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February 15, 2018
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April 19, 2018Image SEO Guide: Optimizing Images for Search Engines
Table of Contents
+ Introduction
+ How to Drive Traffic With Google Images
+ Optimizing Images for Load Speed
+ How to Find Royalty Free Images to Use In Your Content
+ Optimizing Images for SEO
+ Conclusion
Introduction
When it comes to search engine optimization, there is one very big contender for whom nearly all websites must be optimized. Google produces far more search results than any other search engine, and in recent years busily has been revamping how its algorithm’s assess site quality and the all-important “user experience.” If a site has relevant content and provides a good user experience, Google will reward it with high rankings on search engine results. Failing to provide keyword relevancy and a good user experience will result in a negative rating and possibly being banned by Google’s search engine results.
To provide a good user experience, original content is very important. Also important is using various types of media that enhance that user experience, such as images and various types of multimedia, including videos and audio clips. The more varied the media, the better, so long as the content is good and done well. The content also must be original and not a copy of existing content available on other sites. That might be difficult if a content manager wants to embed a video but does not have the means or resources to produce an original video presentation.
Video and Media
Video can be very important for many reasons. During a time when instant gratification is a primary motivator for many Internet users, the ability to view a short video is a great way for them to obtain information without having to read a great deal of text. Few things frustrate readers more than having to deal with a big block of text and scrolling up and down on a website. But when video is presented, they have imagery to view and passively can take in critical information, which makes for a very good user experience.
A good video also can result in a great deal of sharing from one site to another and on social media channels. When a video goes viral, it can reach millions of people in a relatively short time and for a very low cost to the provider of the video content. YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites have been great sources of video sharing. LinkedIn and Twitter also can generate a great deal of traffic when a video appeals to a large audience and is shared. When high quality sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and others show a lot of linking activity to a video produced and published on a particular website, Google and other search engines, such as Bing, will assess that site more highly and give it a better score and ranking on search engines.
Photos and Images
Just as video can add to the user experience, so can images. Whether it is a photograph, artwork, graphic design or some sort of chart or graph, an image can provide a great deal of information and greatly enhance the user experience. When a popular photograph or other image is shared on social media channels, Google, Bing and other search engines will rate the originating website much more highly and boost its rankings on search engine and keyword results.
Images are much easier to produce than video, although video has become easier to provide in recent years with webcams and handheld cameras. But images often times can be produced very easily and for very low cost when website owners and contributors can provide digital photos, proprietary artwork, graphs and other designs that illustrate information, entertain people and offer unique ways to demonstrate how something works or has an impact within a particular context.
Audio Content
Audio content is another form a mass media that many times is overlooked by website content managers and developers. Audio is a relatively simple way to help website visitors experience a point in time, such as when providing audio content from an important event, such as a presidential speech, or from a highly popular event, such as a key replay of a sporting event as called by a radio play-by-play personality. Although most people were not alive when it happened, the famous radio broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster is a prime example of an audio replay going viral and remaining relevant even several decades after its initial production. With the Internet, audio can have a long-lasting impact when used smartly.
When it comes to search engine optimization and blog posts, using images and other forms of media can make a significant impact on the content quality. Using multimedia platforms to inform and entertain people also can create a much better user experience while producing highly unique content that search engines like Google and Bing greatly prefer and favor. A blog post with multimedia as well as a website with multimedia create a unique level of quality that will make them stand apart from competitors and improves their rankings. They also stand a much greater chance of being shared on social media channels and going viral.
Measurement Via Google’s Algorithm
Google uses a variety of algorithms that are upgraded once or twice per year. The algorithms measure many things, including the number of clicks and site link gets after appearing in search engine results, how long people stay on the sites and what kind of content is provided. Google site assessment tools automatically can assess the type of content provided and compare it against other sites that are indexed by Google to determine if there is any repetitive information or content that is duplicated from other sites. In such cases, Google will ban a site and not allow it to appear on its search engine results.
