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Question How to optimise images for SEO ?

CeliVega

CeliVega

New Member
So I just found about how images can be utilised for better search engine optimization.

Anyone familiar with how it is done? I found a few nice tips but id really like advice from everyone.

Thanks in advance for everyone who contributed!
 
SimplySidy

SimplySidy

Member
Well, my way is simple - Tag all images (I mean use the Alt tag). Try to optimize the images in size using any online application or provider (this helps in loading them faster on the Browser) and I always mention to rename the image file something in relevance to the Text/Post or even the Keyword.

Thanks for the link you shared. It gave me the other option that I always missed out - Use of Captions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Community

Community

Administrator
Staff member
Established Memeber
As apart of on page optimisation Images can be a vital part of the process, from increasing user interaction, creating visual appeal and providing the images are not a hindrance there are obvious SEO benefits to be had.

How to optimise images for SEO ?

There has been a number of case studies showing that having at least one image on a page can help contribute towards better rankings. So we will start.......well at the start, prior to uploading an image to your website.

So lets get a quick overview of what we'll go through below :

  1. Resize your images to the optimal ratio
  2. Reduce file size for faster loading
  3. Choose an image which is relevant to your page subject
  4. Rename your image file name including any keywords you feel the image is naturally showing
  5. Add a caption for easier reading
  6. Use image alt attribute text, title attribute text if possible
  7. Use images in your XML sitemaps

1. Image physical ratio

When selecting your image, its important especially when using large stock images or personally taken photo's that you resize your image to the aspect ratio which is going to be optimal for your site. If an the biggest image that shows on your website is 600px, then don't upload a 3000px wide image thinking that your CMS will resize and optimise the image for you. Like wise if your website is mapped out to show a 600px image, don't upload a larger one letting it scale down, upload the correct image size.

Think about your visitors, remember that although you may have a good internet connection, there is still large parts of the country and world that hasn't. Having large images that load slowly for some users create a bad user experience.

2.Optimising your image file size (after optimising the ratio)

Optimising your image for web is important, there is alot of hidden data in an image such as exif info and reducing the quality of an image to the point the human eye can not see all helps. There are of course tools to help you do this, to name a few :
My personal favourites are TinyPNG for quick optimisations and Kraken.io, Kraken because they have a great API plugin which links directly into Wordpress, optimising your images on the fly as you upload them which makes life very easy.

kraken-before-and-after.png


Can you tell the difference ? Nope I thought not.

3.Choose an image which is relevant to your page subject

Your image should always depict what you are talking about in your content body, something that will give your article visual appeal, choosing the right image will allow you to effectively name your file, title, caption and alt text.

4.Name your image file with keywords

Woah....hey there, stop right there before you run off and start stuffing keywords all over your file names, be sensible. If you've chosen an image which represents your content correctly then there should be no problem giving your file name a descriptive term of what the image is about. If you really want to get technical, use LSI keywords to diversity your reach.

5. Add a caption for easier reading

Captions again are a nice way of adding segments of text describing the image and its relation to your content, while there is no direct proof captions help with SEO, they do help with bounce rates and usability metrics. It's been said that image captions could be one of the most well-read pieces of content on your entire site.

Kissmetrics quoted :
Captions under images are read on average 300% more than the body copy itself

So worth doing ? Yes.

6. Use image alt attribute text (vital), title attribute text if possible

Alt text attributes are a must if you want to succeed with optimising your images, the benefits are more than just optimising your content, but your images could also show up in Google image searches if search engines understand your image correctly.

So what are alt text and what does it do ?


Alt text is really simple, it gives an image an alternative description. If your image doesnt load on the page because a user has turned off images in their web browser or are using a screen reader due to a visual impairment then it will display the alt text instead. This is also what search engines see to best associate the image with your content and user intent.

So add your alt text to every image you add, making sure if possible that it describes the image and includes a keyword or two, again nothing wrong with adding some LSI keywords to diversity if you think you are using something to regularly.

7.Use images in your XML sitemaps

Last, but not least. Make sure your images are included in your sitemap, whether you have to use a plugin or addon for what ever CMS you are using, or if you have to hound your developer to add it to your custom script, get it done.

Hell Google says do it, so why wouldn't you ? Read this:

To give Google information about images on your site, you’ll need to add image-specific tags to a sitemap. You can use a separate sitemap to list images, or you can add image information to an existing sitemap. Use the method that works for you!

P.s Sorry ran out of time with while writing this so will review it again later and add a couple more points. ( and correct some grammar/spelling )
 
F

FA | Gro

New Member
Isn't Photoshop jpeg optimiser good enough? I've used a couple of the online image optimiser's and they are seem to reduce image quality more than photoshop
 
Community

Community

Administrator
Staff member
Established Memeber
Isn't Photoshop jpeg optimiser good enough? I've used a couple of the online image optimiser's and they are seem to reduce image quality more than photoshop

Typically no Photoshop doesnt remove the underlying data which if a page is graphically heavy, can result in pages being extremely large and therefore slow loading for visitors with poor internet connections, or indeed excessive usage of data plans on mobile tariffs.

