When you think of SEO, images may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, optimizing your images for search can be a great way to drive more traffic to your website – especially if you’re using visual content as part of your marketing strategy. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips for optimizing your images for SEO, as well as ways to make sure they look their best on your website.
SEO-Friendly Image URLs
The first step in optimizing your images for SEO is to ensure that the URLs are SEO-friendly. This means using keywords or phrases that describe the image, such as “green-shoes.jpg,” instead of something generic like “image001.jpg”. This will help search engines understand what the image is about and index it more easily.
Image File Size
Another important factor to consider when optimizing your images for SEO is the file size. Pages with large image files can take longer to load, which can negatively affect your website’s ranking in search engines. Additionally, if you use images that are too big, you might run into the ‘’Image size is over 100 KB’’ page issue. So, it’s important to compress images as much as possible while still maintaining quality – this will help keep page load times down and improve overall performance.
Conversely, images that are too small may suffer from a lack of clarity or visibility. Therefore, it is essential to find the right balance between image size and quality. The ideal image file size is less than 100KB, and the most appropriate format for that is JPEG.
ALT Text
Alt text also knows as alt tags or alt attributes, is a vital step of image optimization. This is a short description of the image that search engines use to understand what it’s about. Additionally, alt text helps visually impaired users better understand what the image is about.
Alt text helps improve accessibility, as it can be read by screen readers and other assistive technologies, as well as providing more context for search engines. That’s why it should include keywords related to the image and provide a brief but accurate description.
If you previously haven’t used or optimized the ALT text of your images, it’s time to change that. Review missing and unoptimized ALT text and update it.
The ideal alt text length is usually 125 characters or less. That way, you’re ensuring that search engines can read the entire text. If the alt text is too long, it won’t be identified by search engines or screen readers.
Don’t Skip Image Optimization
Images are an important part of any website, and optimizing them for SEO can be a great way to drive more traffic. Optimizing your images can help your website get a better rating on Google Images, so it definitely is a step you shouldn’t skip!