Around 2009, Google began a major crackdown on spam sites and other sites that provide low quality information and relatively poor user experiences. The development of the Panda and Penguin algorithms made it much more difficult for sites to simply slap up bland content targeting specific keywords and then rank high in search engine results. Many sites that previously had ranked highly on keyword searches suddenly found themselves excluded
Google wants to ensure two very critical things when people use its search engine. One is to be certain no spam websites are getting through its search engine results and the other a good user experience. If people enter keywords and then click on links to sites that wind up being low quality and irrelevant to the keyword search, then they are less inclined to trust the results provided by Google. But when Google ensures users are getting the best experience and truly unique and relevant content, the likelihood of Google remaining the top search engine is much greater than if the search engine produced irrelevant results and links to mostly spam sites.
That makes using images and multimedia very important to website builders and content managers as well as for blog posts. The better the user experience, the better the rankings as website will have on search engines. And when the search rankings are high, so is the traffic generated from search engines as well as social media sharing. Going viral is something most online marketers strive to achieve but rarely do. When they can use quality images and other types of media to enhance the user experience and drive more traffic to their sites, they become more effective and more profitable.
How to Drive Traffic With Google Images
If you’re creating good content, then surely you’re using images and videos with it … right? If you simply optimize the use of your images, you could tap into a whole new world of search traffic: image search.
So how do you do that?
Image Type
When you’re choosing which image to use, look at what kind of file type it is.
You want to choose JPG images. For some reason, they just seem to perform better with image search and end up ranking higher. One reason may be that JPGs are readable by any kind of browser a user might be searching with.
Or it may be that it’s easier to compress the size of JPG images. You don’t want tiny images; you want them to be clear and represent the idea behind them. But large images increase load time, which is never good.
Using and Choosing Keywords
The first thing you want to do is give each photo a clear, easy-to-read, and relevant title. Don’t use gibberish that tells the search engine nothing about the image.
For example, don’t stick with AG133NOV.jpg. This might help you with organizing which file is where, but it will do you NO favors in terms of image search or SEO.
Next is the Alt tag. Fill this in with relevant (but brief) information and keywords to help search engines understand what is contained in the image. Someone who is visually impaired may visit, and this tag will tell them what’s in the image too. (They use special browsing equipment that reads text for them.)
Lastly, put the description to good use. This isn’t completely necessary, but it doesn’t hurt. Here you can elaborate a bit more about what’s depicted in the image.
Be Original
Whether you Photoshop unique, creative images for your blog or you take photos of your products, you want your images to be unique. It’s also been shown that using multiple images will usually help them rank better, as long as you follow all the rules for each image.
Tip: With the new Google Trends, you can research a wealth of information about any search term.
This can help with image search, too. When you go to Google Trends, enter your search term and click Explore. As soon as you do, a whole lot of things load on the screen. Click on “Web Search” to the left (see below).
A menu will open to the right. Click on “Image Search.” That will open a chart of how many times people have searched for that term with image search. (Note: this number isn’t exact; it’s relative to searches as a whole.) You can also see other related search terms being searched for on image search.
Okay, so now you have the basics of driving more traffic just by optimizing your images. But if you want to get the most out of this, there’s still more you can do.
Fix The iFrame Roadblock
When people click on an image in Google Images, they’re taken to a special page that features just your image. They don’t necessarily come to your page and see all the glorious content you’ve worked so hard to put together.
The image actually shows in an iframe and visitors have to keep clicking to get to your real page, which some of them won’t necessarily do. So let’s fix that, shall we?
There’s a good chance you’re running WordPress on your site. If so, you’re lucky: that makes things very simple. You just need to install a new plugin. Either of these should work:
- Google Images Redirect (hasn’t been updated recently, but still seems to work fine)
- Break Out of Frames (recently updated)
After you install and activate one of these, users will be redirected from that iFrame page to your actual page.
