SEO Image Best Practices
Optimizing images for search engines is an important aspect of SEO. It can help improve the visibility and ranking of your website. However, many website owners, content creators and web site developers often overlook the optimization of their images for search engines. Here are some best practices for optimizing images for SEO:
Choose the right image file format
The file format you choose for your images can impact your website's loading speed and overall SEO. Use JPEG for photographs and PNG for graphics or images with transparency. JPEG files are typically smaller than PNG files, and they load faster, making them a better choice for photographs. On the other hand, PNG files are better for graphics as they maintain their quality even after multiple edits.
Optimize image file size
The file size of your images can impact your website's loading speed, which can negatively impact your SEO. Compress the image file size without losing quality. Large images can slow down your website speed, which can negatively impact your SEO. There are several tools available that can help you compress your images without losing quality, such as TinyPNG and Kraken.io.
Use descriptive file names
Give your image a descriptive file name that includes relevant keywords. For example, "red-shoes.jpg" is more descriptive and useful than "image123.jpg." Descriptive file names can help search engines understand what the image is about and improve your website's overall SEO.
Use alt tags
Alt tags describe the content of the image for people who are visually impaired and search engines. Use relevant keywords in the alt tags. Alt tags also help search engines understand the context of the image, which can improve your website's overall SEO.
Use descriptive captions and titles
Caption and title tags can help provide more context to the image and give search engines more information to understand the image. Use relevant keywords in the caption and title tags to improve your website's overall SEO.
Use responsive images
Web site development and design should leverage on the available techniques to make all images responsive. This will provide the best user experience, improve your SEO and increase your ranking on search engines. If the images are not responsive, it will negatively affect how the page looks on mobile devices.
Use original images
Along with stock images use original images too. Search engines prioritize original content, meaning your website may have better rankings on search image results pages. Original images alos helps your website to look more authentic to the visitors of your site. Using graphic design tools to create new images will improve your SEO.
Use structured data
Use structured data markup to provide more information about the image, such as the author, date, and location. This can help search engines understand the context of the image and improve your website's overall SEO.
Conclusion
Optimizing your images for search engines is an important aspect of SEO. By following these best practices, you can help ensure that your images are optimized for search engines and improve your website's overall SEO.