Have you ever looked up something on Google not to read about it but instead to see it for yourself? A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.
Images, when used correctly, can hold a lot of weight in your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and boost the discoverability of your content and the image itself in topical and photo searches.
Image SEO can increase your visibility and traffic because, if done correctly, those images can appear in Google’s image results.
In this blog, we take a deep dive into image SEO and the best SEO image practices to make content more discoverable.
Use relevant, accurate alt text.
Here’s a quick refresher: alt text is copy that describes an image. For example: “Two people staring at a sunset wearing Clearbridge Branding Agency t-shirts.” Proper and accurate alt text improves both user accessibility and SEO.
Alt text or descriptions help search engine crawlers index your website more accurately, which increases SEO. Images with accurate, descriptive text using relevant keywords are more likely to appear on image searches.
It benefits visually impaired users by describing what is on their screen and improves the user experience for those where the image won’t load properly.
Compress images.
A good website optimization strategy should include compressed images to help your website load faster. Search engines, like Google, look at websites by their total size as part of their ranking system. If your website hosts large images on every page, not only do you run the risk of the website loading too slowly and losing prospects, but search engines will rank your pages lower.
Get original with it.
Both Google and users care about meaningful, unique content. There’s nothing inherently wrong with stock images, but original pictures and graphics provide a more authentic user experience and will help your images show up in search results.
Proper naming goes a long way, as well. File names can impact search engine crawlers’ ability to interpret your photos, so it’s crucial to name your images before uploading them to your site. Avoid “IMG_21,” and instead, use relevant keywords related to your alt text, like “artist-painting-with-filbert-brush.”
Leverage images for backlinks.
Take it further with your images and offer insightful charts and graphics related to your niche. This provides valuable information to customers and the opportunity for others to share the charts and graphics on blogs and in articles. This also helps boost your brand authority and reputation on search engines, as Google has been giving preference to charts and infographics.
Let’s do this.
Correctly utilizing the images and photos on your website is vital to any SEO strategy. We understand that every business is busy with day-to-day operations, and that’s why Clearbridge Branding is here. Ready to master your image SEO practices and make your content more discoverable? Contact us now to get started.