If you aren’t using WordPress, you’ll need to copy and paste some code into your site. Place the following code into either the header or footer locations in your site’s code. If you’re putting it in your header, look for
/head
Type it in just before that. If you’re in the footer, do the same thing. Look for
/footer
and put it just before that. Here is the code to copy and paste in:
[message_box title=”” color=”red”]
<script type=”text/javascript”>
<!–
if (parent.frames.length > 0) { parent.location.href = location.href; }
–>
</script>
[/message_box]
Once you start receiving this new, free traffic, you’ll want to monitor the traffic. After a few months, you can analyze which types of images are bringing the most traffic, and what kind of keywords do the most business, and you’ll know where to focus more of your energy.
Here are a couple of places that have guides to help you do just that:
Unique Images vs. Public Images
No matter how you choose to use images in your content marketing strategy, you essentially have two options for finding them: locating and using free-to-use “public” images, or using unique images that you created or bought from an artist. Both options are reasonable and can enhance your content marketing strategy, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Where to Find Public Images
The first question most people ask about public images is “where can I find them?” The prospect of free-to-use images is certainly appealing, but that means nothing to someone who doesn’t know where to look. Finding high quality public images can be challenging, but the extra effort you put into finding perfect specimens is typically worthwhile.
One of my personal favorite sources for free public images is Photo Pin, a search resource that scours Creative Commons photos from Flickr and similar image hosting sites. If you’re looking for something specific—like a penguin for your post about Google’s Penguin update—one search can give you dozens of options. However, when you find the image you need, make sure to check its licensing. Some images cannot be used commercially.
Some other sources for free public images include:
- Wikimedia Commons
- Compfight(which also offers paid unique stock photos)
- Pixabay
- FreeImages.com
No matter where you find your public images, you’ll also have to give proper attribution to the original owner. Different sources have different requirements for the type of language you need to include, but in general, you’ll need to say something along the lines of “Image courtesy of ____,” calling out the name of the photographer or creator and including a link back to his/her original site. Some sources include a convenient code for you to copy and paste into your document, but if they do not, it’s still important to provide attribution. It is sometimes a legal requirement and always a polite gesture.
How to Take Unique Images
Unique images don’t require you to search through hundreds of pre-existing options, but they can be harder and more expensive to acquire. In order to make sure you’re using high-quality, aesthetically pleasing images, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a photographer or a designer, whether you hire one in-house or outsource the work to one.
You should take photos of non-branded objects and environments or draw your own images in order to create final products that are wholly unique.
It’s also possible to pay for unique images through a stock image resource, but be aware that sometimes these images can be used by several purchasers simultaneously.
Advantages of Public Images
There are also a handful of downsides to using public images. You’ll have to spend extra time searching through hundreds of options to find an appropriate image for your post that also has a compliant licensing agreement. You also run the risk of using the same images as someone else. Still, they do offer some key strengths:
Cost
Obviously, if you can get something good for free, you might as well take it. Paying for stock photos regularly or paying a freelance photographer can get expensive over time, but if your strategy revolves around obtaining and using free images, you’ll have no major financial obstacle over the long term. The extra time it takes to find the perfect free image is often worth it, since spending 15 minutes is preferable to spending $50 (at least for most of us). Since most content marketing campaigns take months to years of effort, your savings become even more significant over time.
Practicality
Once you develop a good rhythm with a handful of sources, you’ll find there are ample options for free images available. Instead of trying to come up with a specific and perfect-fit idea for a new image every time you post a blog, you can browse through the options you have and find one that stands out to you. In some ways, it simplifies the decision-making process, so if you don’t want or need to have the best images in your industry, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress by sticking with public images.
