SEO image optimization -how to do it

  • Home / SEO / SEO image optimization…

SEO image optimization -how to do it

Because SEO optimization requires an integrated approach, every element of the page needs to be properly designed and optimized, both for the convenience of website visitors and search engines. We have already written about how to create SEO texts and optimize text content. We will now familiarize you with the basic rules for images, as well as provide you with essential tips to help you get ahead of yourself.

Optimizing the image of the SEO

Almost every site has pictures, photos, some graphic images or even image galleries. Like texts, models require optimization and organization in addition to other elements of the page. As a result, search engine placement and optimization can add not only to the relevancy of the site’s pages and to increase search engine positions but also to traffic. Here’s how to optimize your photos and images on the site.

Image size

The bigger the picture, the better. If the search engine finds multiple images on the same model, it will select a larger image. This does not mean that you have to embed large images on the page. A large full resolution picture can be opened as a separate page by reference. On the page itself, it is enough to place a preview of the image. The thumbnail of the image should not be too small. Search engines can view images smaller than 100-150 pixels as an element of design and not allow them in earlier positions.

For large images, it is best to review with a link to the original high-resolution image:

<a href=address of original image “> <img src = “image thumbnail address” /> </a>

At the same time, you don’t have to turn a large image into a thumbnail by compressing the image size using styles. In addition to the fact that the image may be distorted, the image will delay the overall loading speed of the page. And will there be many such thumbnails on the page? The question is rhetorical. Also, search engines recognize the relationship of styles to the size parameters of the image itself. If there are major discrepancies, they may consider such a technical solution incorrect and, after analyzing the site for page load speed, may even decide that the image is harmful to the page.

Image location

In practice, we have come across some solutions. From that, the images should be moved on a separate server, on a different CLOUD platform, to the traditional solutions. Namely – the photos should be on the server where the site itself is located. It is impossible not to admit that many companies offering software solutions, when promoting their products, advise customers to go to a separate cloud service that supports media files. We, the W-SEO.com team, are not convinced that such solutions produce better results in Google Images, but on the contrary, such an answer leads to deterioration, as search engines often confuse these images as alien.

The image may characterize a page or a separate semantic part of the page. The location of the image will determine how its value is estimated for the page. So, we place the image closer to the text or surround the image with text so that the essence of the picture complements the essence of the text.

Search engines learn to recognize the content of images. However, without context, the search robot still cannot determine precisely what is depicted there and draws a lack of information in the text surrounding the image—carefully surrounding the image with text. A challenging endeavor but very useful.

One way to surround the image with text is to use captions below it. If there are many images on the page and not enough text, the caption below the image will be more than useful. The caption below the image requires it to be explanatory, to give clarity to the image itself.

The attributes of the alt image and the title will help us rank better

Image attribute of img tag alt

The alt image attribute is an alternative text description of the image. This attribute informs the site visitor of the content of the image with a text message in the event that the image display has been disabled in the user’s browser or an error occurred while loading the image. It looks like that:

<img src = “image address” alt = “Image description” />

Optimizing the description of an image in the alt attribute can have a very positive effect on optimizing the entire page of a site. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you always fill in this attribute. The description in the alt attribute must accurately and concisely describe what is shown in the picture. Search engines do not fully understand long explanations, so it is advisable to limit yourself to 50-60 characters.

Tag title image attribute

The title attribute shows up as a hint and provides another opportunity for SEO to optimize images. If the content of the picture is described in the case of the alt attribute, then in the case of the title attribute, additional image information may be reported. The title attribute is well known by the <a> tag where it should be in case the image is a link. For images, the title attribute is optional. The contents of the tag must be different from the contents of the alt attribute.

CNC image file name

Another vital way to specify the content of the image and further optimize the search image is to make the image file name match the content of the image. For example, if a photo shows a white cat, then you should write it as – being-good.jpg. So it immediately becomes clear (most likely) inside the file. The CNC (human-readable URL) format informs both humans and searches robots much better than pic_7642.jpg. Familiar names have a very positive effect on SEO image optimization.

Image format

The smaller the image size in kilobytes, the faster it will load on the page. The most popular image formats for the web are .jpg, .png, .gif. These image formats are optimized to varying degrees and allow you to get a good ratio of image size and file weight for each image type (icons, photos, photos). Choose the correct image format.

A poorly optimized image may deprive users of the desire to see the site. This is especially true of landing pages where an attractive picture is of great importance. If the picture is too large to weigh, the landing page will take a long time. If it is too small, the image will likely be of poor quality, which may push the user and reduce conversion.

Summary.

There is nothing complicated about optimizing search images. The main thing is not to be lazy and write a unique alt tag, title and file name with a CNC image. This way, you can add a lot of additional textual content to the page, which will help make the pages of the site more relevant. And of course, don’t forget about the traffic that SEO-optimized images provide if they come to the forefront of Google Images.