One of the most overlooked elements of SEO is image optimization, but this doesn't have to be the case. It is not unusual to discover photos on a website with large file sizes, massive filenames without images, and figures with figures considerably smaller than the original image. These are all grave errors.
Often, the problem is that SEO guides for beginners are covered, which means that alt text optimization is all mentioned in other blogs.
But let's not forget that image research is very important and can drive traffic to your website. Often, a well-indexed image performs in higher positions than the content itself, generating traffic. Imagine if you had a pet-related website. Who hasn't searched for pictures of puppies on the internet?
Google results for beginners
Images compression should not be ignored, and in this guide, we conduct you through the optimization steps so you can achieve the best search results.
Few things are less engaging than a big block of a thousand words. It's boring and gives the impression that the text is heavy, too long. Google also bets on visual search, which started with a complete redesign of Google Images a few years ago.
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Increasingly, we see images occupying prestigious places in SERs, often above the usual organic results.
We are very grateful and see how the same images on all sites and the actual value is established when bespoke photos are used to communicate what you want to tell. So always remember to look for pictures that can add information and context to your reporting content.
And whatever the image, we can't ignore the importance of search results. Images compression should be part of your ongoing SEO strategy and one of the best practices to follow.
What is Image SEO?
Also known as image optimization for Google, or SEO for images is about improving your website images for two main reasons:
To rank higher in Google Images searches
To enhance overall page visibility and optimization
This means performing several different tasks that will help Google better understand the images on your site, include the files correctly, add and optimize the alt texts (alternative text), and reduce the file size, among other suggestions.
Given Google's advancements in leveraging AI and image learning for picture identification, one of the most commonly asked issues concerning SEO for tasks is still to be anticipated.
Google still can't read all types of images, and even though it has improved this considerably over the last few years, making this job easier can only help you - not get in your way. It's also important to know that image SEO isn't just about helping search engines understand what an image shows.
Poorly optimized loading is one of the leading causes of slow pages, and improvements can significantly impact your site speed and PageSpeed rating. And as we already know, site speed is a fundamental criterion for SEO.
Still, SEO for images typically doesn't go beyond alt tags. And there's no denying this is an essential part of the process, but it's only one of the parts. Let's understand alt tags, alt texts, and their purposes. It's a good starting point.
What are alt tags, alt attributes, or alt text?
You often hear SEO professionals talking about optimizing alt tags or alt text. They are also sometimes called image alt attributes or alt text. These are all names that refer to the same thing.
Alternative text for a picture is provided via alt tags or alt text so that a page can be read and accessed by screen readers and search engines. Alt text was created with the intention of assisting the blind and visually impaired in accessing images.
Alt text can help improve your site's SEO performance by adding other relevancy signals to a page and helping Google better understand image content, which helps with ranking.
But many people get this wrong, and you don't have to go far to find a page where all the images use the same alt text — an exact match of the main page's target keyword. Please don't do that; it's not right and won't give good relevance to your image.
How to optimize the alt text of an image
Best practice rules are to follow when optimizing your image's alt text. Creating descriptive alt tags doesn't have to be complex. The simpler and more descriptive it is, the better. Let the image content guide you.
Often, writing excellent alt text means using common sense to describe what the image shows. We can break this down into three best practice rules to follow.
Three essential tips for writing alt text
1. Be meticulous and precise.
Always provide the most thorough description of an image's contents in the alt text. The more precise a definition you can give a picture, the higher it will appear in Google Images search results and the more context it will have in connection to the text on your page.
2. Be relevant
Alt tags are not the place to spam exact match keywords and should be used to describe what an image shows. All tags must be completely relevant. Try to write alt texts that describe the images in a way that relates to the subject of the page they are on, especially when an image is more generic and not as specific as the others.
On the other hand, if you need to "push the slash" to describe an image and keep that description in the context of your page, then that image probably doesn't suit the page you want to use. Think about it.
3. Be unique
Don't use your main page's target keywords as the alt tag for every image on the page. Be sure to write unique alt texts that describe the specific content of the image rather than repeating the content of another image.
Conclusion
Images are a powerful way to communicate your message and engage customers. Images compression can help you increase traffic and improve the user experience on your website. By following these simple tips, you can make sure that your images are working hard for you. We’re dedicated to creating beautiful, user-friendly websites that drive results. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you create a website your customers will love.