Most of the time, online optimisers such as Kracken.io and tinypng will reduce the physical file size without any noticeable difference to the image for the human eye.

I tend to use photoshop to reduce and get to the quality i wish and then run it through further optimisation for good measure.

Google Pagespeed reductions are also worth noting
 
F

FA | Gro

New Member
Yes, I've done that technique myself. Recently completed a new website but due to being rushed by the client I did everything is photoshop. Will have to start reducing the file sizing as and when I can now.

Thanks for the info.
 
syedtutul

syedtutul

New Member
All reply is nice. But I optimize my website image size using apple os. The name of the software "ImageOptim" very nice software.
 
admons

admons

New Member
Image optimization for SEO Techniques -
1. Image Relevance
2. Alt Tag
3. Image Size and hosting
4. File name
5. Title Tag and image linking
 
Ayesha Singh

Ayesha Singh

New Member
You can optimize your image alt tag.and, you can reduce the image size with the help of "optimzilla" tool. It is a best and free tool.
 
Daniel Dixon

Daniel Dixon

Member
If you wanna compress image you should use an image optimizer tool for compress images.
 
onebasemedia

onebasemedia

New Member
Established Memeber
For image optimization most importantly we should focus on alt tag, size of images, relevancy, renaming the file etc. These factors will work better for search engines image optimization.
 
K

kaz

New Member
compressjpeg.com
and
compresspng.com

These two are the best free online image compression utilities. You can simply drag and drop up to 20 images at once. It can compresses image size up to 80% without losing its quality. One of the best free tools I used for years, and compressed 1000's of pictures.

If you like my comment, please do not forget to like it.
Thanks.
 
ewestmidlands

ewestmidlands

New Member
Few points there for caching the Images:
1. Submit Image sitemap
2. Image file name. eg. keyword
3. Use Responsive Images
4. Use lite and good pixel Images.
5. Use Image link for sharing.
6. Use Alt and Image title tags
 
webxerossolutions

webxerossolutions

New Member
I have listed a few points which may help you learn about image optimization.

Rename images with the keywords.
compress your images while uploading.
Use retina ready colors, your images must be visually good.
Use title tags and Alt tags effectively.
Use appropriate descriptions and source details of images.
 
Jennifer Neon

Jennifer Neon

Member
Established Memeber
Images are a very important part of any web page be it a service page, a blog or a documentation page. But in the case of a product page, it plays a very important role in adding meaning to your page content. Imagine a product that has a nice lengthy page that describes that product very well but has no images to which the visitor can relate to getting converted to a buyer.
Now that we have seen how important the web images are it is also important to optimise these images for them to rank on our Search Engine Result Pages(SERPs). To do so we may need to follow certain steps:

Step 1- Images which you are choosing for your content should be appealing with the perspective of the visitor and at the same time should be relevant to your content.

Step 2 – Images are chosen should be in proper format which can be jpg, png or gif. If you are using multiple images (which is the most obvious thing) then they should be arranged i.e. is organised properly within your web page.

Step 3 – The next big thing that comes in to play is the size of the image. If the size of the image is too large then it has to be reduced so that the performance of the overall web page is not reduced. This could be done by using various image optimisation tools.

Step 4 – Image used should not remain anonymous they should be given a small headline which is called caption as it helps the visitor in relating with your image thus decreasing the chances of bouncing back.

Step 5 – The last step is to use Alt Tag. Many developers go wrong here and miss a major opportunity of ranking their images or even getting them indexed for SERPs. The main reason behind this the search engine crawler only crawls the description provided within the alt tag. The alt tag should also use the keywords and also should be different from the image title.

Hope I was able to satisfy your query :)
 
Paro

Paro

New Member
  1. Use a relevant image that matches your text.
  2. Pick a good file name for your image.
  3. Make sure image dimensions match the imagesize as displayed.
  4. Use srcset if possible.
  5. Reduce file size for faster loading.
  6. Add a caption, if appropriate, for easier scanning of the page.
  7. Use image alt text.
 
Nati

Nati

New Member
Established Memeber
So I just found about how images can be utilised for better search engine optimization.

Anyone familiar with how it is done? I found a few nice tips but id really like advice from everyone.

Thanks in advance for everyone who contributed!
  • Name your images descriptively and in plain language.
  • Optimize your alt attributes carefully.
  • Choose your image dimensions and product angles wisely.
  • Reduce the file size of your images.
  • Choose the right file type.
  • Optimize your thumbnails.
  • Use image sitemaps.
  • Beware of decorative images.
  • Use caution when using content delivery networks (CDNs).
  • Test your images.
 

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