Unlocking the Power of Image Optimization for SEO Success

The Process of optimizing the images on your website for the purpose of a good SEO ranking is known as SEO image optimization. Here the images might rank all the more better in the unpaid search engine results, thus resulting in driving more traffic to your site. Some of the basic optimization tricks includes:

• Resizing and compressing images
• Giving images descriptive file names
• Adding alternative text (alt text) to images

This process works because it makes it simpler for search engines such as Google to locate and understand your images. This implies that they are most likely to display your images as per the required search queries.

Not just this, but the images that have been optimized load quicker, thus helping the users to get that image that they require. These are the two most important aspects according to Google for a website to rank well.

Where do the Images appear in the Search Results

One of the most important advantages of the SEO image optimization is that it helps in a better ranking within the ‘search engine results pages (SERPs), thus, attracting important clicks from the users. Here you should bear in mind that the regular image results might be wonderful, but a SEO optimized image is great for the ranking of the website as well.

How To Optimize the Images

Let us take a look at some of the steps involved in the process of image optimization:

Locate and Create Useful Images

This is one of the main steps in the process of SEO image optimization. Here It is vital to select and create the correct kind of images according to your needs. For instance:

• Photos: help showcase products and break up chunks of text
• Graphic designs: to convey abstract ideas
• Charts and graphs: to display complex data
• Icons: help improve website navigation and usability
• Logos: to help strengthen your brand identity
• Screenshots: to help offer clear instructions and examples.

It is also recommended to create you own images instead of picking something from the stock imagery. This way it is all the more easier to deliver some unique values to the users and offer a better Google rankings. Also, be sure to acquire the required permissions when using images created by the other sources.

To Select the Correct Image Formats

The next step involves the saving and converting of the image files into the different formats. Here, experts recommend the ‘SVG’ format in the case of logos and icons.

This is mainly because the SVG images can easily be resized without losing the quality of the original image. Also this image format can be easily manipulated using CSS or Javascript. Next is the WebP format which is also quite popular for the various image types; the main reasons are:

• This format is well-supported by all the major search engines, the other internet browsers and the social media sites. However there are still exceptions to this.
• The files created are generally much smaller as compared to the other formats.
• The transparency and animations are also supported on this format.
• Also it uses the lossy and lossless compression that help to make sure that the file size and image quality are well-balanced.

Nevertheless, creating the SVG and WebP formats are tough to manage or create, so let us take a look at some of the other alternatives:

• JPEG: suitable for standard images
• PNG: suitable for images with transparency, text, or lots of detail
• GIF: suitable for simple animations

The Descriptive File Names for the Images

Usually Google uses the image file names for a better understanding of what the image depicts. Hence it is recommended to offer a depiction to your image file names, however make sure that these are concise. Experts advise on the use of spaces in the file names.

Also it is recommended by Google to separate the words with Hyphen. Likewise, when the same image is being used in a translation version of the content, ensure to update the file name accordingly. For example you could be using the file name iphone-apple-15-rosa-vista-lateral.jpg within your Spanish domain.

The Descriptive Alt Text

What is an Alt Text? Well, basically this is a written description of the image that has been stored in a web page code. Generally this is sorted within the Alt attribute of the image. The Alt text is generally used for better accessibility.

This is because the text-to-speech tools can easily read this description aloud for the visually impaired users to understand what is being conveyed by the image. This usually appears when the page is not able to load properly or is much slower than expected.

Not just this, but the Alt text is also useful in the case of search engine optimization, as the search engine use the alt text for the better understanding about what the image depicts. Here are some of the best tips in doing so:

• Be sure to write the alt text for function images and not for decorative images. This makes sure of a much less chaotic experience for users applying assistive technologies.
• Also you need to describe those aspects of the image that are required in context.
• Be sure to confine them to a maximum length of 125 characters.
• Put anything important that you need to share with the users on the image caption or the body content and not the Alt text.
• Prevent the use of phrases such as ‘Photo of’ or ‘Image of’.

Image Resizing

Be sure to resize the images into smaller dimensions as it helps to minimize the loading time without affecting the quality of the image. Here the website images need to be within 2500 pixels. To get the accurate size, you can utilize tools such as Photoshop that makes it easier to resize the images. Also, the website plugins make the job a lot easier.

To Compress the Images

There are plenty of tools and plugins available that make it easier to compress the images without compromising on the quality of the image such as: TinyPNG, Squoosh, GIMP.

Conclusion

These are some of the best tips when it comes to SEO image optimization techniques. However, be sure to share your feedback on the article with us.