How to Optimize Your Images for the Search Engine

search optimize images

Search engine optimization of images

Nearly all websites now include images with their text, which is a good idea since images are a powerful tool for enhancing text on the web.

A website’s image rankings, which in turn leads to more visitors, may be improved with the use of photographs.

Images require SEO optimization just like any other material on a website to increase the likelihood that Google can read and interpret the site’s banner ad.

Here, we’ll explain search engine optimization for images and provide helpful tips for improving your own image optimization efforts.

File size optimization

It’s not helpful for search engine optimization when a website takes too long to load because of large, image-heavy graphics.

But there are ways to minimize the size of your photographs, such as adjusting the image’s dimensions, using a compression tool, or selecting a suitable file type.

Custom dimensions

In order to ensure that the picture you post fits the specifications of your website, you should scale it down before uploading it.

A webpage with a width of 1200 pixels would not benefit from a picture with a width of 2400 pixels and vice versa.

In addition to increasing the file size, using a huge picture slows down a website since the coding used to downsize the image takes time.

Compressing images

To reduce file size, you can use one of the many different compression tools available around the web.

Normally, you will be able to compress an image to take up 40% – 70% less space without the quality getting worse.

There are compression plugins for most CMS systems, and then there are also some online tools such as https://jpegcompressor.com that can compress your images.

Choose the correct image type

There are many different image types, and before you start adding images to your content, you should make sure you choose the best image type that takes up the least space without compromising quality.

The two most recognized image types for websites are PNG and JPEG.

Which file type you need depends on the image to be uploaded.

Here are some rules of thumb:

  • PNG: Best to use for images/graphics with white/transparent backgrounds.
  • JPEG: This is best for larger images taken by a photographer.

Add ALT text, title, and caption to your images

When you upload an image to your website, you can also add some metadata: ALL text, title, description, and caption.

Search engines are not good at decoding images (yet), it is, therefore, important to add some metadata that can help the search engines decode an image.

Search engine optimization of the image – Borrowed by seobility.net

ALT text

ALT text is the metadata that in the search engine provides the most value, which also means that it is important to add the ALT text when optimizing your images for the search engine.

ALL the text is also what is displayed if the user has turned off images or there is an error that results in the website not being able to upload the images.

Title

The title tells search engines the name of the image, and when it comes to search engine optimization, the title is the least important metadata.

The title thus does not add more value to the image compared to better rankings in the search engine.

When you hover your mouse over an image, a “tooltip” will appear with the title of the image.

Caption:

A caption is a text that is just below an image and is intended, among other things, to provide users with a description of the image.

Several studies have shown that a caption is read more often than regular body text.

This means that the body text can help retain your visitors longer, so you improve the time your visitors are on your website.

Longer visit times send a signal to search engines that your users find your content interesting, and it rewards search engines with better rankings.

Conclusion:

SEO requires image optimization for search engines. Use descriptive filenames and alt tags, compress pictures to minimize download times, and use relevant keywords to increase website exposure and traffic. User experience and high-quality images add value to your material. To remain ahead, keep up-to-date on image optimization trends and practices as search engines evolve. Optimizing photos may boost SEO and website traffic.