Advantages of Unique Images
The biggest downside to unique images is the cost, but for some applications, unique images are the only option. For example, it’s easy to use public images to accompany a new blog post, but if you want a powerful infographic, your only choice is to start from scratch. Nevertheless, using unique images for any application has a number of advantages:
Individuality
If you’re creating your own images, you can rest assured that nobody else in your industry will be using them. You’ll stand out in the crowd and people will pick up on your commitment to quality and individuality, even if it’s only on a subtle level. Some public images have become so common that they have become “white noise” to people, but unique images will always offer something new to the viewer. This is especially important if you’re trying to distinguish yourself as a leader in your industry.
Control
Producing your own images gives you more control and creative direction in the image sourcing process. Rather than being forced to select an image from a common pool of options, you’ll be able to turn any vision you have into a reality. That means you’re guaranteed to have an image that perfectly fits the rest of your content, no matter what. This is especially true if your photographer or designer is working in house, or if you’re producing the images yourself.
Which Is Better: Public Images or Unique Images?
The question of whether public images or unique images are the better strategic choice has no straightforward answer.
There are clear advantages and disadvantages to each choice, and you might find use for both of them over the course of your content marketing campaign.
If you’re trying to make unique image-based content, such as an infographics, unique images are definitely your best choice. The same is true if you’re trying to present yourself as an unmatched leader in your industry.
However, if your main focus is written content and you’relooking for a cheaper way to support your strategy with a visual element, public images are the way to go.
How to Optimize Your Images for Load Speed
Most people realize the importance of optimizing a site in terms of design, structure, and content in order to give users the best possible experience and increase rankings in search engines. However, there are tricky technical factors that also have an impact on your position, such as site load time, and optimizing your images for speed can improve them.
Why Site Load Time Is Important for SEO
Site load time wasn’t always a big deal, but Google has made their mission clear: they want the best possible online experience for its users, and that means favoring sites that maximize user experience. For the past several years, site load time has been a significant ranking factor—meaning sites with faster load times rank higher than sites with slower ones.
If you want to improve your ranks in search engines and give your users an all-around better experience, you need to do everything you can to minimize the load time of your site. The best way to do that, and the first place to start, is to optimize your website’s images for load speed.
Resizing Your Images
There are two ways to think about the “size” of an image, and both can have an impact on loading times. First, “size” can refer to the amount of data contained in an image, expressed as Kilobytes (Kb) or Megabytes (Mb). Second, it can refer to the physical dimensions of the image when viewed at 100 percent.
The amount of data contained in an image is the most important factors that influences load time. The more data an image has, the longer it takes for a browser to receive and process that data from a server. While the difference between a 1 Mb image and a 200 Kb image may not seem like much, if all of your images are oversized, the impact on your users’ load times could be enormous.
Images with extra-large physical dimensions are the ones with higher amounts of data. Even disregarding the resolution (PPI and DPI), images with larger dimensions have a higher file size than their physically smaller counterparts. In addition to slowing down from the sheer amount of data that needs transferred, your load times can be impacted by the process your website takes to scale your images down.
Therefore, it’s important to size your images more efficiently. There are several easy ways to resize your images, both in terms of physical dimensions and in terms of file size:
- Use Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, or any image editing software to decrease the physical dimensions of your image. Keep the width to height ratio the same, but decrease both qualities.
- Upload your image to a free online image resizer, such as Picresize.com, and download a smaller version of your image to use.
- Use an automated tool to resize all of your images at once, such as by writing an image processing script in Photoshop.
There is no single “ideal” size for images, since many images on your site serve different purposes, but generally, you’ll want to pay attention to the following best practices:
- Blog images should not be wider than the width of your blog (so if your blog is 700 pixels wide, your images should be 700 pixels wide or less, keeping the same proportions).
- While everyone has different preferences, the 60-70 percent quality range seems appropriate for most blogs.
- Never increase the file size of an image. It leads to blurriness and graininess.
- Keep a copy of the original. That way, you still have it if you need to make edits.
Why size matters even if your CMS automatically resizes images
When an Internet browser reaches a site that contains an image, it first loads the full-size image you uploaded. Then, it processes the fact that it must reduce the image’s size to fit on the page, so it reloads the image as part of the page. Instead of saving time by loading only the processed version of the image, your user’s browser actually loads the image twice—once for the full-sized version and once for the fitting version. Therefore, it’s important to upload properly sized images to your website no matter what.
Using Proper Formats
The type of format you use for your images is also important. Most people are familiar with the JPG file format for images because it is one of the highest quality and most relevant formats. It also tends to have the highest file size because it’s made for big, high-quality images, so if you can get away with using a smaller file format for your website, you can decrease your load times.
For example, the GIF file format supports transparency and can be animated, but it only supports 256 colors. Because of its color and definition limitations, it is a naturally smaller format. You wouldn’t want to use a GIF for a product image or for a flagship piece of photography, but you should definitely consider it for small icons or badges on your site. It won’t save you a ton of data, but every little bit counts.
PNG is typically a larger format than JPG because it features a lossless compression system—meaning, it never loses data integrity no matter how many times it is saved. JPGs do lose data integrity with each save, but because they are much smaller in file size, they are still the preferred file format for high quality images. Still, PNGs can be useful for smaller images, such as menu images.
Other image formats do exist, but these are the key players you need to understand to make sure your website loads as fast as possible.
Get Rid of the Meta Data
It bears repeating: data is the most important factor for determining image load times. However, photos generally contain more data than just what reflects the actual image. Meta data, such as the date and time the picture was taken and editing history, is also stored on the image and can interfere with your loading times.
Keep in mind this data can be useful to you, especially if you’re a professional photographer, but if you’re trying to make your site’s images as lean as possible, you should remove this extraneous meta data.
There are a few ways to do this. The most straightforward is to right-click the image in question, click “Properties,” then click on the “Remove Properties and Personal Information” button toward the bottom:
You can also download an automatic tool, such as QuickFix, which does everything for you. There are also WordPress plugins and other web-based tools that can strip the meta data from all the images on your existing site, such as Image Metadata Cruncher.
Keep It Consistent
Once you’ve optimized your current site’s images for speed, you’ll be in a much better position—but you’re still not in the clear. You need to implement and execute a repeatable process to ensure that all new images uploaded to your site meet your speed criteria. For every image you upload, make sure you run through the checklist:
- Does your image have proper dimensions?
- Is it in an appropriate format?
- Have you stripped all irrelevant meta data?
Keeping your images consistent and fast is the best way to keep your site load time down and give your users the best possible experience.
How to Find Royalty Free Legal Images to Use
You don’t have to be a professional photographer or a graphic artist to include rich, high quality images on your website or blog. There are hundreds of sources on the Internet for the kind of graphic images that add value and interest to your content, and they’re readily available, royalty free.
Types of Images
Before you look for images for your site, it helps to know what you’re looking for. Many websites that offer royalty free images provide a variety of image types, others specialize in photos, animations or vectors. While you may be familiar with these types of images, the legal and use implications may be unfamiliar to you.
Most websites carry stock images. These are photos and graphics that are widely available for use by anyone who needs them. They can be generic or very specific; using narrow search definitions will help you zoom in on exactly what you’re looking for and avoid using images that are already familiar to users.
Stock images fall into to two main categories: royalty free and managed use.
Royalty Free Images
Royalty free doesn’t mean these images are available free of charge.
The term means that these visuals are freely available for use on the Internet by anyone who pays the initial licensing fee.
Once the nominal fee is paid, you’re allowed unlimited use of the images for any duration and any number of projects or applications.
Royalty free images are subject to the Terms of Use from the website you purchase the rights from, so read the fine print carefully to learn about any restrictions that apply.
Managed Use Images
This type of image is also known as a rights-managed image. Usually these images are very specialized and there is one artist, photographer or group of artists that creates or supplies them. The purchaser gains the rights to use such images for a limited time. Additional restrictions may also be placed on the manner of use, location and number of applications. Again, read the fine print, TOS and FAQs of the website before you commit to anything.
COPYRIGHT RULES
Copyright laws cover any creative work, from the moment of its creation. All music, visual art, written works and their creators are protected under the laws by copyright laws in the 160 participating nations and by the U.S. Copyright Act. This applies to any video, photo or image you find on the Internet from any source. Violation of copyright, also known as infringement, doesn’t need to be intentional to be a crime.
Avoiding Infringement
There are two ways you can be considered in violation of a copyright: you can either violate the rights of the creator of an image or the legal holder of the rights to an image.
Specifically, you’re in violation of a legal copyright if you:
- Use part or all of an image or other work without permission
- Use an image beyond the scope of what’s specified in the Terms of Use
- Use an image beyond what’s stipulated in your licensing agreement
- Adapt an image in another medium without the permission of the creator or legal copyright holder
- Ask another artist or photographer to recreate an identical image
You don’t have to be directly involved in the infringement to be considered guilty. You can also be considered in violation if you have knowledge of the violation, encourage someone else to violate a copyright on your behalf, or if you knowingly or unknowingly use an image from another source that didn’t have a legal right to publish or use the image in question.
That’s why it important to know the source of your images and deal with a reputable website when acquiring photos or other graphics for use on your web page or blog. A reputable source will include legal protection, either free or for a small fee. This protection might also be called indemnification or a legal guarantee in the licensing agreement.
When searching for images, find out from the supplier if they:
- Have permission to license the image
- Have on file model or property releases for their images
- Offer additional legal protection in the case of disputed images
- Have a protocol in place to identify risky images, such as trademarked items, before offering them for use
HOW TO GET ROYALTY FREE IMAGES, LEGALLY
There are several sources for high quality images that you can use. The two most common are stock photos and creative commons-licensed content.
Stock Photos
There are hundreds of websites where you can find stock photos. The only drawback for this option is that some of the images that are available for free aren’t print quality. Many of these are also in wide distribution. However, most are fine for basic website use. Just perform a general search for free clip art or stock photos to find a list of websites that archive and distribute stock photos. Some of the websites that supply stock photos require a small membership fee, then allow a certain number of images to be used royalty free for the duration of the membership. Each websites is different, so browse around for the best.
Once you’ve found a source for images, use very specific terms in the site’s search box or browse the categories to weed out images that have already saturated the web. The sites that carry them typically already have them licensed for general use. Otherwise, the creator of the image simply needs to be notified about how and where the image will be placed. On rare occasions they’re available only for non-commercial use.
Creative Commons Content
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that provides a way around paying outright for copyrights and licensing. It’s the least expensive and most common source for high quality photos and graphics. You can either use websites such as Flickr, which contain a high volume of CC-licensed images, or you can filter a search to specify “CC-licensed only” images.
There are different use requirements for Creative Commons content, but usually they’re limited to providing credit or a link back for the source. Clicking on the image itself will lead to information about any limitations or conditions for use.
Other Options
Another source of royalty free images is to find those that are considered to be in the public domain. Public domain means that the photos or images have passed the end date of the original term of the copyright, and the rights haven’t been reissued.
Most of these type of websites are government or education sites, like NASA’s website. You’ll know them by the suffix .gov or .edu; unless otherwise stated on the photo, the images on these sites are for public use. There will be a copyright notice on or below the photo, but always click on the image to check if permission is required for its use.
Getty Images now allows use of up to 35 million of their images, as long as they are for non-commercial purposes on a blog or personal website. This site consists mainly of news images that are high quality and are not normally available from other sources without payment.
A strong image creates a visual impact that generates interest and draws readers in. However, the image you choose should be relevant to your content and add value, rather than detract from your message or intent. Powerful visuals and strong content go hand in hand to help create a user experience that sets your website or blog ahead of the rest of the pack.
Optimizing Your Images
Optimizing your images for SEO is still an important element of any search marketing strategy. But the most effective tactics and the target end results have changed. In the modern world, you’ll be optimizing your images for three reasons; to improve user experience, to get your images found using Google Image Search, and to decrease your page loading times.
