Photo (image) sharing is a cornerstone of content marketing.
Billions of photos are shared every day and Google estimates that there were 136 billion indexed images on Google Image Search in 2023.
Now, the reality is, if you’re in content marketing, you’re not the only person sharing images on the internet—it’s competitive and you need to put in effort to get the images seen.
So, how do you ensure your images are visible to your target audience to help you achieve your marketing objectives?
All the information presented on this page is aimed at helping you optimize your images for better search visibility.
It should take you less than five minutes to implement after reading. Let’s do this!
What Is Image SEO?
Image SEO is the process of optimizing your images (just like we do for blog content) for search engines so that they can understand and serve them (in Image Pack) when internet users search for information related to what is contained in the images.
More often than not, it involves using the right:
- Alt text
- Appropriate captions
- Good file dimensions, and more.
Image SEO also makes it easier for search engine crawlers to interpret your blog content which is important in boosting general SEO for your site.
This is what Google says about Image SEO.
This tells us that visual search is an important aspect of Internet marketing that contributes a significant amount of traffic that every business owner or SEO should be targeting through image SEO.
It generally accounts for 22.6% of all searches. Sounds cool, right?
In the next section, we’ll discuss the benefits of optimizing images for better search visibility.
Let’s do this.
Benefits of Image SEO
There are a couple of benefits of Image SEO that you should know, they include:-
#1. Visibility on the search results
You know how when you search for something on Google, you usually get a mix of website links and images in the search engine results pages?
Well, image SEO is all about optimizing your web pages images so they show up more in those image results. And getting your images to rank better can be beneficial for your website or business.
Plus, image SEO can give you an edge over your competition. If you optimize your images properly and they outrank your competitors' images in the search results, you're more likely to get that valuable click and website visit.
#2. For starters, it drives more traffic to your site
If someone is searching for something visually, like a product or a location, and they see your relevant image in the results, they're more likely to click on it and end up on your website. More such clicks mean more potential customers or readers checking out your stuff.
#3. Faster load times
We've all been there—waiting for what feels like forever for a website to load, only to get impatient and just ditch it altogether.
Optimizing your images for things like file size can actually help your pages load way faster. And you know what faster load times mean?
Happier visitors who are more likely to stick around and check out your content instead of bouncing right off. It's a win for both you and the people checking out your site!
#4. Branding and Engagement
When your images show up in those search results, it's like a little free ad for your brand every single time.
And the more people see your visuals associated with the topics they care about, the more recognizable and trustworthy your brand becomes in their minds.
Additionally, it reinforces that you're a legit and relevant source of information or products in that space.
This makes image SEO a sneaky way to build brand loyalty and get folks engaged with your stuff.
#5. Improved user experience
High-quality, relevant images can make your website more visually appealing and engaging, which can lead to better user satisfaction and potentially lower bounce rates.
For example, using descriptive image [File Name | filenames] and [Alt Text | alt tags] enhances the overall experience for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers.
So those are just a few more reasons why putting in the work for solid image SEO is so valuable.
In the next section, we’re going to look at the best practices that you need to implement when undertaking Image SEO.
Image SEO Best Practices
Image optimization is crucial for improving website speed and user experience, while also helping search engines better understand your content.
Here are some best image optimization techniques to follow:
1. Choose the right image file type
Different file types are suited for different purposes. For example:
- JPEG is best for photographs and complex images with many colors.
- PNG is better for simple graphics, logos, and images with transparent backgrounds.
- GIF is ideal for animated images or very simple graphics with few colors.
- Use SVG for scalable vector graphics.
2. Resize images for web use
Large, high-resolution images can slow down your website's loading speed.
That’s why you need to resize images to the maximum size they'll be displayed at.
For example, if an image will be shown at 800x600 pixels, resize it to those dimensions before uploading.
3. Compress images for faster loading
Even after resizing, images can still be heavy and slow down your site. Compressing images reduces their file size without significantly impacting the quality.
- Use tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to compress your images
- Smaller file sizes mean faster load times for your visitors
4. Write descriptive alt text
Alt text helps search engines understand what an image is about, and it's also useful for visually impaired users.
It also helps search engines understand what the image is about. To do so, you need to describe the image accurately but concisely and include relevant keywords.
5. Utilize relevant image file names and include keywords
Instead of using generic file names like "image1.jpg", give your images descriptive names that include relevant keywords but avoid keyword stuffing.
For example, "blue-summer-dress.jpg" is better than "product_image.jpg".
You can use a feature like Meta tags on the Legiit dashboard to write better image titles.
6. Use responsive images
With more and more people accessing websites on mobile devices, it's crucial to have images that adapt to different screen sizes.
Responsive images automatically adjust to the user's screen size which improves user experience on different devices.
You can use the srcset and sizes attributes or CSS media queries.
7. Enhance user experience with captions
Captions provide additional context and information about an image.
- Keep them concise, descriptive, and add value
- Including relevant keywords can also help with SEO
8. Leverage schema markup for images
Schema markup helps search engines better understand the content and context of your images, potentially leading to rich snippets in search results.
For optimized images, you can use structured data to provide information like caption, alt text, image formats, and dimensions.
9. Use unique and original images
While stock photos can be useful, having custom and original images can make your website stand out and contribute to a better user experience.
If you have to use stock photos, ensure they're properly licensed.
10. Create an image sitemap
An image sitemap is a file that lists all images on your website and helps search engines discover and index all the images on your website more efficiently.
Use tools like XML-Sitemaps.com to generate your image sitemap and provide the URL of the images.
11. Use Open Graph meta tags
These tags control how your images (and other content) are displayed when shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
To do this, include tags like og:image and og:image:alt for better social sharing
12. Use lazy loading
Lazy loading prevents images from loading until they're actually needed, improving page load times and user experience.
You can implement lazy loading with JavaScript or by using a plugin/library
13. Serve images via a CDN
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) can significantly improve image loading speeds by serving them from a server closer to the user's location.
Using a CDN for your images can improve load times, especially for visitors far from your server. Popular CDN providers include Cloudflare, Amazon CloudFront, and Fastly.
14. Leverage Browser Caching
Enabling browser caching ensures that users don't have to download the same images repeatedly, leading to faster load times on subsequent visits.
Browser caching stores website resources (like images) on the user's device.
To do this, configure cache headers and use a consistent naming convention for your image files.
Key takeaways
Up to this point, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about optimizing your images for better search engine visibility.
Here are the key takeaways that will help you implement what you have learned in this text:
- Use a relevant image that matches your text
- Pick a good file name for your image
- Make sure image dimensions match the image size as displayed
- Use srcset if possible
- Reduce file size for faster loading
- Specify the width and height of your images
- Add a caption, if appropriate, for easier scanning of the page
- Use image alt text and title tag optimization. No need for a title text
- Add structured data to your images
- Add OpenGraph and Twitter Card tags for the image
- Use images in your XML sitemaps
- Serving images via a CDN
When you do the above, then you stand a good chance of getting the following benefits:
- Traffic
- Branding and engagement
- Better visibility
- Faster loading times leading to reduced bouncing rates
- Improved user experience leading to more click-through rates, among other SEO benefits.
So, will you do it? All the best!
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