The importance of establishing a presence on Google can’t be overstated. When business websites have a presence in Google rankings for their target keywords, they see a dramatic increase in traffic and sales. Most people who have attempted SEO understand the importance of properly tailoring written content, but many people don’t know what image SEO is just as important. As the Internet becomes increasingly visual, it’s essential to incorporate images into your content and optimize these images for SEO. We have the tips that can help!
Why Images Matter for SEO
Because SEO strategies are built around keywords, some people believe that words are the only things that matter for SEO. However, when properly optimized, images present another opportunity to improve your page’s SEO. In addition to providing an opportunity to include keywords, they also allow your website to be present on image searches on Google, which will lead to a greater presence on Google overall.
Tips for Optimizing Images
Use High-Quality, Relevant Images
The most important thing to remember when including images in your content is that they must be high-quality and relevant to the subject matter. If the images you choose are not relevant to the content on the page, readers will get confused, causing them to leave the page. When users leave a page quickly, it hurts your SEO ranking. If your images are low-quality, poorly cropped, or blurry, it will bring down the overall quality of your page, which can also hurt your Google rank. To ensure the best possible ranking, use high-quality images that are relevant to your written content.
Compress the File
Another important thing to remember when adding images to your content is to always compress the size of the image file. Load times are an essential factor in SEO rankings, both because they indicate the quality of the page and because slow load times cause visitors to quickly click away from your site. Because Google takes page load times into account, it’s important to compress your files to shorten the time it takes for your entire page to load. Fortunately, compressing files is easy with tools like compressjpeg.com and countless others that are free on the Internet.
Choose the Right Format
In addition to compressing your image’s file, it’s also important to choose the right file format for your image. JPEG is a great choice for larger photos or illustrations, while PNG’s are the best choice to preserve background transparency. The right format for your image file will improve load times and the quality of the image, which are important for SEO. Additionally, obscure file types can often be difficult to load from certain devices, which can further harm your Google Rank.
Add Alt Text
Alt text or alt tags are essential to your image’s SEO. Alt text is descriptive text that you add to an image. If the viewer can’t see the image, they will see the text instead. However, more important, this text provides Google with a description of your image to help improve your ranking. Alt text provides another opportunity to include your target keywords in order to improve the rank of your image and of the page on which your image is located.
Change the File Name
In addition to adding alt text to your image, you should also be sure to accurately name your file. When you save an image, include your target keyword and accurately describe the image. Google can read the file name, meaning updating the file name is another way to improve your Google rank through your image.
ImageWorks, LLC | CT Search Engine Optimization
It’s important to have a site fully optimized for every type of search to maximize your chance of a top Google rank. If the task of keeping up to date on the latest SEO trends seems too daunting, don’t be afraid to call in the experts!
While professional SEO services can offer many opportunities to your business, you should never depend on SEO alone for the growth of your business. The companies that thrive on the online world have a comprehensive approach and utilize both online and offline marketing strategies. SEO can be a big piece; however, it is only one slice of the marketing pie.
By integrating all of today's Web tools such as SEO, social media, pay per click, and blogs, ImageWorks, LLC can turn your site into a lead generation tool.
