Optimising your website images for SEO
Posted on: December 10, 2017
There are many methods of ensuring your articles can be read easily. Some examples are: adding more paragraphs, headings, snappy sentences, and subheading. To make the content look even more attractive, it is advisable to add in images. The fact is, images can help you with your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) too.
Here are the best ways you can apply to optimize images for SEO.
Select the best images for your SEO
The first step in your SEO image optimization is selecting the photo best fit for your content. The focus at this point should be from the user’s point of view. Make sure that the selected image is right aspect ratio and appropriate size so that it can be accessed by all devices. At this point, it is advisable to avoid stock photos because they make websites appear like a brochure. Stock photos at times can also be very expensive. Even if the image you want for SEO is copyright free, it is still possible to get the owner following and sending an invoice for hundreds of dollars every month. A better method to take your own photos. You can then select the best for your photos and it is more localise too.
Resize the image to the right size
Make sure to resize the images to ensure that it is not very large. If the image is very big, the page load time will go down and compromise user experience as well as SEO ranking. Note that you should not use the highest resolution iPhone images as the baseline for your SEO pictures. Most iPhones can take images of up to 3000 pixels which is far more than you require.
Give the image a title
Before uploading an image, it is paramount to give it the right name. The name makes it easy to identify the right file by users. If you use the generic names that phones and cameras give the photos, it might not make sense to your clients. For example, if your page has an image of a new product such as baby’s first shoe, make sure to give it a name related to its purpose.
Fill in the alt-text and description section
Notably, Google crawlers cannot see the image but can clearly see the image description and alt text. Therefore, you must use this section to describe the image and get seen by crawlers clearly. The texts in the description and alt text section should be extra clear, concise, and descriptive. To get it right, consider writing the image as if you are describing it to a person who is visually impaired.
Use the right captions
In many websites, an additional field for captions is available for describing images. For example, you can add details to make it interesting such as when and where it was taken. The caption appears beneath the image.
And that’s it, the 5 tips for optimizing your image for SEO. If you are still struggling with the application, make sure your contact a professional SEO consultant for the solution.