How To Optimize Images For SEO

Have you ever done an image search in Google? It’s when you type in a word and receive image-only search results. The top results are actually optimized to rank higher for many reasons and if you know those reasons, you can increase traffic to your website in a way you may have overlooked before now.

1) Resize Images.

Google Search Image Results ranks images according to size and tags. The largest take the longest to load and are unlikely to rank high. Save your image file in JPG format because it offers the highest quality at the smallest file size. There’s no hard rule on file size, but aim for less than a few hundred kilobytes.

2) Rename File.

Don’t keep the default “IMG_77708” file name. Rename your image BEFORE you upload it to your webpage so that search engine crawlers can interpret your image.

3) Don’t use stock photos.

Using stock photos won’t help your search rankings because other websites can use the same images and they’re named and tagged in the exact same way.

4) Write Alternative Text For Your Images.

Alternative Text is a summary of a photo for someone who cannot see it. If a website takes a long time to load, sometimes you’ll see text where the picture would be—that’s alternative text. Without alternative text, search engines cannot index your image accurately and it won’t rank high in Google.

5) Title Tags.

Title tags pop up when users hover their mouse over an image. Unlike alternative text, title tags do not take the place of the images that can’t be displayed; they appear alongside the image. Write them like photo captions. Make them direct, not keyword heavy.

For the sake of an example, let me break down how I tagged, named, and classified the above blog photo:

Example:

The photo above is sized at: 318.7 KB

The file name is: How To Optimize Images for SEO

The alternative text says: Letters from a Scrabble game spell out the acronym “SEO” (Search Engine Optimization)

The title text is: Scrabble Letter SEO

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If you have any questions about your latest SEO reports or need assistance with improving your content for better search results rankings, get in touch with us today by emailing support@rebelrivercreative.com or giving us a call at 406-702-1557.

About Rebel River Creative

Rebel River Creative is a full-service marketing agency located in Billings, Montana. Launched in 2016, the Rebels offer digital, marketing, branding, and visual arts services. Learn more here or contact us for details.