Images are an important part of any website or blog. Not only do they provide visual interest, but they can also help with search engine optimization (SEO) ranking. When it comes to image optimization tips for SEO, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
1. Use Relevant & Descriptive Filenames for your Images:
One of the first image optimization tips is to give your image files relevant and descriptive names.
This will help both search engines and users understand what the image is about.
For example, instead of naming an image file “012345.jpg,” name it something like “dog-playing-fetch.jpg” or “woman-standing-in-front-of-Eiffel-Tower.jpg.”
2. Use Alt Text & Title Text
In addition to giving your image files relevant names, you should also use alt text and title text. This is one of the most important images optimization tips.
Alt-text is the text that appears in place of an image if the image can’t be displayed for some reason.
The title text is the text that appears when you hover over an image.
Both alt text and title text help search engines understand what an image is about, and they also help improve the accessibility of your website.
3. Image Optimization for the Web:
When you’re ready to upload your images to your website or blog, make sure to optimize them for the web.
- This means saving them in the appropriate file format and at the correct size.
- The most common image file formats are .jpg, .gif, and .png.
- As for image size, you want to make sure your images are not too large or too small.
- If an image is too large, it will take longer to load, and if it’s too small, it will look pixelated.
- A good rule of thumb is to keep your image files under 100kb
4. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN):
If you have a lot of images on your website or blog, you may want to consider using a content delivery network (CDN).
A CDN is a system of distributed servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location.
Using a CDN can improve the speed of your website or blog, and it can also reduce your bandwidth costs.
If you’re interested in using a CDN, there are many options to choose from, including CloudFlare, Amazon CloudFront, and MaxCDN.
5. Resize Images Before Uploading Them:
If you have image editing software, such as Photoshop, the image optimization tips is that you can resize your images before uploading them to your website or blog.
Resizing images is important because it helps keep your pages loading quickly.
- To resize an image in Photoshop, open the image file and then go to Image > Image Size.
- In the “Image Size” dialog box, make sure the “Constrain Proportions” and “Resample Image” options are selected.
- Then, enter a new width and height for your image.
- Click “OK” to resize the image.
6. Good Image Sitemap
- Make sure you have a good image sitemap.
- An image sitemap is a file that contains information about the images on your website or blog.
- This information includes the location of the images, the type of image (e.g., .jpg, .gif, or .png), the size of the image, and the date the image was last modified.
- An image sitemap can help search engines find and index your images more quickly and easily.
To create an image sitemap, you can use a tool like XML-Sitemaps.com.
7. Lazy Load for Images
- You may want to consider using lazy load for your images.
- Lazy load is a technique that loads images only when they’re visible to the user.
- This can help in improving website speed optimization, especially if you have a lot of images.
- To lazy load images, you can use a plugin like BJ Lazy Load.
8. Use Alt Tags on Images
- Make sure to use image alt tags on your images.
- Alt tags are a type of HTML tag that allows you to specify alternative text for an image.
- If an image can’t be displayed, the alt text will be displayed in its place.
- Alt-text is also used by search engines to help them understand what an image is about.
- To add alt text to an image, you can use the “alt” attribute in the HTML code for the image.
For example: <img src=”el-Tower.jpg” alt=”The Eiffel Tower”>
9. Beware Of Copyright Issues
When using images on your website or blog, be sure to avoid any copyright issues.
If you use an image that you don’t have the rights to, you could be sued for copyright infringement.
There are many places where you can find royalty-free images that you can use without fear of copyright infringement.
10. Optimize Your Page Title & Description
For SEO optimization of images, make sure to optimize your page title and description.
Your page title should be descriptive and include your target keyword.
Your page description should also be descriptive and include your target keyword.
Including your target keyword in your page title and description will help search engines understand what your page is about and index it accordingly.
11. Use Structured Data
If you want your images to appear in Google image search, you need to use structured data.
Structured data is a type of code that helps search engines understand the content on your web pages.
To add structured data to your website or blog, you can use the Image Object schema.
This schema allows you to specify the image URL, the image title, the image caption, and the image thumbnail.
12. Make Your Images Mobile-Friendly
With more and more people using smartphones and other mobile devices to access the internet, it’s important to make sure your images are optimized for these devices.
To make your images mobile-friendly, you can use a responsive image solution like Cloudinary.
This service automatically creates multiple versions of an image at different sizes and resolutions, so that your images can be displayed properly on any device.
Conclusion
By following these image optimization tips, you can help improve your website’s or blog’s ranking in search results and also make your site more user-friendly.
These tips will help you optimize your images on page SEO and improve the overall performance of your website or blog.
Make sure to give your image files relevant and descriptive names, use alt text and title text, optimize your images for the web, and consider using a CDN.
Doing so will help you attract more visitors to your site and improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages.