How to Do Image Optimization for SEO on an Image Website

The fundamental steps for your SEO campaign are on-page SEO optimization and image optimization. As search engines become more and more clever, the process of gaining a high search ranking becomes more complicated.

To go to the top these days, you need to have a lot more than just good content.

On-page optimization is one of the most essential things that contribute to ranking high in search engine results. On-page optimization is the foundation of your SEO, and image optimization is one of the most significant on-page optimization components.

Image On-page optimization includes SEO optimization as one of its building parts. Images are an important visual component of a website. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Read: 4 Ways Images Can Help Your Blog Post

When utilized correctly, photos may convey your message in a single glance, however, sloppy use of graphics might ruin your entire impression. Furthermore, images from Google Image Search and other Image Search engines might be a good source of traffic.

The alt tag, title tag, image size, image name, and image linking are the most significant Image Optimization variables.

Table of Contents

Techniques for Image Optimization in SEO

1. Image Importance
2. Alt Tag
3. Image Dimensions and Hosting
4. Image naming conventions for SEO
5. Image and title tag linking
6. How many photographs should you include?

Image optimization for SEO Techniques

1. Image Relevance

When it comes to picture optimization for SEO, image relevancy is critical. An image of a train on a Ferrari-related page will not help you. I know it’s obvious, but this is such a vital stage that I can’t leave it out.

2. Alt Tag

The Alt tag is most likely the most significant aspect of image optimization. Alt is an abbreviation for an alternative. If the image cannot be displayed or is taking too long to load, the text in the alt tag is displayed in its place.

The majority of the major search engines are text-based, which means they cannot understand photos or videos. To search engines, the location of your images looks like an empty space. These unfilled areas are detrimental to your overall SEO. The alt tag not only alerts search engines that an image has been placed here but also educates them about the topic of your image.

A smart ALT tag strategy is to make your alt tags short but descriptive.

There are plugins that utilize the picture name as the Alt tag by default. This is why it is critical to rename your photographs before uploading them and give them relevant names.

For example, the popular RankMath SEO plugin automatically inserts the picture name as alt text. This simple feature saves end-users like you and me many hours of time.

Alternatively, you can simply add an alt tag to a picture manually.

This is how you do it in WordPress:

Simply select the image and, on the right side, create a descriptive alt tag

Fill your alt tags with SEO-friendly material, but don’t go too far. For example, the alt tag for a photograph of a birthday party should look like this: alt=” my son Ronald’s second birthday party”

Learn how to add alt tags to WordPress photos here.

3. Image Size and hosting

Image size is a critical issue because it directly influences page loading speed. There are a few things you can do to prevent your images from slowing down the page:

• Use.jpg instead of.png. (This works in the majority of cases.)
• Before uploading, compress your photographs. Use one of the WordPress image compression plugins.
• Using a CDN network will allow your image-heavy website to load faster in all parts of the world. Using a CDN has become critical, and I’ve already released a resource on the best CDN for WordPress.

If you use WordPress, you can utilize the Shortpixel plugin, which provides 100 free image optimizations each month. It can be used to reduce the size of previously uploaded photographs. Another reason to use this plugin is that it can convert your existing.png image to.jpeg format.

Another crucial element is an image hosting, especially when it comes to getting traffic from Google Image Search. The criteria that influence the selection of photos for Google Image Search are kept secret, but some believe that image hosting is one of them. Images hosted on the same domain as the text are thought to be more valuable than images placed on a different domain, such as a free image hosting service.

Another key Google Image Search algorithm is how the photos are merged with the text on the page.

4. How to name images for SEO

Images, like keywords, are vital in the URL.

Keyword-heavy file names can assist search engine algorithms in determining relevance.

Avoid using default picture file names such as “DSC0019.jpg” because they do not provide much information about the image.

Use descriptive filenames with keywords separated by a “-” symbol (hyphen). For instance, “Steve-Jobs-on-the-Launch-of-the-iPhone.jpg.”

5. Title Tag and image linking

Because images are visually appealing, they are ideal for linking. However, using suitable picture linking techniques can yield even greater outcomes. One of the most basic pictures linking tips is to avoid simply connecting to your photos. When linking your photographs, always use relevant anchor language. This is much more helpful for SEO when photographs are embedded in a guest post or other pages where a link back to your site is desired.

When linking your photographs, remember to include a title tag. When you hover your cursor over a link, the title tag displays a tooltip. Use relevant keywords and a description that is SEO friendly, and your title tags will shine.

6. How many images should you be using?

There is no set number of images that should be used because it is entirely dependent on the type of pages you are building. For some pages, a single image is sufficient, while others (for example, tutorials) may require 10-20 images.

The essential idea here is that your photos should not slow down page loading time. On a 3G connection, make sure your page loads in 2-3 seconds. Anything beyond that, you should concentrate on optimizing images and the overall page/website for performance.

These are basic SEO picture optimization methods that will not only help your SEO but will also increase your visitors. If you’re wondering how to get photographs for your blog, check out:

• 5 Ways to Find Stock Images on the Internet
• Where to Look for Images on the Internet
• How to Use Flickr Advanced Search to Find Images for Your Blog

Please let us know if you conduct any SEO optimization for your blog’s images. Or are you missing out on a good piece of image traffic?