6 Ways to SEO Your Images
In today’s digital age, search engine optimisation (SEO) is a critical aspect of online marketing. As the internet becomes increasingly visual, optimising images for search engines has become more important than ever. But how and where do you start, how can you SEO your images?
Images are a big thing, did you know that images are returned for 27% of search queries? This statistic, according to Moz, highlights the importance of optimising your website’s images for search engines. It Additionally, it has also been suggested that visuals increase user engagement – in some reports, by as much as 94%.
So, what are some ways to SEO your images? Here are some tips:
1. Use descriptive and relevant file names
The file name of your image should be descriptive and include relevant keywords. Avoid generic file names such as “image001.jpg” and use descriptive names such as “red-apple.jpg” or “luxury-car.png.” This will help search engines understand what the image is about and improve your website’s ranking in relevant search results.
2. Use alt text
Alt text is a description of an image that appears when the image cannot be displayed. It is also used by search engines to understand what the image is about, as well as screen readers for those with visual impairments. Use descriptive alt text that accurately describes the image and includes relevant keywords. Keep the alt text short and to the point, as search engines typically only display the first few words.
3. Compress images
Large images can significantly slow down your website’s load time, which can negatively impact your website’s ranking on search engines. Compress your images before uploading them to your website using free online tools such as TinyPNG or Compressor.io to compress your images without losing quality.
4. Use responsive images
Responsive images adapt to the user’s screen size, ensuring that the image is displayed correctly on all devices. This not only improves the user experience but also helps with SEO. Search engines favour websites that offer a good user experience, and responsive images are one way to achieve this.
5. Use image sitemaps
An image sitemap is a file that lists all the images on your website, along with relevant information such as the image URL, title, and caption. By submitting an image sitemap to search engines such as Google, you can ensure that your images are properly indexed and appear in relevant search results.
6. Use schema markup
Schema markup is a type of code that helps search engines understand the content of your website. By using schema markup for your images, you can provide additional information such as the image type, author, and license. This not only helps search engines understand your images better but also provides users with more information about the image.
Did you know that pages that include at least one image rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) than pages without any images? This is according to a study by Backlinko, which reinforces the importance of optimising your website’s images for SEO.
In conclusion, optimising your images for SEO is crucial for improving your website’s ranking on search engines. By using descriptive and relevant file names, alt text, compressing images, using responsive images, using image sitemaps, and using schema markup, you can ensure that your images are properly optimised and appear in relevant search results. These are just a few of the easy ways to SEO your images.
As we’ve previously explored, SEO is about more than just the content, optimising your images should be just one part of your SEO strategy, so be sure to consider all aspects of SEO to achieve the best results. Need some help or friendly advice? We’d love to hear from you, just get in touch.