Optimizing Images for User Experience
Your first goal is to optimize your images to maximize user experience. While the experience of your users is qualitative, and does not directly influence your search rankings, Google does take user behavior into consideration. If you have better images, you’ll have lower bounce rates, and lower bounce rates means you’ll enjoy a higher authority.
Image Inclusion
Your first step is to include images wherever you can. That doesn’t mean stuffing images into every nook and cranny of your website, but it does mean having at least one significant image for every major post on your blog. Without images, your site will appear bland, and people will be less willing to read your content or stick around.
Image Appropriateness
Next, you’ll have to make sure your images are appropriate for your content. It isn’t enough to pair a picture of a hamburger with an article about cat behavior simply because you “needed” an image. Your images should be appropriate to the content they’re intended for, and if possible, they should be original. This will keep users on your page for longer, which can improve your authority.
Image Captions
As an added measure, it’s a good idea to include captions with your images. While image captions won’t necessarily help your images rank higher in a search, they will help users understand why you’ve chosen specific images for your posts, which leads to an overall better user experience.
Optimizing Images for Image Search
Next, you’ll have to take some measures to optimize your images so that they appear higher up in Google Image Search results. While Image search gets less attention than Google’s traditional search function, it can be a source of significant organic traffic.
Appropriate Alt Text
While the Panda update seriously cracked down on the overuse of keywords, including one or two keywords in your alt text can still help you rank for target queries. To add alt text, add alt=”example text here” to your image’s tag, where “example text here” stands in for your keyword-optimized description. Just be sure that your description is appropriate to the actual image content.
Appropriate File Name
In addition to an alt tag, you’ll want to make sure your image is titled appropriately. For example, if you’re using that hamburger picture from earlier, titling it “Delicious looking hamburger” is much more appropriate than “Broken ukulele.” This title will clue Google in to the image’s content, and will help it appear in more relevant searches.
Adding Images to Your XML Sitemap
As a final tactic, be sure to include all your images in your XML sitemap. Google peruses your sitemap to learn how your site is laid out and to discover new content on your site, so make sure it is updated regularly. Otherwise, your images will be harder to find, which could negate the effectiveness of your other strategies.
Optimizing Images for Site Speed
Finally, you’ll want to optimize your images for speed. The loading time of your site plays a pivotal role in your search rankings, especially in mobile searches, and your images are one of the biggest factors in how fast your site loads. Keeping your images loading quickly will increase your domain authority, and therefore increase your ranks.
Appropriate File Type
Choosing the right file type is easy, and can help make sure your images load quickly on user devices. JPG format is the modern standby, and should give you no issues, with PNG format being a close runner-up. Any other file types for your images should probably be converted, unless you have an animated GIF.
Reducing File Size
Next, you’ll want to reduce the file size of your images. While super high-resolution files might look nicer when printed out, it isn’t going to make much of a difference on a small digital screen. Shrink your images as much as you can while retaining high quality to reduce the file size, which collectively can drastically decrease your page loading times.
Stripping Meta Data
As a secondary means of reducing the time it takes to load images, you can strip your photos of meta data. Most images have information like the date it was created stored in the image file, but you can delete this by heading to image Properties > Details, and clicking “Remove Properties and Personal Information.” This will make the file smaller with no changes to the image itself.
Conclusion
Once all the images on your site are optimized for search, you should start to see far more organic search traffic coming in. With a higher domain authority from decreased site speed, you’ll rank higher for relevant keywords, you’ll gain extra traffic from image-based searches, and your users will be more likely to stick around if you have eye-catching, well-captioned images. The bottom line is that while it isn’t completely necessary, it is incredibly valuable, and you’d be remiss in neglecting the optimization of your onsite images.
Over the years he's written for publications like Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, MarketingProfs and other highly respected online publications. Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
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