- Best WordPress Image Compression Plugins Compared
- How to use Flickr to find images for your blog
Let us know if you have optimized the images on your blog for SEO or are you missing out on the huge traffic that images can bring?
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