As a webmaster, you know the importance of SEO. And as a webmaster, you also know that images can play a significant role in your SEO efforts.
Unfortunately, many website owners don’t know how to optimize their pictures for SEO. As a result, their pictures don’t rank as well as they could, and their website’s optimization suffers.
But there’s no need to worry. Let us show you some simple ways to rank your visuals higher. Following these tips will help your photos contribute to your website’s overall SEO success.
Defining image optimization
Image optimization (IO) is the process of reducing a digital image’s file size while maintaining the picture’s quality. IO’s purpose is to ensure that the website’s visuals load quickly and do not take up too much space.
IO is essential because it can help improve the speed of a website. In addition, it also helps reduce the bandwidth usage of a website.
Image format, size, & caching
First things first, the format. It is imperative that you choose the proper image format for your needs. JPEGs are best for photos, while PNGs or GIFs are better for graphics or images with transparent backgrounds.
Besides, make sure your images are the appropriate size. Large photos can slow down your website, making small pictures appear blurry. It is generally best to use images between 50 and 100 KB. VistaCreate provide a multitude of free visuals in different formats and the correct size, so you can easily choose anything that suits your topic and preferences. The tool also has a compressing feature, so you can use it to reduce the file size of your pictures without compromising quality. It will help speed up your website.
Finally, use caching to improve the loading time of your images. Caching stores a copy of your pictures on the user’s computer so that they don’t have to be downloaded every time they visit your website.
Image file names
Include keywords in your image file names to help search engines recognize what your pictures are about. For example, if you are writing a blog post about “5 Ways for Decorating Your Space for New Year”, you could name your image files “5-ways-for-decorating-your-space-for-NewYear.jpg” or something similar. It will help search engines index your images and improve your chances of appearing in image search results.
Image alt tags
Every image should have an alt tag that describes what it is. These are read by search engines and help them index your photos. For example, the alt tag for the above image could be “5 ways for decorating your space for New Year”.
Title tags
Your title tags should be descriptive and include keywords or long-tail phrases (if suitable). For example, the title tag for the above image would be the same, “5 Ways for Decorating Your Space for New Year.”
Description tags
While many users skip these, description tags are essential and help users get the gist of the visual. For example, the description tag for the above (impromptu) image could be “This blog post provides five ways for decorating your space for New Year. Learn how to furnish your space with a festive mood, atmosphere, scents, and more.”
Image optimization and page load times
In a nutshell, the smaller the file size, the faster the image will load. Page load times are affected by the number and size of the files that need to be loaded to display the page. The more files on the page and the larger they are, the longer it will take for the page to load. Therefore, optimizing is essential and helps decrease the page’s overall file size and improve the page’s load time.
Two deadly blunders to eschew
Optimizing images with the wrong file format
The file format is vital for image optimization because it can affect file size, affecting load time. Some file formats, like JPEG, are better suited for certain types of photos than others. But why? The reason is simple: JPEG is a good choice for photos because it supports lossy compression, which means that you can remove some image data without significantly affecting its quality.
Forgetting alt text
An absence of alt text confuses a search engine, making the latter misunderstand the visual and what it’s about. Since alt text is a short text that describes an image, creating and including it is easy and vital. It also provides a text-based alternative for people who can’t see the image, which is critical for accessibility and inclusivity.
Conclusion
With all that in mind, let’s wrap things up and underscore the three key things to remember. When optimizing your images for SEO, ensure you’re using keywords throughout your pictures. Doing so will help you get more traffic from search engines, and it will also help you rank higher in the search results. Ensure you’re also using ALT tags, so people can see what the image is about. Finally, include high-quality images relevant to your website.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to get the most out of your images and funnel the traffic that you desperately need.
